The History of Hip Hop Fashion

If rapping, DJing, graffiti and breakdancing are considered the four main elements of hip hop, fashion is the strongest candidate as the fifth one. Hip hop fashion embodies the expression and personality of many of the genre's stars and fans, and it has grown along with the music as a hugely profitable and popular industry.

The Beginning: Late '70s to Early '80s

Before hip-hop truly developed its own dressing style, artists---the pioneers of the genre---often emulated the elaborate (and often outrageous) garb of rock, disco and funk stars of the age, such as KISS and Parliament Funkadelic. Some hip hop artists who were well known for their gear include Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. However, breakdancers tended to wear street clothes, and sportswear and fashion brands such as Kangol, Adidas and Pro-Keds became more recognizable in hip hop clothing.

Run-DMC

The rap group Run-DMC is as well known for their trendsetting fashion as their musical breakthroughs. Unlike a lot of their peers, the three-man crew wore regular street garb, which often consisted of tracksuits and sneakers. They also had simple, standardized gear---a sort of uniform that consisted of black jackets and fedora hats. Run-DMC also popularized the lace-less Adidas shoe look.

Late '80s

By the late '80s, hip hop fashion had proliferated to include an Afrocentric influence, complete with Africa medallions, gold jewelry (rope chains, nameplates, bamboo and earrings); hi-top fades, plaited hair and dreadlocks; and clothing that usually had the red-black-green color combination of the Pan-African flag or African aesthetic inspiration. Some stars had their individualized styles, such as N.W.A's Chuck Taylor sneakers and Oakland Raiders baseball caps, LL Cool J's Kangol hat, Slick Rick's multiple chains, Kwame's polka-dot outfits and Kid (of Kid-N-Play)'s obelisk-tall hairstyle.

First half of the '90s

By the mid-'90s, some rappers were emulating the gangsters portrayed in movies by dressing in suits, silk shirts and alligator shoes ("gators"). Others dressed in baggy jeans, hoodies, do-rags and Timberland boots. Versace and Hilfiger became very popular fashion brands in hip hop culture, although the first hip hop-specific ones like FUBU and Karl Kani were established during this period.

Today: Late '90s to the Present

With hip hop music becoming the dominant musical genre in the United States and beyond, its fashion entered the mainstream. The word "bling"---an ideophone intended to evoke the "sound" of light hitting jewelry---was popularized by the Southern rap collective Cash Money Millionaires, and it became a dictionary word by the mid-2000s. Hip hop fashion has further diversified to include platinum grills, throwback jerseys and extra-large white shirts, tight jeans and t-shirts, and even re-emergent '80s hip hop trends. There is now a plethora of fashion labels dedicated to hip hop-influenced clothing such as Sean John, Phat Farm and Rocawear, many of which were started by hip-hop artists and executives like Diddy (formerly Puff Daddy), Russell Simmons and Jay-Z. Today, hip hop fashion is estimated to be a global, billion-dollar industry.

References

• Kitwana, Bakari. "The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture"
• Brown, Adam Tod. "6 Hip-Hop Fashion Statements We Wish Never Happened."