The Junction by Chantelle Beda

CHANTELLE BEDA

T J

U O

N I

“HIP-HOP ISN’T JUST MUSIC. IT’S A CULTURE. IT’S A LIVING, BREATHING THING.” – DR. DRE

Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Note

The Issue With Hip-Hop

Biggest Hip-Hop Moments

Hip-Hop Fashion Timeline

59 75

Rap Meets Fashion: Hip-Hop Collaborations

67 Words To Know: Hip-Hop Glossary

Marketing Through Hip-Hop Music

Why Hip-Hop?

In the 7th grade I would come home from school every day to find Much Music on TV thanks to my cousin who doubled as our “baby sitter”. In the hour and a half that she would be there after school, my siblings and I would watch Much Music in the forms of Countdown and Much on Demand. This is when I caught my first meaningful glimpses into the world of hip-hop. Videos like Lollipop by Lil Wayne, Whatever You Like by T.I and Dangerous by Kardinall Offishall and Akon would play and I would be intrigued by how different rap music sounded than the pop and contemporary music that would appear before and after these music videos. Not to mention the fact that I always felt super cool while watching and listening to rap music. Flash forward to my last year of high-school and you could find me driving to school in my dad’s van playing one of my many rap CD’s (this was an old van and AUX

wasn’t a thing in it). I took so much pride in being able to rap along to Nicki Minaj, Childish Gambino, Kanye West and Jay Z despite being the only one in my group of friends who had any interest at all in rap or hip-hop music. So here I am now 4 years later, and hip-hop still holds a very large place in my heart. About 75% of the conversations I have with my brother and sister revolve around hip-hop. Whether this is my brother talking to me about new songs, artists or fashion (he always knows of them before I do), or the 3 of us discussing new albums and hip-hop drama that’s circulating in the media, the fact is that it is a huge part of the bond that the 3 of us have with one another. Another reason it resonates with me so much is because hip-hop is diverse. Rappers can have a range of vocals and rapping styles making each song have a different vibe or energy; and while some choose to rap over beats, some choose to rap over samples or live instruments.

EDITOR’S NOTE

The issue with my relationship with hip-hop however, was that while I could appreciate and love all the songs and artists I was listening too, I didn’t have enough of an understanding of the culture that surrounds hip-hop to really appreciate it. I decided to dig into the background, the culture, the politics and even the power hiphop has to be able to influence consumers to purchase goods. Not only did I need to gain a better understanding of hip-hop, but I also wanted to dig deeper into the subject: I needed to know about fashion. What is hip-hop’s relationship with fashion? Why do we often associate fashion trends and new brands with hip-hop? How has hip-hop influenced the fashion industry? Keeping the information I learned about the hip-hop industry and African American culture in mind, I decided to try and answer these questions and understand the relationship between the 2 industries: hip-hop and fashion.

THE ISSUE WITH HIP-HOP

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

hile I believe that hiphop has contributed great things to fashion, marketing, the economy and African American culture, it wouldn’t be right to discuss those without acknowledging the flaws within the industry and the problems with the vulgar language that is glorified by hip-hop artists. While listening to any hip-hop song, it is likely that a form of slang and discriminatory slurs against marginalized groups of people could be heard. Misogynistic raps that discuss women as objects and degrading vulgarity and discrimination towards LGBTQ groups can be heard from rappers

such as Eminem, 50 Cent, and Tyler The Creator. Words like fag, faggot, homo and gay are often a part of the norm in hip-hop and while they may not be as prevalent as they were in earlier hip hop music (think early 2000s), they still exist within rap music. Women are still discussed in hip-hop as bitches and hoes through lyrics to paint a visual image of women as sexual objects to the listener. On top of this, women are also objectified in rap music videos often seen in minimal clothing and dancing sexually. This could be because there seems to be a need for rappers to prove their ultra-masculinity within the hip-hop industry THE ISSUE

(the industry is made up of mostly males). By mentioning women and slandering the LGBTQ community it could be something that they think reinforces this masculinity. Another thing that might reinforce this masculinity that is problematic is the glorification of drugs and criminal behaviour within hip-hop. Many rappers mention drugs in their lyrics from the usage of them to selling them. Tyler the Creator for example mentions drugs in an assortment of his songs but has always mentioned in interviews that he doesn’t do them. This still contributes to the glorification of them and paints him as criminal and promiscuous even

though he isn’t in that sense. Other criminal behaviour referenced in rap music includes domestic violence, rape, murder and physical or gun violence. Rappers have been dropped from their partnerships and endorsements with brands because of these lyrics, such as Rick Ross from Reebok after releasing a track about date rape 1 and Ludacris from Pepsi after releasing songs with violent and sexist lyrics.2 While this may seem like a progressive step in getting rappers to change what they rap about, it more often than not draws in more attention to the artist and brings them more publicity. A major reason why sometimes language in hip-hop is hard to change, are the corporations that own the hip-hop labels. “The Big Three”: Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group have owned and controlled approximately 90% of the music market since 2012.3 One of the main reasons this is a problem is because white men own these industries but have no attachment to the culture of hip-hop, only the economy of it. Because of this, they have the power to tell the rappers what sells and continue to control the interests and themes of the music, not always directly, but regardless creating a vicious circle. Consumers criticize the hip-hop industry for the glorification of these negative behaviours but still listen and buy into what artists promote, leaving rappers in a position where it’s not easy for them to change what their music is about. Rapper Q-Tip

explains this further when discussing just how black rappers are mistreated in the industry, saying that “Hip-hop is fun, but one thing it can never detach itself from is being a sociopolitical movement.” This is because the music industry frequently “encouraged black rappers to rap about being criminals or uneducated as a way to sell records”.4 In turn, this has given white rappers a way to achieve success by not rapping about the same things and being portrayed as unique. This is where the next issue comes into play: cultural appropriation. Hip-hop came from black culture and the growth of the hip-hop industry through the infatuation that white Americans have had with African Americans has led to appropriation. In turn this can take away from the culture and their heritage. This is one of the main issues that surrounds black-culture and hip-hop as their lifestyles are so easily taken from them and appropriated by other cultures who do not understand the meaning and context behind the clothing, hair, music and dancing that they continue to try to make their own. African American culture has in a sense become a long lasting fashionable trend being worn by people who don’t know anything about it.

“ Hip-hop is fun, but one thing it can never detach itself from is being a sociopolitical movement.”

MURDER W

C A S E 12

Playlist A selection of hip-hop songs about crime, drugs, murder, violence, domestic violence and prison Download the full playlist:

http://spoti.fi/2mxtztx

Song

Artist

My Name Is

Eminem

16 On Death Row

2Pac

One Less Bitch

N.W.A

+ Kim

Eminem

One Love

Nas & Q-Tip

Love Is Blind

Eve

Stan

Eminem & Dido

Fuck Tha Police

N.W.A

Murder Was The Case

Snoop Dogg

Do Your Time

Ludacris

Black Steel

Public Enemy

The Tower

Ice-T

Runaway Love

Ludacris & Mary J Blige

Trapped

2Pac

Last Words

Nas

Sound of da Police

KRS-One

+ Ridin’

Chamillionaire

Bricks

Gucci Mane

Dope Boyz

T.I

Kilo

Ghostface Killah

Street Dreams

Nas

Hustlin’

Rick Ross

Friend Or Foe ‘98

Jay Z

Dope Man

N.W.A

Ten Crack Commandments

The Notorious B.I.G

Who Shot Ya

The Notorious B.I.G

BIGGEST HIP-HOP MOMENTS

1981

August 1981 / Blondie’s Rapture – This was considered the first rap video played on MTV. They were a punk band that incorporated rap into their song and set the pace for society to embrace hip-hop and its culture.

1983

Fall 1983 / Style Wars PBS – This was a film about hip-hop, graffiti and breakdancing, essentially covering all art forms that were on the rise and part of black culture. It would go on to become a critically acclaimed documentary.

1985

December 1985 / Fat Boys Swatch Commercial – This ad campaign with Swatch helped launched the career of the Fat Boys as we got to know the group. The campaign further opened the doors for many of the multi-million dollar deals that would happen in the years to come.

1986

July 1986 / Run DMC and Aerosmith Walk This Way – The 2 groups collaborated on the hit song Walk This Way. Rap was becoming increasingly popular within mainstream music, but record companies wanted a way to get in with white audiences and increase sales more. Both groups just needed a hit and Rick Rubin brought the idea to Run DMC initially they were hesitant, but decided to go through with it. It was the first rap song to break into the top 5 of the Billboard 100, and was followed with a popular music video too. November 1986 / The Beastie Boys Licensed to Ill Droped – This was an important milestone to happen in the hip-hop because the group consisted of 3 white Jewish boys who rapped. Aside from Vanilla Ice, they were one of the first white people to achieve success in the rap industry. They went platinum after 4 months of releasing their first album. Their existence helped bring rap into the mainstream because they reached white people (who had the most disposable income). Knowing that a white group of kids could be associated with the hip-hop industry seemed to give white people a sense of security and unfortunately seemed to be the step that was needed in order to attract them to the hip-hop market.

1987

October 1987 / Theo Raps on The Cosby Show – The Cosby show was watched by both black and white audiences and was a way for the black community to fight the stereotypes that surrounded them and show them in a responsible manner that wasn’t normally shown in the media: well off (doctor and attorney parents) and the model black family. This did however receive backlash from the black community because the show failed to bring attention to the harsh issues that affected black culture. However, on this episode when Theo and Cockroach were studying for a test, they did so by rapping their study notes. This was big for the hip-hop community and black culture in general because it provided evidence to society that rap wasn’t just a fad, and it would be coming to families (including white families) everywhere. This also opened the door for characters and shows like The Fresh Prince to air in the future and become successful.

HIP-HOP MOMENTS

1988

August 1988 / Yo! MTV Raps – This was the first show to give exclusive time to rap music videos. It was a 2 hour block of music videos and the show had a 7 year run. Before the days of social media, it was a must for new rap songs on the rise to be shown on the air. It was hosted by Doctor Dre and Ed Lover.

1990

Winter 1990 / MC Hammer Pepsi Ad – This was MC Hammer’s biggest endorsement which aired for a full minute long. At the time of the collaboration it was such a big amount of money from a brand that it looked like selling out to the hip-hop community. September 1990 / Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on NBC – The Fresh Prince was the first primetime sitcom to feature a rapper as the star of the show. Will Smith not only played the lead, but also rapped the theme song, which was something that wasn’t yet seen on a television series. It had a 13.6 rating which was big for a new show. Young audiences loved it, and during season 3 it became the highest rated sitcom with teens. It challenged ideas about class, race, hip-hop and 1990s America which was huge for TV in the 1990s.

1991

March 1991 / Eazy-E Attends the White House – Eazy E attended the White House luncheon with President George H.W. Bush much to the surprise of the media and society. People couldn’t believe it, Eazy later said in a song he didn’t care who was president and didn’t vote, hushing the opinions of the media. July 1991 / Public Enemy T-Shirt in the Terminator – The movie the Terminator featured John Connor: a white teenage boy from the suburbs. In one scene however, he is spotted wearing a t-shirt from rap group Public Enemy, meaning that he listens to the band. The film made 519$ million worldwide, and had a huge reach to various demographics. A few months after this, Public Enemy’s next album made it to the #4 spot on the Billboard 200, likely resulting from the audience that viewed the Terminator.

1992

July 1992 / Def Comedy Jam Premiered – Television series produced by Russell Simmons who obtained a production deal at HBO. It lasted from 1992-1997 featuring comedians mixed with hip-hop artists. Each episode was an hour long and showed Russell as an entrepreneur of hip-hop but outside of the music portion of the industry.

1996

September 1996/ March 1997 / 2Pac and Biggie Murders - Tupac was shot on the way to a club in Los Vegas with Suge Knight (Knight lived), and less than 6 moths later BIG was shot and killed right outside the Soul Train Awards after party. Several shots were fired, 4 of them hitting him. Hip-hop media declared these as acts of war, which was believed to be between Death Row Records (where Tupac was signed) and Bad Boy Records (where Biggie was signed). No rap beef has ever been as violent and monumental as that incident. Both rappers are celebrated today as hip-hop legends.

HIP-HOP MOMENTS

1997

Spring 1997 / LL Cool J Gap Commercial - LL wore a FUBU hat in his Gap commercial and shouted out the brand in a rap that he made for the commercial. Not only did this make The Gap a “cool” brand, but FUBU’s sales spiked and they gained revenues of approximately 300 million in 1998. The success of FUBU would inspire brands like Sean John, Rocawear and Echo that would come soon after this.

1999

December 1999 / J-Lo and Diddy –The pair left the club they were at soon after shots were fired. They were then arrested because a gun was found in Diddy’s car. Not only that, but the vehicle ran 11 red lights, adding to the suspicion. Diddy was charged for the incident but was acquitted thanks to Johnnie Cochran. After this the pair soon broke up.

Feb 2001 / Elton John and Eminem at the Grammys – Eminem has always been considered 2001 a controversial hip-hop artist as his lyrics are often filled with misogynistic, homophobic

and racist slurs. However, at the 2001 Grammys he performed his song Stan with openly gay artist Elton John. They even hugged and held hands at the end of the performance much to the surprise of viewers. This brought 2 very different artists and their fans together, opening a door for hip-hop to build on their relationship that was usually perceived as negative with the LGBTQ community.

Feb 2004 / Chappelle Show Lil Jon Skit – Dave Chappelle featured a skit on his show 2004 where he impersonated Lil Jon. This was considered one of his greatest impersonations and led him to gain more credibility and build a stronger relationship with hip hop fans and artists. After this, more hip-hop artists appeared in sketches, exposing them to a different demographic than the hip-hop market. Additionally, the success of this episode was apparent as 2004 also turned out to be Lil Jon’s most successful year.

2005

September 2005 / Kanye calls out Bush – Shortly after Hurricane Katrina, a live telethon was broadcast featuring a variety of celebrities encouraging people to donate and help the victims of the Hurricane. Kanye appeared alongside Mike Myers and went off script declaring that “George Bush doesn’t care about Black People”. While it was a shocking and awkward scene to appear on live television, it created a conversation about the way black culture was treated by the government in America. People either strongly agreed or disagreed but it ultimately changed the influence celebrities have had on public forum.

2006

March 2006 / Three 6 Mafia Wins an Oscar – Three 6 Mafia was the first non-pop rap act to win an Oscar. It was for their song It’s Hard Out Here for A Pimp: made for the film Hustle and Flow, a film with a primarily black cast. This was monumental within the industry because it meant that the Academy could recognize films that impacted the public, and more importantly

HIP-HOP MOMENTS

2008

January 2008 / Beats by Dre – Dr. Dre released Beats headphones and changed the headphone market. They sold for 350 dollars each and featured heavy bass, something that many headphones lacked at the time. They also had a unique design and acted in a sense, as an accessory. Many celebrity endorsements with the brand have happened, not only having celebrities feature in advertisements, but having Beats products appear in celebrity music videos. The company made 620 million dollars in profit before selling to Apple.

2009

April 2009 / Kanye Air Yeezy – This was the first non-athlete collaboration shoe for Nike, listed at 215 dollars per pair. It turned out to be one of the biggest limited edition sneaker launches in the history of footwear and was one of the fashion events that established Kanye as one of the biggest fashion icons of his time. September 2009 / Kanye vs Taylor Swift – Kanye cut off Taylor Swift during her speech for best music video at the MTV Video Music Awards, instantly becoming a media frenzy. The popular quote “Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time!” came from this. Kanye was attacked by the public and the media for this and soon left the public eye to create MBDTF. While public apologies were made, Kanye and Taylor’s beef continued into 2016 when Kanye released the song Famous which took shots at her. However, this led the public to discover that she is not as innocent and sweet as she tries to come across as.

May 2011 / Common Reads Poetry in the White House – During Obama’s presidency, 2011 rapper Common was invited to a poetry reading hosted by Michelle Obama that took place in the White House. It quickly became a news frenzy, as Common has had his fair share of explicit lyrics. The press secretary had to tell the press that Barrack Obama didn’t always agree with the rapper’s lyrics but he appreciated common’s work overall.

2012

November 2012 / Jay Z Campaigns for Obama – Jay Z publicly endorsed Barack Obama by performing many songs at a campaign for Obama before introducing him to the crowd. It received a lot of attention on Twitter, and was a breakthrough for the relationship between rap and politics. The Obama elections were the start of hip-hop artists (and other celebrities) becoming more vocal about their opinions on politics and even openly endorsing presidential candidates. Obama was reelected for a second term, as he grabbed the attention and hearts of minorities, youth and middle class American citizens.

HIP-HOP MOMENTS

FIGHT T H E POWER 20

Playlist A selection of hip-hop songs about politics - presidents, black culture and racially targetted police brutality Download the full playlist:

http://spoti.fi/2mVgwF3

Song Artist

Police State

Dead Prez

Who Got The Camera

Ice Cube

Alright

Kendrick Lamar

Raegan

Kanye West & Jay Z

Ronald Reagan Era

Kendrick Lamar

Never Let Me Down

Jay Z & Kanye West

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Shoot

The Game & Rick Ross

Murder To Excellence

Jay Z & Kanye West

Made In America

Jay Z & Kanye West

January 28th

J Cole

Hold You Down

Childish Gambino

New Slaves

Kanye West

Fight The Power

Public Enemy

Self Destruction

KRS-One & MC Lyte

Changes BMF

2Pac

Georgia...Bush

Lil Wayne

My President Is Black

Jay Z

+ Mosh

Eminem

Nas

Black President

HIP-HOP FASHION TIMELINE

I said a hip hop, hippie to the hippie, to the hip, hip a hop, and you don't stop, a rock it to the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie, to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat. Now, what you hear is not a test - I'm rappin' to the beat, and me, the groove, and my friends are gonna try to move your feet. See, I am Wonder Mike, and I'd like to say hello, to the black, to the white, the red and the brown, the purple and yellow. But first, I gotta, bang bang, the boogie to the boogie, say up jump the boogie to the bang bang boogie, let's rock, you don't stop, rock the rhythm that'll make your body rock. Well so far you've heard my voice but I brought two friends along. And the next on the mic is my man Hank, 'mon, Hank, sing that song!

Hip-hop is a culture that was formed primarily through African American youths in the 1970s in the South Bronx in New York City.5 This culture brought a whole new genre of music and a new style of dress to the streets, which through the decades has come to form what we know as todays hip-hop industry. Although DJs and b-boys were an initial part of the hip-hop culture, the focus of the industry today is on the musical artists. These artists are most often rappers, but can also be from the R&B or soul genres as well. As the hip-hop industry has grown over time, it has become one of the most influential, profitable and marketable industries in the world. Rap moguls have become not only musical celebrities but businessmen, with their hands dipped into various industries from cars to alcohol. The most influential power these artists have however, is within the fashion industry. Through their songs, music videos and everyday style, these influencers have started various trends throughout the fashion industry that have not only trickled down into the masses but trickled up into the world of high fashion. This chapter analyzes and displays the top trends of the decades from the 1980s to present day. Most of this information has been found through analysis of various music videos, album covers, magazine spreads and other images that have circulated from each time period. While many of these trends have evolved into different ones, each style and article of clothing can still be seen in the world today, which is truly an indicator of the impact the hip-hop industry has had on not only the fashion industry, but also on the culture it created.

1980

lthough hip-hop began to grow its roots in the 1970s, the 1980s are when hiphop began to grow into a fraction of the industry that we know it as today. In the 1980s, many b-boys and rappers had their own crews. They dressed the same as one another, but followed different trends than the rappers and artists from other areas. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw artists like Run DMC sporting Cazal Sunglasses with the lenses popped

out, often paired with trucker hats or Coogi bucket style hats like the one pictured (it was basically made famous by L.L Cool J). Various rap groups like Run DMC and the Beastie Boys could be spotted in tracksuits, either donning the whole set, or separates. These tracksuits were a key part of the “uniform” each rap group had.6 Run DMC was frequently seen in a leather Adidas 3 stripe tracksuit. The interest in sportswear would only begin to grow from this point on. In 1984, Nike introduced the Air Jordan I, a basketball

TIMELINE

sneaker made in collaboration with Michael Jordan. Not only did this begin the merging of hip-hop culture and sportswear and team merchandise, but it also is when hip-hop and sneakers started to go hand in hand, and even further leading to a whole group of people who today are called “Sneakerheadz”.

1985

he latter half of the 1980s is when more individualized styles became popular. While these styles or looks may have been considered individual to certain hip-hop artists, they quickly became widespread trends that could be seen across America. For most of the 1980s, Dapper Dan helped these artists have their own individual styles through his custom shop in Harlem. There, he would take luxury pieces (anything from handbags, to belts to existing pieces of clothing) and then deconstruct and reconstruct them into a piece of bespoke

clothing made just for that rapper.7 Because of his quick and booming success, he became known by everyone in the industry, and is even mentioned in many rap songs still today. Another style that became popular was the use of traditional African-American prints or articles of clothing. Saltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;N Pepa and Queen Latifa could be seen wearing Ku Hats and Kenti Prints at events and photoshoots. As the relationship between sports and hip-hop continued to grow, more and more pieces with sports teams could be spotted on various rappers. N.W.A was one of the first groups to wear team merchandise not only in their day TIMELINE

to day lives but at concerts, on album covers and in music videos. They are best known in the world of fashion for wearing Raiders gear (hats and crewnecks) because looking like a cohesive group and appearing as if they blended together was still important to hiphop groups.6 The sneaker industry was also just beginning to take off thanks to the sneakerheadz that emerged from the 1980â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. What sneaker you chose to wear said a lot about who you were and how cool you were.

1990

he 1990s are when rap music began to become more mainstream in the sense that it could be heard on various stations across America, and more and more of the rich upper-class white Americans were also buying into it. In fact, in 1991 a study done by Newsweek showed that 80% of rap and hip-hop music was being purchased by a white audience.8 This is also when hip-hop was becoming an industry as well as a culture. Rappers were becoming bigger and becoming stars in more than just the music industry. Will Smith got a role on the sitcom

Fresh Prince of Bell Air and was frequently seen wearing Cross Colours merchandise on the show. Baggier clothes were becoming big as well with brands like Ecko and FUBU creating big sweaters in bold colours with their logo all over them. Not only were the tops becoming baggier, but the jeans were getting baggier too. Many men were buying jeans that were too big in the waist so that they would hang lower and have wide baggy legs. Karl Kani saw this market and created his own line of denim that had a waist that fit, but pant legs that were 2 sizes bigger than what a standard pair of fitted jeans were.

TIMELINE

Although sneakers were still a majour part of the hip-hop world a new type of footwear was becoming popular. Timberland boots started off as a boot tailored to the blue-collar worker, but then found their way onto the feet of drug dealers and from there, rap artists like Biggie were seen sporting these boots.9 Even today these boots are still popular and have had very few aesthetic changes since when the brand released them in 1973.

1995

s the 1990s progressed, rappers began to develop their own signature style, with pieces that could often be associated with them, for example Biggie and the Coogi Sweater. Artists within the inner city10 began wearing preppy brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, much to the distaste of the designers.11 These designers made their clothing for a specific demographic: mostly white, upper class men and women who lived in the suburbs.11 When word got out about this happening, some designers tried to fight it while few, like Tommy Hilfiger

tried to profit from it. In the mid 1990s, Snoop Dogg went to Hilfigersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; studio and asked Tommy to dress him for the episode of SNL he would be guest staring on the next day. After Snoop performed on SNL, the Tommy sweater he was wearing sold out immediately. This is what fueled the growth of the Tommy Hilfiger brand, as it would later be seen on various celebrities in the music industry from Aaliyah, Snoop, Destinyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Child and even Britney Spears. Sportswear was something that could be seen year-round as Starter came out with their signature jacket. It came as either a pull over jacket or button down TIMELINE

that came in bold colours and was plastered with the logo of your favourite sports team. Run D.M.C, Diddy and DJ Jazzy Je were just a few of the artists who made this jacket popular. Bright bold colours were extremely common throughout the 1990s and even into the 2000s. Towards the end of the 90s and start of the 2000s there was a shift in not only style, but also what rap artists were doing. In 1998, Diddy founded Sean John, his own clothing company. He wanted to create pieces that men could wear from the office, to the street and change the overall aesthetic of rappers to a more mature look.10

2000

he 2000s were a time when the rap portion of the hip-hop industry was growing quickly with many new names in the game. This led to rappers needing to display how much they made, to show off their wealth. This was done through clothing, vehicles and jewelry. While jewels and bling werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a new concept to the hiphop industry, Grillz were. They had been seen in the 1980s, but with the rise in number of rappers and in this case ones from the south, Grillz became a widespread trend that took off in the industry.12 This could be what led Nelly to write the song Grillz in 2005 and for it

to become the number one single of that year. The early 2000s also had rappers that followed in the steps of Diddy by creating their own clothing brands. Artists from Jay Z, to Russell Simmons to Eminem created their own lines of clothing devoted solely to trends from the hip hop industry. Sneakers, denim, sweaters and baggy t-shirts were created across all the brands with the logos all over them. Sportswear continued to hold its relevance and popularity in the industry with the introduction of throwback jerseys, which could be seen on rappers such as Ludacris and Jay Z. To go with these jerseys, or even to be worn separately, came the tall-T. TIMELINE

A white or sometimes black T-shirt that usually went to the knees of the person wearing it, large and long, it was seen on top of baggy jeans that were still popular from the 1990s. Sweatbands (seen on Nelly and The Game) and snapbacks (seen on Bow Wow, Lil Wayne and Fat Joe) were becoming popular accessories, usually in the colour ways or even with the logos of sports teams from various leagues. The NY Yankees black snapback became a signature look for Jay Z as he was frequently photographed in it.

2005

he mid 2000s and even still today was a time when rappers started collaborating with luxury designers. Although luxury wear was always something that hip-hop artists aspired to have or wore to events and red carpets, these brands were now becoming a part of everyday wear and even worked with various rappers in advertisements and in collaborations. Not only this, but more and more rappers were name dropping designer brands in their music and

continue to do so today. Rappers such as the Game, Kanye, Jay Z and Ludacris could be frequently seen in Versace, another luxury brand that became extremely popular within the industry with their use of gold and black, and pieces that displayed the wealth of these artists. Alternatively, another style of clothing was becoming favorable with the rappers that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take as big of a role in wearing pieces from the luxury part of the hip-hop industry. Streetwear began to be very popular towards the end of the

TIMELINE

2000s as skaters began to listen to rap music more publicly.13 Tyler the Creator and Odd Future created a line of clothing for skaters that was adopted by members of the hip-hop community. Jeans and pants became skinnier, sweaters and shirts were more colourful and began to replace the jerseys and sweaters with sports teams on them with skateboard brands.

2010

s the 2000s turned into the 2010s, streetwear became more and more relevant, but many popular pieces from the 2000s can still be seen in this time period. A major trend that continued into the 2010s was the streetwear look. Utilitarian tops, neutrals and fitted pants with baggy tops are all trends that came into the 2010s and are still here today in 2017. This is visible in Kanye Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yeezy collection for Adidas that features simple, neutral staple pieces of clothing. A majour key trend that emerged in 2015-present is the Yeezy Boost by Kanye and Adidas that quickly sells out at every release. The

shape, colour palette and fabric is different than sneakers that were traditionally popular within the hiphop realm, but have had a large audience and substantial growth since their release. While skate-wear is still popular in 2017 with brands like Supreme, Palace and Thrasher, it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen as frequently on rappers as it was in the early 2010s. Fitted caps and bucket hats (seen on ScHool Boy Q) were trends in the early 2010s as part of the skate-wear/hip-hop culture. The skinny jean that was seen in the late 2000s was more popular now and seen on artists like Wiz Khalifa , Lil Wayne and Tyga who still wore skate-wear late into the 2010s. TIMELINE

Leather and pleather have also been popular fabrics in the 2010s seen on anything from jackets to pants. These popular pants fit snug like skinny jeans but have the comfort and style of joggers, another popular look of the decade that is considered part of the streetwear trend. A pivotal trend that started later into the decade is the concept of womenswear on men. Various rappers are becoming more comfortable wearing womenswear as part of their wardrobe and not fitting into the stereotypical image of masculinity that has always been a part of hip-hop culture.

Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hip-hop fashions have come a long way from the styles and trends that came from the 1980s. However, many pieces from those decades can still be seen on artists and hip-hop listeners today. Not only for nostalgic reasons, but also because depending on how they are worn, they can still be considered trendy. Hip-hop clothing trends through time have not only been popular within the hip-hop culture but also within all aspects of the fashion industry. Many wearers arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hip-hop lovers or followers but have adapted these trends because they have spread due to social media. As trends continue to evolve and fashion brands and influencers continue to adapt them from hip-hop culture, the industry will only continue to grow as a new decade soon approaches.

“HIP-HOP FASHION, JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE THAT CAME OUT OF THE CULTURE, WAS A REACTION TO AND A REFLECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT THAT CREATED HIP-HOP.” – SACHA JENKINS

HIP-HOP THROUGH

T I M E 36

Playlist A selection of the top hip-hop songs from 1979-2016 Download the full playlist:

http://spoti.fi/2mxe2Kp

Song Artist

Rappers Delight

Sugarhill Gang

The Break

Kurtis Blow

Jazzy Sensation

Afrika Bambaataa

The Message

Grandmaster Flash

Sucker M.C’s

Run-D.M.C

Rock The Bells

LL Cool J

Rebel Without A Pause

Public Enemy

Mama Said Knock You Out

LL Cool J

Nuthin But A G’Thang

Dr. Dre

Gin And Juice

Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre

Juicy

The Notorious B.I.G

Who Shot Ya

The Notorious B.I.G

California Love

2Pac

Hypnotize

The Notorious B.I.G

Ruff Ryders Anthem

DMX

Still D.R.E

Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg

Hard Knock Life

Jay Z

Back That Azz Up

Juvenile

You Got Me

The Roots

Ms.Jackson

OutKast

Get Ur Freak On

Missy Elliott

Lose Yourself

Eminem

In Da Club

50 Cent

Get Low

Lil Jon & Ying Yang Twins

Drop It Like It’s Hot

Snoop Dogg & Pharrell

Can’t Tell Me Nothing

Kanye West

10 â&#x20AC;&#x2030; OF THE MOST INFLUENCIAL HIP-HOP ARTISTS IN FASHION

KANYE WEST

Kanye West was born June 8th 1977 in Chicago Illinois. His music career began to take off in 2000 after dropping out of college, when he started producing music and sampling for Roc-A-Fella records. 14 He produced tracks for Jay Z while working on his first mixtape. In 2002 he fell asleep at the wheel while driving and shattered his jaw in the crash. It was then that he made the track Through the Wire where he rapped with his jaw wired shut. This raised a lot of hype about him and it was from there that he started to achieve rapping success. In 2004 he released The College Dropout an album that put him up for 10 Grammy nominations. Since that album, he has received 21 Grammys in his musical career.15 After the release of The College Dropout, Kanye began working more on his own clothing brand: Pastelle.16 The brand had worked with various designers before releasing any clothing, even designing eyewear for Kanye’s shows. After making a few garments and having them featured in a magazine, they never actually

launched the products and brand for sale. In 2009 he interned at the Gap and soon after that he interned at Fendi to get a greater idea of how the industry works.17 In 2012 he had a self-titled fashion line that released 2 collections of womenswear, but ultimately the brand did not continue after that. He collaborated with A.P.C in 2013 and 2014, creating successful mini collections with the brand. Finally, in 2015 he started his successful relationship with Adidas on his Yeezy collection and has put out 5 collections with them to date. Along with fashion clothing collaborations, Kanye has also contributed to the sneaker industry with collaborations with Nike, Louis Vuitton, BAPE, Reebok and Adidas.18 Kanye’s impact on fashion has been more than just his collaborations and personal lines, but has also been through his personal, ever changing style. When he was achieving his success from The College Dropout he was known for his use of preppy polos and sweaters and paring them with jeans and sneakers. This trend slowly changed into business and

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luxury wear, likely from his growing relationship with Jay Z who was one of the first rappers to take on the suit. After his relationship with Kim Kardashian began in 2012, Kanye’s style began to shift once again, leading him to take on the streetwear trend. He also started dressing Kim Kardashian, calling her his muse. He evolved her style from bold colours, prints and sparkly fabrics to clean, minimalistic dresses and simple streetwear pieces in neutral colours. This is important because of Kim Kardashians trend setting power. Looks that Kanye have selected for Kim have become trends that have spread globally. He has always claimed to be a designer and not a sell out like some celebrity turned clothing designers are considered. “There were phases where I could just do the bear on a polo and it would’ve made $100 million, but I always say I was a designer before I was a rapper”.19 Fashion was always something of importance to him and his personal style is something he considers more important than a paycheque.

JAY Z

Also known as Shawn Corey Carter, Jay Z was born December 4 1969 in Brooklyn New York. He was originally considered an outsider of rap music when he started out in the industry, selling mixtapes out of the back of his car. This, along with the moving and selling of cocaine - approximately 12,000 dollars’ worth a week 20 helped Jay establish his reputation as an entrepreneur and businessman within the industry. Within five years of selling his mixtape and producing his first album Reasonable Doubt, Jay Z was considered one of the most popular rappers in the game. Eventually making thirteen number 1 albums and taking home 21 Grammys. He partnered with Hot 97 Radio Station (before social media was the primary way of self-promotion) to promote his work and share professional dirt about other artists and the industry. This was a strategic approach on his end to build a relationship with an entity that would essentially promote his

work for free provided he appear on the show and bring in ratings.21 Eventually this relationship would diminish after a rap battle between Jay Z and Nas. He had built enough of a reputation within the hip-hop industry that in 1996 Jay founded Roc-A-Fella records with Damon Dash. In 2015, Jay Z would buy Tidal, a music streaming service from Swedish Company Aspiro for 56 million dollars. The service has approximately 4.2 million subscribers. 22 Although many other artists have contracts to release songs and albums exclusively with Tidal, the business wouldn’t be as successful as it is if Jay haddn’t been running the show. He has always had the ability to tell people what was cool from cars to clothing to alcohol, and people have always listened. In terms of the fashion industry, Jay Z knew what was considered hot and what wasn’t. He helped grow trends such as the oversized basketball jersey, T-shirts as head gear and his signature New York Yankees flat cap. He created the S.Carter collection of shoes with Reebok and in 1999 even cre-

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ated his own brand: Rocawear.23 Rocawear was for men, women and children. It was developed for the streets but followed the styles and trends created by rappers. Although many rappers created their own lines of clothing, Rocawear was one of the first and few lines that had as much success and impact within fashion and the hip-hop industry that it did. It was long lasting and stayed popular and relevant for many years. In 2007 Jay sold the rights for the brand to Iconix Brand Group for 204 million dollars. Although he was well known for his baggy street wear fashions, he later transitioned his style to business attire to be taken more seriously while he grew his brands and was becoming more of a business man. Jay has always pushed for success and continues to do so now that he is successful. In order to build his empire, he has worked with a variety of brands and within different product areas, often with groups that weren’t completely within his target demographic.24

LL COOL J James Todd Smith also known as LL Cool J (Ladies Love Cool James) was born Jan 14th 1968 in Bay Shore, New York. He was signed to Def Jam in 1984 and released his first album that year quickly leading him to become one of hip-hop’s first mainstream successes. He eventually went on to sell millions of copies and evened owned a few shares of Def Jam as well.36 His success gave him a lot of power within the fashion industry. He was able to convince millions of fans to purchase products or brands that he believed in and

made reference to. Daymond John (the creator of brand FUBU) took an image of LL Cool J wearing a FUBU hat to a trade show and his image allowed the brand to secure enough orders to get FUBU started as a brand. From then on LL Cool J acted as a form of an ambassador for FUBU.37 In 1997 LL Cool J was asked to appear and rap in a Gap commercial. Not only did he wear a FUBU ball cap in the commercial, but the rap that he wrote for the ad included the line “For Us By Us” which was the slogan for FUBU. The success of this ad not only increased Gap Inc.’s sales (much to their dismay TOP 10

as the commercial had essentially become an advertisement for FUBU) but also helped FUBU get majour exposure and eventually go on to make over 350 million dollars in annual sales.38 Besides his influence on FUBU, LL Cool J also started many hat trends as he was rarely pictured without a hat. The most popular of the hats were the Kangol bucket hat, the beanie, the flat cap and the ball cap (worn both to the front and the back). He also developed his own clothing line for Sears and Macy’s called Todd Smith, however it was short lived.

AALIYAH Born in Brooklyn New York Jan 16th 1979, Aaliyah Haughton was signed to Background Records label at the age of 12. It was there where she would meet her mentor R.Kelly who she would go on to secretly marry at the age of 15 (it was soon annulled by her parents).27 Aaliyah was one of the first women in the hip-hop industry to take sexual women’s wear pieces and mix them with various men’s hip-hop trends. She had a classic Tomboy style. She was a style icon for women who followed hip-hop

and even for women who didn’t. She worked with Tommy Hilfiger featuring in various advertisements and making it cool and trendy for women to wear Tommy.28 This is something that is popular and trendy again in 2017 and can be seen on various models and celebrities on social media today. When her style would change from strictly all menswear and baggy clothes to tight, low rise jeans with crop tops and heels, the women who looked up to her and were fans of her music evolved their style to match hers. Her influence

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on women in the 1990s is similar to that of Kim Kardashian in 2010s. August 25th 2001, at the age of 22, Aaliyah was killed on her way home from a music video shoot for her Rock The Boat from Marsh Harbor Bahamas. Aaliyah’s plane crashed shortly after departure killing her along with 8 others due to engine failure.

TYLER THE CREATOR

Born in Ladera Heights California, March 6th 1991, Tyler Gregory Okonma began making beats at the age of twelve. He soon after created his own record label called Odd Future Records and followed that with the creation of a hip-hop group named OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All). Due to Tyler’s unique nature, rapping style, lyrics and fashion sense, he quickly caught the attention of many online hip-hop blogs. His first big single was the song Yonkers which featured him eating a cockroach at the beginning of the music video, causing him to gain a massive YouTube following. The video also received a lot of attention from media outlets and celebrities such as Kanye West who tweeted that Yonkers “was the video of 2011”.29 He later went on to win the MTV Video Music Award for the best new artist of 2011. Another attribute that contributed to his success is his carefree attitude. He doesn’t give off the impression that he cares about what people think of him, and is frequently criticized for his use of harsh language and both racial

and misogynistic slurs. This however, doesn’t seem to affect his fan base as he is starting to get more recognition from various media outlets and other rappers. In 2010, Tyler started his clothing brand GOLF Wang. It originated as a skate brand and was a way for him to reach skateboarders who were a whole other niche of hip-hop listeners. It almost acts as a creative extension of himself. When he was younger, Tyler wasn’t considered very masculine as he didn’t enjoy sports and liked the colour pink.30 GOLF Wang seems to be a reflection of that as the clothing is much different than the clothing that comes from other rapper owned clothing brands that are more stereotypically masculine and fit in with the standard rap aesthetic. In an interview with GQ, he explained that there’s not enough innovation in fashion and that people need to start building their own stuff and to stop selling out their ideas to bigger brands to use for just a season or two. “I want to build my own shit instead of giving all my ideas to someone else. All the power to them if that’s what

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they want to do. But you just see it so much. You have ideas. Make something fucking totally new”.31 Tyler has been featured in both GQ and Vogue and is rarely seen wearing any brand other than his own and he often criticizes many people for dressing the same, especially if it’s just because they consider it to be cool. His style differs greatly from many other artists in hip-hop. This is apparent when looking at his GOLF collections and his own wardrobe as they are usually bursting with bold colours and fun, vibrant prints. The GOLF Wang collections are a mix of loose hip- hop fits and bold skate styles juxtaposed with proper looking collegiate silhouettes. In his newest collection, the runway show even featured furniture designed by himself that matched his collection. He claimed that he wanted the focus to be on more than just clothing. He has always emphasized that clothing is used as a tool of communication and certain style decisions can be used to demonstrate personal and political opinions.

SEAN COMBS / DIDDY

Born Sean John Combs, November 4th 1969 in Harlem New York, Diddy goes by a variety of nicknames from P.Diddy to Puff Daddy. He grew up working hard in various jobs, claiming that he loves to service people in anything he does.32 He went to Howard University and left school to pursue the music business. His career in hip-hop began when he interned at Uptown Records. He later became the talent director signing artists like Mary J Blige and Notorious B.I.G. After being fired from Uptown, Diddy launched his own record label: Bad Boy Records, where he signed Biggie soon after. The label grew and became a musical empire in the early 2000s.33 In 1997 under the name Puff Daddy, Sean released his first rap album with great success. He would eventually go on to win 3 Grammys.

In 1998 Sean launched the clothing brand Sean John which had a 25 million dollar annual income and today makes more than 400 million dollars annually.34 He produced the first nationally televised runway show in 2001 that showed during fall fashion week. It was the first hip-hop brand to come from a hip-hop artist that followed different trends than the ones most of the other rap-owned clothing brands were selling. His collections were more luxurious with diamonds, furs, suedes and leathers. In 2004 he was awarded the CFDA Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Designer of the Year Award, the first time a black designer was honored in menswear, womenswear or accessory categories. He would have extremely lavish runway productions to attract large diverse audiences. While the collections are less elaborate today, they are still often featured alongside Ralph Laruen or Calvin Klein.34

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Much like Jay Z, Diddy turned himself into a business man, dipping his toes in various different areas besides music and fashion. He created Sean John fragrances in 2005 and won fragrance of the year twice. In 2007, he joined forces with CĂŽroc Vodka to help develop and grow their brand for 50 percent of the shares. He even opened a charter school in Harlem New York in order to give a more equal chance to young people growing up in Harlem to get an education.35 In 2016 Forbes named Diddy the wealthiest hiphop artist. He built himself and his personal brand into a great American success story and used this success to create a legacy. Diddy has gone from providing people with products to providing people with lifestyles.

YOUNG THUG Born in Atlanta Georgia August 16th 1991, Jeffery Lamar Williams also known as Young Thug quickly rose to fame after the release of his mixtape in 2011. His rise to success could be because he has always sounded much different than other rappers and has rapped about unique topics. He disobeys the laws of gender norms and believes that there is no such thing as gender, explaining in an interview with Highsnobiety that “at the end of the day, I ain’t never gave a fuck about what people thought... men’s clothes always fit me baggy and I never liked baggy clothes, never. I always used to try

to get the smallest size in men’s and it still wouldn’t fit, but I could go get a pair of girl’s pants and it would fit how I want it to fit”.25 In 2016 he appeared in an advertisement campaign from Calvin Klein that featured Young Thug in a Tunic and pants from the women’s collection, with the words “I Disobey in my Calvins” pasted across the ad. The slogan is fitting as he believes there is no such thing as gender.26 On his 2016 mixtape Jeffery, Young Thug appears on the album cover wearing a dress designed by Alexander Trincone, a designer who designs without regard for gender. It is crucial to understand that even in 2017, the overall theme of hip-hop is someTOP 10

thing that is still quite masculine and men are often proving their masculinity. This could be through hyper-masculine clothing, the need to show off wealth and misogynistic lyrics about women. To have a rapper with as much success as Young Thug be able to wear both women’s and men’s clothing opens doors for hip-hop’s relationships with LGBTQ communities and new areas of the fashion industry, challenging identity labels. It is a huge step for breaking down gender barriers and inspiring the next generation of rap followers to leave homophobia behind.

NOTORIOUS B.I.G / BIGGIE Born Christopher Wallace May 21st 1972 in Brooklyn New York, Biggie grew up in poverty and bad neighborhoods even dropping out of high school to sell drugs. He was signed by Sean Combs (Diddy) to Uptown Records in 1992 and when Sean was fired from there soon after, he started Bad Boy records bringing Biggie with him. Sean helped him rise to success. He was known for making bold wardrobe decisions and started some pivotal trends in the rap industry such as the Coogi sweater. It is one of the pieces of clothing most associated with

him. Similar to the growth of preppy brands within the hiphop industry such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Big was able to attach a new demographic to Coogi, which was marketed for wealthy country club attendees. He often mixed luxury, preppy clothing like turtle necks, Versace shades and shirts with streetwear pieces like BAPE jackets, baggy pants and big gold jewelry.39 He was also frequently seen wearing various hats such as the Homburg wide-brimmed hat and the Kangol 504 drivers cap. Many variations of these pieces like the Coogi Sweater and Versace shades are still seen on consumers today.

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In March 1997, at the age of 24, Biggie was shot 4 times in a drive by shooting on his way to an after party and died an hour later. In his documentary Biggie & Tupac, it is suggested by filmmaker Nick Broomfield that Suge Knight planned the deaths of both Biggie and Tupac, who died just months before Biggie. 40 Bigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s album Ready to Die was released just before his death is considered by many as one of the greatest hip hop albums ever made. He remains relevant in the fashion industry today with a wide range of consumers and celebrities from Miley Cyrus to Big Sean spotted in clothing donning the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face.

PHARRELL

Pharrell Williams was born April 5th 1973 in Virginia Beach, Virginia and today is a singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, and film producer. However, his relationship with the music industry started when he began producing music with his friend Chad Hugo for artists from Gwen Stefani to Jay Z.41 The duo became the hip-hop group N.E.R.D in 1999 and released their first album in 2001. Pharrell released his first solo album in 2006 and created his first film score in 2010 for the movie Despicable Me. In 2016 Pharrell helped produce the film Hidden Figures, also writing original songs and working with the musical department for the film. His impact on fashion began in the 2000s but Pharrell has continued to have a growing relationship with fashion since then. In 2005 Pharrell created the brand Billionaire Boys Club, a clothingline

that features streetwear clothing that is inspired by hip-hop. Today the Billionaire Boys Club website is a source to not only buy the brand’s products but also to purchase other fashionable street wear brands. He was successful in the creation of this brand because he has always been able to wear streetwear like BAPE and have a good understanding of it and even mix it with high end fashion looks like Chanel or Louis Vuitton.42 Pharrell has had various collaborations with brands, one of the most memorable and successful ones being his work with Adidas. His relationship with the brand began in 2014 when he entered a longterm partnership with them.43 This partnership has included various editions of sneakers and tracksuits and garments in bold colours and fabrics. He worked with Marc Jacobs to create a line of sun glasses,as well as Karl Lagerfeld, writing a song and appearing in an ad campaign for Chanel. He also appeared in 2017 as the first man to model handbags for Chanel.

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He has also been seen on various occasions wearing both men’s and women’s Chanel clothing.44 He isn’t afraid to wear women’s wear or stereotypically female colours. He is considered to be a risk taker when it comes to fashion because of the vast range of looks that he wears, and the messages that he sends with his clothing. This is important because not only is he considered stylish, but he understands fashion from a marketing point of view, something that is considered extremely important as it makes sure that his products sell. Pharrell’s style has been considered noteworthy by Vogue Magazine, and in 2015 he won the CFDA fashion icon award. 45 His style has not only influenced both men and women hip-hop followers, but mainstream followers of pop culture as well.

RUN D.M.C

1981-2002 saw the birth and split of Queens New York hip-hop group: Run DMC. The group consisted of Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels and Jason Mizell. Joseph Simmons, brother to music producer and co-founder of the Def Jam record label: Russel Simmons. Russel helped Joseph and Darryl learn the ways and establish a flow for themselves. When the pair graduated high school, they recruited Jason Mizell (a fellow student) to MC for them on the turntables. Their first singles appeared among the top 20 R&B songs in 1983 and from there they were a success.46 In 1986 the group released their third album after teaming with rock group Aerosmith to create a single for the album. The combination of rock and hip-hop had tremendous reach to many different types of music fans. Because of this, they helped hip-hop reach a bigger demographic and perhaps the one that was considered most difficult to get to: white, suburban males.

They created the song my Adidas as a part of their third album, and when they were on their Raising Hell tour at Madison Square Garden in 1986, they performed the song. Angelo Anastasio (a senior Adidas Employee) was in the crowd that night and was shocked to see tens of thousands of people raise their Adidas sneakers into the air when they began playing the song. Within days of this happening, Run DMC became the first hip-hop group to receive a million-dollar endorsement deal.47 This was pivotal for the relationship hip-hop would have with marketing in the future. The success of Adidas superstars after this endorsement led many other footwear companies to work with and sponsor various hip-hop artists. Many people began to purchase or follow what new sneakers were dropping based off what certain artists said was cool and this ultimately led to the beginning of sneaker culture. This culture also led to more artists collaborating with sneaker brands in later years with brands like Nike, Adidas and Louis Vuitton working with various such as Kanye and A$AP Rocky.

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Run DMC continued to build their relevance in the fashion industry due to their unique style. They portrayed the image of a true musical group as they coordinated their outfits and appearedto be in uniform at all times. This uniform often appeared in the form of Adidas track suits, gold rope style chains around their necks and fedora or newsboy style caps. Of course, they were almost always seen wearing their Adidas shell toe Superstar sneakers with the laces taken out and the tongues pushed up and out of the shoes.48 They made it cool for people to mix lower end streetwear with expensive statement pieces. While other MCs and B-Boys were already wearing similar styles, having a successful rap group have such a distinct look separated them from the other artists in the game.

“ BEING FRESH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HAVING MONEY. THE ENTIRE TIME I GREW UP, I ONLY WANTED MONEY SO I COULD BE FRESH.” – KANYE WEST

RAP MEETS FASHION: COLLABS

ADIDAS

X Pharrell Williams / 2014-2017: Pharrell signed on with Adidas in 2014 for an exclusive long term partnership. They decided to work with him because of how similar he is to the Adidas brand: very authentic in what he does and what he represents.49 This was different for Adidas as they had previously only ever released capsule collections. The first pieces from their collaborationwere 10 pairs of redesigned Stan Smith sneakers that were customized by Pharrell, featuring graffiti style doodles in fun bright colours. In March 2015, the team released the Adidas Superstar Supercolours collection that featured the signature Superstar shoe in a range of 50 different colours. Pharrell carefully selected each of the Pantone colours himself. The campaign was extremely successful with most of the shoes selling out almost immediately. His newest collection that came out in July 2016 is the Human Race collection, also called Hu. Pharrell worked with Native Americans from North Dakota in order to show appreciation for their culture rather than to appropriate it.50 The intent of Hu is to explore the human race and to have people feel empowered to be a human being no matter where they are from. Hu also stands for hue, as the collection comes in a range of bold colours, because as human beings we each have a colour. X Kanye West / 2015-2017: Kanye teamed with Adidas for a long-term partnership that allowed Kanye to create the Yeezy collections (5 so far), that feature both sneakers and clothing. The collections were extremely popular and sold out nearly instantly. The collections grabbed attention from more than hip-hop and Kanye fans, but from fashion followers and trend setters as well. They seemed to mix culture, music and fashion. The team used forward thinking technologies with a classic aesthetic combining both comfort and performance but remaining stylish enough to be worn as streetwear. Each collection has been made in a series of neutral colour palettes and has perfectly combined streetwear with athleisure wear and made it high fashion.

AIR JORDAN

X OVO / 2016: Drake says his first pair of Jordans were the J15s. He has always had an attachment to the brand and explained that when you and your crew have them on, you feel like a team, like you came to win.51 They promote a winning mentality. Team Jordan inducted Drake into the Jordan family (most likely to replace Kanye after he left Nike to work with Adidas) letting fans know that an OVO X Air Jordan collaboration would soon be underway. In late 2016 They released a pair of white OVO Jordan 12â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and a matching pair of sliders. There was also a collection of t-shirts, hoodies and sweatpants bearing the OVO signature Owl and the Jumpman logo. The team is set to release a black colorway of the Jordan 12â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in early 2017.

COLLABORATIONS

A.P.C

X Kanye West / 2014: Fall 2014 Jean Touitou teamed up with Kanye for 2 A.P.C collections. He found that he and Kanye had a genuine relationship and that these collections were symbols of both people.52 They mixed things like luxury with military to create unique pieces that were different from what was on the market and more importantly, different than any collaboration a hip-hop artist had done with a fashion house. The first collection was more basic and clean, coming out in 2013 with a few simple pieces that featured lots of denim and basic hoodies. The second collection came out in 2014 and was a larger collection that featured a variety of military inspired pieces with furs and luxury fabrics.

CONVERSE

X Wiz Khalifa / 2013: This collaboration featured 12 new styles of Converse inspired by Wiz’s rebellious and fashion-forward style. The collaboration was Khalifa’s first ever footwear collection and celebrated his eye for bold colours and unique pieces. The collection incorporated several unique accents that included a signature logo tab but ultimately stayed true to the classic Chuck Taylor All Star Silhouette. “I’ve always gravitated toward Converse because of how solid the brand is. It’s clean and it’s classic,”53 said Wiz Khalifa, going on to explain that he felt they really understood his style and vision.

GUESS

X A$AP Rocky / 2017: GUESS founder and chief creative officer Paul Marciano explained that “Growing up [A$AP] wore and loved our jeans with the triangle logo on the back pocket and this line is tapping into his incredible artistic vision to create a modern heritage-driven line. It is a denim-heavy collection with quintessential 90’s influences seen in oversized denim jackets, overalls and logo-centric styles”.54 The collection features light blue and acid wash fabrics, Tencel and pinstripes and classic Guess logo crop tops and varsity jackets, pulling a lot of inspiration from the GUESS archives. The team also changed the “GUESS” logo to read “GUE$$” throughout the men’s and women’s collections. The collection is a throwback to classic 90’s styles. Rocky says he was inspired by the underappreciated role GUESS played in 1980’s and 1990’s urban culture. Rocky is the first collaborator with GUESS and wanted to bring back a fresh look to a brand that some people believe has lost its classic cool factor.55

HUF

X Ty Dolla Sign / 2016: Ty Dolla Sign teamed up with Los Angeles based skateboard brand HUF to create a collection for 420, inspired by vintage “stoner” concert merchandise. The collection was decorated with numerous 420 inspired, humorous and playful graphics, but still kept HUF’s clean and classic brand aesthetic.56 This concert vibe was showcased throughout the look book that featured various shots from Ty’s tour. The collection consists of a variety of chinos, T-shirts, a 6-panel ball cap, socks, and a bandana.

COLLABORATIONS

LOUIS VUITTON

X Kanye West / 2016: Kanye and Louis Vuitton came together for a sneaker collaboration that consisted of 3 different models in 10 colorways all together. There was a standard sneaker named the Don, a boat shoe named Mr. Hudson and a high-top version called the Jasper’s. The collection was cohesive and featured variations of colours and fabrics from one shoe to another, making all the shoes appear unique. Kanye got involved in the collaboration as he already knew and looked up to Marc Jacobs. In an interview for Louis Vuitton he remarked that “Louis Vuitton called me and said they had this idea for me to do shoes. I was really excited about the opportunity. I don’t know if they quite knew what they were getting into asking me to help create something”.57

MONCLER

X Pharrell / 2013:Pharrell teamed up with Moncler for a Fall/Winter 2013 collection.The collection featured a mix of futurism shapes and designs with1950’s style prints and colours. Bullet proof style vests and titanium sunglasses were the main pieces from the collection. The pieces truly reflected Pharrell’s style. A dark forest print was laid across a series of red, green, blue and black jackets that came from a series of photographic images done by the Japanese artist Keita Sugiura. The collection was a celebration of silhouette rather than branding for Moncler. In an interview with Hypebeast Pharrell explained that he “loved the experience and I have lot of respect for Remo Ruffini and his team, they have great ideas and they believe in putting lots of love and effort into the product, this being either a duvet jacket or a pair of sunglasses”.58

SUPREME

X Gucci Mane / 2016: In July of 2016 Harmony Korine stopped by Gucci Mane’s home in Atlanta to film a short video, leading the public to believe that some form of collaboration was bound to happen.59 They later debuted a t-shirt featuring Gucci in one of Supreme’s classic box logo t-shirts. The words “Trap God 2016 Guwop” were also written across the back in what appeared to be Gucci Mane’s Handwriting. The shirt was released in black and white and sold out rapidly with people lining up outside of stores to get their hands on a piece of the collection.

VANS

X Ice T / 2013: Ice-T collaborated with skate wear brand Vans in 2013. Both Vans and Ice-T are certified West Coast legends, and worked on a pair of Sk8 Hi’s together with the words “Rhyme Syndicate” engraved across the tongue, the pair of shoes have a classic and edgy vibe. Rhyme syndicate is the name of Ice-T’s record label. The collaboration was given a black and white color scheme keeping the shoes crisp and cool. The words Ice-T and O.G were also placed on the side and heels of the shoe, truly giving it the West Coast feel. A collection of t-shirts and a hat were also released with the sneakers. Ice-T drew inspiration from his younger years, to create a pair of sneakers that reflected his days as a gangster.60

COLLABORATIONS

F O R C E O N E S 64

Playlist A selection of hip-hop jams about fashion Download the full playlist:

http://spoti.fi/2myDy3n

Song

Artist

The Glory

Kanye West

N*ggas In Paris

Jay Z & Kanye West

All Falls Down

Kanye West

White Dress

Kanye West

Fashion Killa

A$AP Rocky

Suit & Tie

Justin Timberlake

Otis

Jay Z & Kanye West

Fancy

Drake, T.I & Swizz Beats

Around The Way Girl

LL Cool J

Blazin

Nicki Minaj

My Adidas

Run D.M.C

Change Clothes

Jay Z

BBC

Jay Z

Versace

Migos & Drake

Thought It Was A Drought

Future

Gangsta In Designer

ScHoolboy Q

Air Force Ones

Nelly

Cartier

Danny Brown

Tom Ford

Jay Z

Jumpman

Drake & Future

MARKETING THROUGH HIP-HOP MUSIC

critical relationship to consider while looking at the hip-hop industry is the relationship that hip-hop has with marketing. Due to the cool factor that hip-hop has (all credit to black culture), marketers and brands have seen the monetary value and growth that a rapper can bring to a brand. In many cases, the American consumer allows the industries to subconsciously tell them what to buy. Hip-hop consumers remain loyal to artists and in turn, will purchase what the hip-hop industry promotes. This can be seen in the list of brands (that aren’t associated with hip hop) who have endorsed hip-hop celebrities. When one of these celebrities is featured in an advertisement, not only does that seem to attract the hip-hop market and the fan base of that consumer, but it also attracts many social media outlets. If the ad is unique, funny or considered edgy it could even make it onto global mainstream media. Along with featuring in the actual advertisements for brands, there is also a trend within the hip-

hop industry where rappers make songs specifically for a commercial. Some of these songs go on to be hits, for example Chris Brown’s hit Forever was originally made for Wrigley’s Doublemint commercial but ended up becoming his 9th song to make it into the Billboard top 10.61

Hip-hop consumers remain loyal to artists and in turn, will purchase what the hip-hop industry promotes. A brand that had rappers create songs just for their commercials was St. Ides malt liquor. Their commercial with Wu Tang Clan was one of the first examples of a brand with no ties to hiphop building its identity around the genre.62 Nearly each of their commercials that followed featured a hip-hop artist from Biggie to Snoop Dogg, who would create a rap jingle specifically for the ad. One of the main contributors to the success of marketing through the hip-hop industry is the materiMARKETING

alistic nature in both hip-hop and consumer culture today. In a study conducted by Podoshen, it was found that hip-hop listeners exhibit higher levels of materialism when compared with those who don’t listen.63 This is a win for marketers because not only is a hip-hop consumer proven to purchase more material items than their non-hiphop listening counterparts, but if a rapper can mention the product in their song or endorse the product it’s even more likely that the listener of that song would purchase the product. Furthermore, the biggest hip-hop consumers are Caucasian people as they make more money than 25% of African American and Hispanic people, and purchase upwards of 60% of hip-hop CD’s. 64 The younger the better as teens and people in their early 20’s have the most disposable income. Due to the fact that so many of these consumers are white, this can often lead to the appropriation of black culture through fashion, beauty and even slang.

3238

10 Most Rapped About Car Brands

Mercedes-Benz

1498

Bentley

1250

Ferrari Porsche

1014

Chevrolet

999

Lamborghini

964

Cadillac Lexus

893 854

Maybach 694 Rolls Royce

648

Aside from commercials, hiphop artists also work with brands by dropping the names of their products or the brands themselves in their lyrics. These brands range from clothing (as heard in Jay Z’s Tom Ford), alcohol (as heard in Pass The Courvoisier by Busta Rhymes), cars (as heard in Llyod Banks’ Beamer, Benz or Bentley) and even technology (as heard in Im In It by Kanye West). Since hip-hop can be considered “aspirational”, they are capable of rapping about a whole niche of products and fashion that people wish to wear and own to be considered ‘cool’ like rappers. Not only could brands not associated with hip-hop increase their sales by getting a rapper to promote their product or appear in adver-

tisements, but rappers can also use their songs to promote their own products or affiliated brands as a free form of advertising. This can be found in the lyrics to All I Need by Jay Z where he mentions his brand Rocawear, and in The Night Is Still Young by Nicki Minaj she mentions her alcohol brand Myx Moscato. Much like marketers and large corporations, rappers know the purchasing power that their fans have. But wait! Isn’t this all considered selling out? How are these rappers getting away with so much name dropping? In the early 1990’s rappers started name dropping brands that they liked for the sake of it but then realized they could get paid for doing so. When this happened, it was a sign of cultural legitimacy

MARKETING

and meant that rappers and their African American culture where influential enough to be able to sell a product. It wasn’t seen as selling out from the hip-hop community because most of these rappers came from poor backgrounds and money being exchanged was in a sense, hip-hop gaining power as a culture.62 Today however, we hear name dropping in nearly every rap song and can see product placement in music videos that don’t even mention the product in the song. An example of this can be seen in the music video for Love The Way You Lie by Rihanna and Eminem, where Stolichnaya Vodka makes a few cameo appearances. If rappers are so successful, why do they still need to do this? Songs and albums are so easily accessible for free online, and services like Spotify and Apple Music are available, allowing people to get more music for less money. Therefore, fewer people are actually purchasing albums and rappers need to make the money to sustain their image.65 Sponsorships and endorsements from brands allow this to happen, along with the businesses they may have on the side. Why do we as hip-hop consumers keep listening? Because nearly every hip-hop artist has at some point in time name dropped a brand on a song. There’s no avoiding it in rap music and ultimately, we have the end decision to buy into the product that is mentioned.