Hip Hop as Fashion
‘Too concerned with fashion’
Eve
Each subculture will have its own language, fashion, dance, music and messages that suit the rules of the game.1
There is no doubt that fashion is a part of Hip Hop culture and that the fashion industry has closely and energetically aligned itself with Hip Hop. A list of fashion labels is mentioned in the ‘Hip Hoptionary’2 alongside biographies of the US’s most famous rappers, and a quick flick through the Hip Hop Directory’s fashion resource page lists links for everything from ‘designer eyewear’ to ‘old school name belts’ – with a good dose of ‘urban’ fashion in between.
Some of y’all aint writin well, too concerned with fashion / None of you aint Giselle, cat walk can't imagine…3
When a group of young people from Rotorua were interviewed by Sara Tamati (aka Spexone), a researcher for the Next Project, she asked them ‘What makes you Hip Hop?’ and the first response was ‘Clothing’. She reports that ‘the frequency of this response could be due to the importance for young people of seeing Hip Hop practitioners on TV and emulating their clothing’.4
It’s true that fashion is an integral part of the ‘look’ for the Hip Hop practitioner. Popmaster Fabel, of New York's Rocksteady Crew, says of fashion: ‘For me, personally, it’s being creative in how one wore his or her clothing and ‘making do’ with what you had. I’m especially excited about the art of customising one’s clothes. Hip Hop's competitive edge was expressed through one’s fashion sense and would inspire people to resort to arts and crafts to make their gear stand out.’5
Aotearoa’s B-boy Swerv1 comments: ‘Regardless of what people say, rocking what you wore was a big part…the way you dressed played a big part in your personal character and flava. You didn’t have to buy the most expensive labels, you could buy Bata Bullets and make them look fresh, it was the same with everything…it was how you wore it or used it.’
Thinking back in the time when we were so poor/ Remember the kids used to laugh at the clothes we wore…
Scribe – ‘Dreaming'6
Another Hip Hop practitioner, Askew, stresses fashion’s importance in helping Hip Hop kids to ‘stand out’, although he personally never felt he quite managed to ‘get it right’! These comments are all significant, given that Hip Hop style and fashion is ‘not only about the clothes you wear, but includes the way you hold yourself and the way you project your chosen image’.7
I took time to ensure there aint jack to phaze me / The sexiest mullet since Patrick Swayzie back in the 80s…
Cyphanetik – ‘Most Vainest’
Labelling Yourself
Today, despite the fact that most Māori and Pacific people still remain at the bottom of the socio-economic heap, it’s the latest ‘labels’ they are after. Cheap copies can provide an alternative to the authentic, and more expensive, labels - but there is still a strong sense that ‘if young people are seen to be rocking these American labels then people will know that they are Hip Hop.’8
And it looks as though ‘making do’ is now a thing of the past, as young people are bombarded with video images of their favourite stars in designer gear – some of them even designed or marketed by the artists themselves. Rap tycoon Russell Simmons (founder of Def Jam Records) was the first to jump onto the fashion wagon, producing Phat Farm and Baby Phat; ‘Rocawear’ is the label of rapper Jay-Z; P.Diddy (Puff Daddy) is behind the ‘Sean John’ label; Missy Elliot designs for Gap Clothing and graffiti writer West is founder of clothing label PNB Nation, New York City.
All About Attitude
If they’re not involved in producing it, they’re promoting it! LL Cool J, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, Eve, Lil Kim… as Simmons says: ‘Hip Hop is all about attitude. It helps a lot if you have the fashion cred to go with it, but it doesn’t mean you have to be a copy cat.’ He is backed up by one of his marketing and public relations men, James Campbell: ‘ It’s more a feeling and a spirit than a look per se… street wear is not definitive. It hits so many different demographics and can be interpreted in so many different ways…’9
Aotearoa has its own equivalents – King Kapisi’s ‘Overstayer’ brand and Dawn Entertainment’s ‘Cocoland.’ It might pay to ‘watch this space’, as the equation of Hip Hop+celebrity does seem to = money!
A lot of newcomers who claim they’re into Hip Hop don’t understand the culture. They are really just into rap, and may have no interest in breakin’, Djing or graffiti, thinking they’re Hip Hop heads just because they wear baggy jeans and listen to a few rap records. They need a history lesson.10
- What kind of things will you find listed in the Hip Hop Directory?
- Why is clothing considered so important in Hip Hop culture?
- What else shows Hip Hop style besides the clothes you wear?
- Why are ‘labels’ considered important to some people?
- What Aotearoa Hip Hop artists are involved in the design and marketing of fashion?
- What does Hip Hop plus celebrity equal?
Extend your thinking
Do you think ‘fashion’ is a crucial element of Hip Hop culture? Why/why not? Do you think your fashion choices are important? What do you think your fashion choices say about who you are? What would you like them to say? Why? Why do you think people think what they wear is so important?
1 Thwaites, T. ‘Globalisation and Popular Music in Aotearoa’ Published in Music Teach Issue 6, 2001
2 ‘Hip Hoptionary’; by P. & A. Westbrook, Broadway Books, Harlem Moon. 2002.
3 Eve featuring Gwen Stefani ‘Let Me Blow Ya Mind’.
4 Tamati S. 2004 ‘A window to our world’ ‘The Next – An Impression of Hip Hop Expression’ p59.
5 Aldave and Z-Pabon, 2003. 'Fashion with Fabel' published in Elemental Magazine, Issue 43, 2003
6 Khmer ‘Swerv1’ Sept 2001, Published in Back2basics Aotearoa Hip Hop Magazine, Pioneer Issue.
7 Waiti, D. ‘Spotlight On: Angles on Global Hip Hop Culture’, in ‘The Next – an Impression of Hip Hop Expression’. p98.
8 Ibid.
9 ‘How to Dress: Hip Hop Style!’ http://ww.nzgirl.co.nz/articles/3773
10 Smithies, Oct/Nov 1999 ‘Hip Hop Ya Don’t Stop.’ Published in Pulp Magazine, Issue 15, p90.
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