An easily overlooked trend has taken over the rap scene in recent years: rappers painting their nails. From A$AP Rocky to NBA YoungBoy, even to Kid Cudi, many top charting artists have turned to nail polish to add flare to their look. Additionally, Trippie Redd is amongst the men following this rockstar-esque beauty trend, and he spoke out about why he does it. His response was triggered based on an Instagram post by veteran music manager Wack 100. In the post, Wack asked for clarity on this trend.
By no means was Wack attacking rappers who wear colors on their nails. According to HipHopDX, he respectfully clarified where he was coming from. “To to the youngsters out there, I’m hearing something about emo and all this other shit. Can y’all leave a comment down below on what the fingernail polish represent?” he continued, “because of some of the youngsters I mentioned that I know, I don’t think it means it that [they’re feminine]. I just think it’s another type of movement.” Furthermore, Wack explained where his confusion remained. He emphasized on how he’s a “’70s baby” whose trends included wearing only one earring and sagging pants. Additionally, he described how these movements were often looked down on by older generations, similar to how nail polish on rappers is perceived now.
Trippie’s Method Of Self Care
The post had attracted the attention of Trippie, who took to the comment section to respond. Trippie responded simply: “It’s a way of expressing ur feelings, being true to your self and self-care.” The 23-year-old rapper has rocked many different nail art looks over the years, including smiley faces, an homage to 2Pac, and a go-to classic matte black.
Wack’s question hasn’t been the only time where rappers wearing nail polish has been questioned. In fact, Soulja Boy took a more aggressive stance on the matter when he attacked rappers for painting their nails and wearing lipstick. He urged these men to “stop playing,” and claimed he would never do such a thing. The Chicago rapper’s rant rubbed NBA YoungBoy the wrong way, and his response revealed that his feelings were hurt. Previously, YoungBoy had explained his own reasonings for decorating his body, explaining that “I like to look in the mirror and see everything black. Like my eyes and shit. That’s one hundred percent real! That’s me being myself. I feel comfortable that way … It give me like the goth feeling, like rockstars.”