Rap style has come a long way since Hammer pants. Rappers' styles are more diverse and interesting than ever before. While pushing the envelope on hip hop style, artists are still dressing the part and appropriating what came before. Cool kicks, massive chains, brand logos, and major swag are still a fixture in this generation's style but has matured and earned its place among fashion elite.
This is a collection of the best styles of Hip Hop. Some are on this list because they are tastemakers, some because they play the part, and others because they just look damn good.
You saw the best of it, now see the worst of it, check out my post on Bad Rap Style.
Frank Ocean: Frank Ocean just looks so damn good in a well-cut suit. It
also doesn’t hurt that L’uomo Vogue has called him America’s Next President or
GQ named him Rookie Man of the Year. Ocean has cultivated an understated-yet-sophisticated
aesthetic largely missing from today’s music culture. But he doesn’t forget the important
things in life, as Ocean said “The one non-musical thing that I learned from
working with Kanye is that you should always choose your sneakers wisely.”
Tyler the Creator: You might not expect an artist who raps
about “Making crack rocks outta pussy nigga fishbones” to have a penchant for
vintage Hawaiian shirts, but the irreverent leader of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill
Them All (OFWGKTA) sports them like a uniform. His playful style- the cut off
shorts, high socks, supreme hats accessorized with a skateboard- acts as an
anecdote to his hardcore lyrics that have gained fans and foes alike.
Kanye: Ya, he comes across as kind of an asshole, but who
else can claim to have inspired a generation of black hipsters, began a fad of
ridiculous slotted sunglasses, or brought the collegiate letter jacket back in
fashion. His first attempt at ready-to-wear might have been a bit of a flop,
but now he’s got the fashion world listening.
Nicki Minaj: Nicki lives by the mantra, more is more is
more. And boy is she working it. While
she’s obviously inspired by Lady Gaga’s flare for the dramatic, Nicki leaves
behind the façade of cultural criticism for the fun of fashion. A She is living
up to her nickname as the Technicolor Barbie with a recently made doll in her
likeness (complete with bright pink hair, lips and eyelashes a mile long)
recently made her nickname “the Technicolor Barbie” truer than ever.
Snoop Dogg: In a word, this man is silly. You gotta love
Snoop for not taking himself too seriously and often looking totally
ridiculous. When not wearing baggy sweatpants or hoodies, you might find him
dressed as a pimp, a hindu, or willy wonka… but usually just a pimp.
Lil’ Kim: Nicki Minaj eat your heart out. Let me take you
back to the MTV VMA’s 1999, my girl Kim was sporting candy colored wigs and
baring her breasts before the millennium. While Lil’ Kim’s outfits gravitated
towards the slutty/streetwalker variety, she always accessorized her looks with
confidence and a “don’t fuck with me” attitude that made her the stuff of
fashion legend. Becoming Marc Jacobs’s muse didn’t hurt either.
Rick Ross: I mean, who else can pull off a black and yellow
diamond pendant of his own likeness? Nuff Said.
More Style after THE JUMP!
Janelle Monae: Sometimes it feels as if Janelle was born two
generations too late. At a time when girls plan their outfits around their cleavage
and guys, Janelle’s style is more James Brown than Beyoncé. The button ups and
tightly fitted jackets, not to mention a strict color palette of black and
white, give her style a timelessness that few other artists achieve.
Pharrell: Pharrell made the boys pull up their pants. He was
one of the first black artists to start sporting the sleeker skateboarding
look, as sagging jeans just don’t cut it on a board. And boy, he made it look
good. Since then, he’s verged more into the preppy look with vests and
cardigans but his roots still lie with the boarders.
Willow Smith: I don’t really think it’s fair to put Willow
on this list, after all, kids can pull off a lot more than us grown ups can. Being
4’6” and 90lbs can’t really hurt. For example, I would look like a fool wearing
leopard print harem pants or pink Chuck Taylor pants. But thanks to an
excellent gene pool and some parental coaching, this girl is edgy and
experimental and knows how to work it like someone twice her age.
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