Fresh To Death: The Impact Of Black Brands On Hip Hop Fashion

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In the past five decades of fashion and jewelry in Hip Hop culture, there has always been a sense of opulence coupled with gaudy excess no matter which decade you choose. From the raw sheepskin coats tailored by Italian leather makers on Delancey Street to Dapper Dan’s monogram Gucci, Louie, Fendi and MCM, Hip Hop’s fashion instructional manual was based on foreign exclusivity until the birth of the Black fashion brands.

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Kangol hats, Playboy and Wallabee Clarks, all made in England, were all some of the hottest fashion brands during Hip Hop’s inception. Even sneakers such as Adidas and Puma, which both have their roots in Germany, were the flyest kicks money could buy until Nike revealed the Air Jordan in 1985. Interestingly enough, only American made jeans were “fashionably fit”, such as Lees and even Jordache Jeans, which has its origins in Bushwick, Brooklyn. It wasn’t until the late 80s that American made brands made by Black people became fashionable and was popularized by Hip Hop artists and notable celebrities.

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Talented, pioneering clothiers such as Karl Kani, FUBU and Cross Colours were some of the first to launch mainstream clothing brands that were embraced by Hip Hop, but their fearlessness ushered in a wave of fashion entrepreneurs in the next decade to come and they had the Hip Hop community locked in as consumers. Def Jam co-founder Russel Simmons’ Phat Farm, which debuted in 1992 followed by Baby Phat in 1999, was the first authentic fashion brand to come from under the fold of Hip Hop.

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It wasn’t long before Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs came behind Simmons and perfected Uncle Rush’s prototype with Sean John in 1998. It was a tremendous boost for the Sean John brand that DIddy had some of the hottest mainstream artists on his Bad Boy roster at the time, including Black Rob, The L.O.X., Ma$e, Faith Evans and this was only a year after the untimely death of the Notorious B.I.G. Wu-Wear popped up in 1997 and rode the wave of the WTC fame well into the turn of the century. It wasn’t long before Sean John saw competition with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Wear brand, which seemed to dominate over all of the other brands created by Hip Hop personalities, but there were many more to follow. Nelly gained popularity with women with his Apple Bottom Jeans, while 50 Cent’s G-Unit Clothing had a run during his Get Rich Or Die Tryin‘ era, even taking a stab a G-Unit sneaker manufactured by Reebok. Within the next few years, Snoop Dogg, Outkast, Eve, Eminem, Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Ruff Ryders all had their own line of clothing, virtually over saturating the market and killing the demand.

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There were many Black brands that played their own role during that era including Dada Supreme, PNB Nation, Mecca, Shabazz Brothers(Big L and Swizz both wearing Shabazz Brothers leathers above), Enyce, Willie Esco, Lugz, Akademiks, D-Lo USA, Walker Wear, RP55 and more paved the way for brands such as Billionaire Boys Club, Yeezy, Essentials(Fear Of God), Denim Tears, Off-White and the popular Black brands that have carried on the tradition of Hip Hop fashion.

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Daymond John Celebrates Drake Wearing Fubu on Brand’s 35th Anniversary: ‘If I Can Do It, Anybody Can Do It’

Daymond John Curates 'Black Entrepreneurs Day' for October 24

Drake pulled up to an NBA open run with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and more playing. But he was the talk of the game due to his hair and the oversized FUBU shirt he wore. Reacting to the moment was FUBU creator Daymond John.

“Time and time, I’ve seen Megan Thee stallion, SZA, Chris Brow, and now Drake. These people are defining our culture today, and to see something my partner and I came up with 35 years ago in our basement,” John said to TMZ. “They say trends come and go; fashion is forever. To see them rediscover the brand in the 50th year of Hip-Hop, it’s just an amazing thing. If I can do it, anybody can do it. Shoutout to Drake and the amazing artist who can educate the culture.”

You can see Drake don FUBU below.

The post Daymond John Celebrates Drake Wearing Fubu on Brand’s 35th Anniversary: ‘If I Can Do It, Anybody Can Do It’ first appeared on The Source.

The post Daymond John Celebrates Drake Wearing Fubu on Brand’s 35th Anniversary: ‘If I Can Do It, Anybody Can Do It’ appeared first on The Source.

Drake Performs “God’s Plan” With A Fan, Gets Massive Praise From FUBU Founder Daymond John

Whether you love Drake or love to hate him, you can’t deny that the Canadian has always been a pro at walking to the beat of his own drum. Rather than looking outside of himself for inspiration, the legendary lyricist follows his intuition, even if it leads him toward some serious fashion risks. So far this year he’s been clowned for getting a pink manicure, and more recently, wearing clips of the same colour while switching up his usual hairstyle. It’s clear that not everyone was feeling those, but the FUBU shirt Drizzy donned at the same time is earning him some major flowers from founder Daymond John.

“Drake, I mean one of the world’s top artists,” the creative gushed in a video shared by TMZ on Saturday (August 19). “Wearing a shirt – I’ve seen Megan Thee Stallion, Chris Brown, and now Drake,” John added. “These people are defining our culture today, and I think that to think about the fact that it’s something that my partners and I came up with 35 years ago in our basement.”

Read More: Iconic 90’s Sportswear Label, FUBU, Makes Comeback With Sorella Collaborated Capsule

Daymond John is Pleased to See Celebs Making FUBU Fetch Again

The brain behind FUBU went on to point out that “trends come and go,” but it’s interesting to see the resurgence of the ’90s sportswear brand come together with the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. “It’s just an amazing thing, and if I can do it, anybody can do it,” John encouraged any other aspiring designers out there.

“Shoutout to Drake and all the amazing artists that go back in the vault and educate people on part of the culture. I love it,” his public message to the rap world ended. Elsewhere in the news, the 6ix God has been entertaining crowds all across the country on his It’s All a Blur tour, even bringing one lucky fan out on stage to perform one of Drake’s biggest hits together.

Read More: Drake’s New Hair Misses The Mark: “He Never Beating Them Allegations”

Drake Performs “God’s Plan” with Help from a Fan

If you could perform any song from Drake’s discography live with the 36-year-old, which would you pick? Let us know in the comments, and check back later for more hip-hop/pop culture news updates.

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