Artwork By Kwame Agyepong@agyepkdesigns on Instagram
RONALD FUNG
MISSY ELLIOTT
TUPAC SHAKUR
RUN-D.M.C.
LAURYN HILL
NOTORIOUS B.I.G AMILLS
ARTBYKWAMZ
LOOK BOOK TRENDS
TABITHA D. MICHAEL
WEST V EAST
Welcome to the first ever edition of Fly-As Magazine.
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Stemming from our fashion brand, we have curated music, art, trends, and fashion to create a unique experience just for you. Delve into our world and explore all there is to see from 90’s hip hop to current works from creatives who have something to say.
A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to the creation of this magazine and those whose work is featured. We hope you enjoy the contents and what they have to offer.
Stay Fly As F*ck.
Melissa Arnett Elliott (a.k.a Missy Elliott) began her journey as a musician in 1991 when she founded Sista, an all-women R&B group that worked with producer Timbaland, a close friend of Elliott’s who produced the group’s first demo tracks. Shortly after, Elliott founded her own Record Label ‘The Goldmind Inc.’ after her success grew rapidly and she began being sought after by labels.
Missy Elliot was and continues to be a huge voice within the music community for women; she established her name and career in an era where misogyny in hip hop was at an all-time high. Elliott’s remarkable ability to place herself within the industry as black female rapper creating empowering feminist songs gave her an audience of young women who saw in her an idol; her daring individual style paired with promotion of self-love and refusing to conform to the male gaze is truly something that changed the scope of the music industry forever.
Tupac Shakur is considered one of the biggest influences in hip hop. The ways he connected with his audience may be considered controversial by some, but his domination in the hip-hop world showed the difficulties and issues plaguing the black community. He lived with a sense of purpose and yearned to change the world.
Tupac’s very distinctive personal style has influenced numerous designers and artists; this brought around many iconic pieces that even if pulled out today would still be just as influential. His fashion statements paved the way for hip hop stars to become the faces of fashion brands as well as contributing to how streetwear is perceived by today’s youth. His iconic look that consisted of Timberland boots, a bandana and denim dungarees began a domino effect within the fashion industry that brought those pieces into the mainstream.
Darryl McDaniels, Jason Mizzell and Joseph Simmons are the three members that made up the hip hop group RunD.M.C. They were the first ones to bring a more “street” style to hip hop fashion; sporting Kangol hats, unlaced Adidas shoes and leather jackets. The trend of unlaced shoes stemmed from jails; as shoelaces were not allowed, this was taken as a statement and
brought into the world of fashion, and it is where the lyrics “My Adidas only bring good news and they are not used as felon shoes” were born.
What made Run-D.M.C so unique was their fresh take on the hip hop scene by combining it with several forms of rock and roll; their track ‘Walk This Way’ featuring Aerosmith is a perfect example of this and was the song that revived Aerosmith’s career. Run-D.M.C.’s contemporary style of rap quickly championed the charts, and the world of hip hop changed forever.
Lauryn Hill, named one of the best singers of all time by Rolling Stone, was without a doubt the first most prominent female hip hop figure as she made her solo debut in 1998 with her iconic album ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’. Within this album she drew from her personal experiences to create a piece of art that was raw and emotional and explored topics such as black empowerment, love, social justice and femininity. Her lyrical skill and unique way of delivering a feeling to her audience resulted in her becoming the first ever artist to win the Grammy Award for Album of The Year. Hill’s capability of switching between hardcore rap and jazzy melodies put her into a category of her own within the hip hop music industry especially at a time when the genre was struggling for a fresh sound.
There are a few things
Christopher Wallace (aka Notorious B.I.G or Biggie Smalls) is known for; his unmatched influence on the East Coast hip hop scene and the famous Coogi Sweaters he repped throughout his career. An American rapper crossing paths with an Australian knitwear brand was something that seemed very unlikely, but it became his iconic uniform along with black sunglasses and a black beret. An encounter with Walt G, a kid on the New York club scene, sparked this sudden interest in the quirky and kaleidoscopic coloured sweaters that were elevated to the heights of street style.
Despite his short-lived career, Biggie had a unique way of portraying his story through semi-autobiographical rap style and was one of the most influential rap artists of all time. He recorded his first album when he was only 21 with featuring hits ‘Big Poppa’, ‘Juicy’ and ‘One More Chance’ that went platinum less than a year after its release and by the end of the 90’s it was certified quadruple platinum. His unprecedented flow was a crucial component that set him apart from his competition.
“I grew up listening to rock music and playing in rock bands, and then found the underground trap, emo rap, and hip-hop scene”
“My late grandfather taught me my first chords on the guitar when I was 10, and I think that was when I started writing”
What is your name? How old are you?
Where are you from?
I’m AMILLS, I’m 21, and I’m from South East London. I’m an independent artist and music producer. I’m also doing a degree in visual effects at the moment. It’s a bit crazy.
What do you do? And how did you get into it?
I’ve always been into music, writing for as long as I can remember. My late grandfather taught me my first chords on the guitar when I was 10, and I think that was when I started writing. Growing up, I didn’t know anyone who was songwriting; I used to think I was a little weirdo. I used to take two audio recorders and overdub myself. I am sure somewhere there’s an audio recording of my first song...
I got into production during 2020 quarantine with an old iPad running GarageBand and a cheap USB mic. That was really the turning point in the music production journey. I find solace in writing and producing. I’d say it kept me sane but I had lost my mind long before that point! *laugh*
What / who inspires you creatively?
I grew up listening to rock music and playing in rock bands, and then found the underground trap, emo rap, and hip-hop scene. My influences include
rock musicians and guitarists such as Richie Kotzen, grunge-pop artists such as Avril Levigne, plus contemporary R&B such as Always Never and the XX, and trap/ underground emo-rap such as $uicideboy$, Lund, Bones, SAINt JHn, Nothing Nowhere, and Lil Peep.
What work of yours are you most proud of? What inspired it?
Last year I released a track called Somebody You Could Worship which is going to be re-released alongside an awesome music video. It was inspired by a relationship that messed with my head pretty bad. I’m working on several exciting new EPs currently, all with different vibes.
I went quiet for a minute to level up, and it’s gonna be sweet to get out there doing some shows again.
Somebody You Could Worship was my debut, it’s about queerness, and a relationship not working because of conflict in a family that is more traditional.
What is a goal you’re working to reach within your work?
Ultimately develop a bigger following and work with more awesome and talented individuals. The goal is to get more music out my head, off the paper and into the world. Out here just getting started for real.
If you could collaborate with any artist dead or alive who would it be?
Great question. I’d imagine Juice Wrld or xxxtentacion, peep, or biggie would have been incredible rappers to work with.
What’s your favourite music genre?
As much as I love underground hip hop my favourite genre is actually psychedelic rock. Huge fan of Dope Lemon, Babe Rainbow, and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. Gotta have good music to trip to.
What song have you had on repeat lately?
My own back catalogue! haha..
I’m actually an album person. I’ll listen to the full works. The same album on repeat has got to be Nine Inch Nails Downward spiral. It’s an incredible body of work.
Isn’t it crazy how they recorded most of that in the Tate murder house. 10050 Cielo Drive. Talk about crazy shit people do for inspiration, for clout, and just ‘cause they can.
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Timberland Boots were originally designed for blue collar workers due to how incredibly durable and waterproof they are but are now highly associated with hip hop culture. In the early 90’s, rappers became obsessed with the shoe and followed suit and soon, Timberlands were everywhere. Tupac, Biggie, Wu-Tang and Mobb Deep are all known for representing the boots in some way. As the rap scene has expanded, the look has become popularised in New York.
The 90’s baggy denim jeans were a staple in fashion back then and for some time had fallen off the radar but have recently been revived and brought back into the mainstream amongst todays youth. Hip hop stars were amongst the many who wore this style and were the ones who popularised it in the mainstream.
The Air Force 1 Low in white is the bestselling shoe of all time. It was first worn by NBA stars Moses Malone and Michael Cooper but had a much bigger movement in the streets of Baltimore. The Air Force 1s and hip hop are connected in that throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s, artists continued to rep the shoe as it grew in popularity. In 2002, Nelly released a hit single called ‘My Air Force Ones’ and took this to another level and opened doors for new consumers. In 2005 alone, Nike had sold around 12 million pairs of Air Force 1s.
Superstars took over the hip hop scene after Run-DMC released their song “My Adidas” and started wearing the shoes, unlaced, along with Adidas tracksuits during all their performances; this became their staple look. Adidas ended up sponsoring the group as they brought a new group of people to buy the shoe. This was one of the first times a brand collaborated with musicians which paved the way for sportswear brands in hip hop and the sneaker heads we see today.
This shoe was popularised in the streets of LA and now is a streetwear icon. Although originally made for track work and running, the Nike Cortez gathered a lot of fans in the East Coast amongst breakdancers and in the West Coast amongst hip hop. 2022 marked 50 years since the shoe made its debut.
There is a clear difference in the style of rap between the East and West coasts. With artists such as The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep and Nas dominating the East Coast and artists such
as Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre taking the West, there is no doubt about the distinctive styles that operate in these areas. West coast rap tends to sound more ‘laid back’
and its subjects surround racial profiling, drugs, police brutality and slang. On the other hand, East coast rap is a lot harder hitting and features metaphors that are often motivated by
social, political, or simply entertainment reasons.
The East Coast vs West Coast rivalry lasted between 1991 and 1997 between fans and artists within the two coasts. The focal point of this feud was between East-Coast based rapper The Notorious B.I.G. (part of Bad Boy Records) and Tupac Shakur (part of Death Row Records) who became symbols for the feud.
