This week we are blogging on Hip-hop Fashion and Self-Adorment. In what way do you see Hip-hop influencing the way people present themselves? How has Hip-hop shaped your style? Self-adornment is the practice decorating yourself. Using hairstyles, clothing, jewelry, etc. Think about the ways that Hip-hop has impacted all of these styles in fashion and the media.
I think just like hip hop artists use their music to market certain things, they also use their bodies. Many individuals in the hip hop generation idolize artists and therefore idolize their style, clothing, shoes, accessories, etc. These styles are what create artist's self adornment. The clothes and accessories that an artists wears displays their wealth, their fortune, and ultimately their success as an artist. Professor Hodges Persley mentioned that someone said that your image is who you are and it allows people to make certain judgments against you. If an artist has a music video where they wear all custom made Burberry clothing, you know they are relatively wealthy. Style and fashion is a way to show success in hip hop.
ReplyDeleteBecause hip hop artists are so popular in our generation, their styles greatly impact the media. Adidas shoes were mentioned several times in class. I think everyone in my elementary school had a pair of Adidas shoes, but at the time we did not realize that they were popular because of Run DMC. Also, like pictures we saw in class, high class designers are starting to incorporate hip hop into their styles with the use of chunky bold jewelery. Whether we realize it or not, hip hop fashion has affected our generation and high class fashion in the United States.
Hip-Hop influences several different ways people present themselves. From the songs ‘Bling Bling’ to ‘My Adidas’, have influenced a particular style within the hip-hop culture. Run DMC made shell-toed Adidas rocked without laces a staple of hip-hop at its time, but it is also interesting to see how rappers of today take a twist of hip-hops past fashions and create a more current trend. For example, Cash Money Millionaire’s song, Bling Bling, re-created past emcee’s current trend for big gold dookie chains. When the song came out, I remember everyone, including myself, wearing more than enough ‘Bling’ to say the least. Hip-Hop emcees and rappers are able to create a status within their fashionable sense, and unfortunately the sense of fashion is usually quite expensive. The Big Tymers song, ‘Still Fly’ exemplifies this high monetary fashion. Within the song’s chorus they state, “gator boots with the pimped out Gucci suite, ain’t got no jobs, but I stay shine, I can’t pay my rent because all my moneys spent, but that’s okay, cause I’m still fly.” Even though it is a song, there is still some truth behind it. I know several people that have spent their entire paychecks just so they were able to get the retro Jordan shoe release. Even though hip-hop has an impact to fashion, several songs indicate the high amount of money spent to afford this precedent status created through hip-hop.
ReplyDeleteTosin Morohunfola: Hip-hop fashion, like all other things hip-hop, is an ever-evolving and indefinable concept. In fact, part of the challenge of hip-hop fashion is to always be on the cutting edge, ushering in the newest trend by being the progenitor. Oukast or Jay-Z are perfect examples of this trend-setting at work in a modern world. (Hodges Persley, lecture) Hip-hop fashion is how we continually define ourselves as hip and cool, the ‘baddest of the brothers with the smoothest swag.’ The means through which hip-hoppers primarily express this “cool vibe” is through self-adornment. Self-adornment is how one dresses and presents oneself, the things that one applies to oneself in order to send certain signals about who they are or what they represent. (Hodges Persley, lecture) It is important to acknowledge that this is never the end-all, be-all definition of a person, nor are there always well delineated categorizations within perceived self-adornment patterns. But nonetheless, some people are very aware of the image they present and send through self-adornment. Kanye West, Nelly and Run-DMC all have respective clothing/shoes lines that they adorn themselves with and rap about (Louis Vuitton, Air Force Ones, and Adidas) and in turn, because they are rappers—and more importantly, celebrities—these items become the newest trends in hip-hop fashion. We wear what they wear. We believe what they tell us and we buy what they sell us.
ReplyDeleteHip hop influences the way that people present themselves in that the main objective of hip hop is that there is never one main objective. The style of hip hop is sampling, mixing and being a voice for change and an example of cultural integrations. There are historical representations in hip hop as well. This can be seen in the Benjamin Bixby line by Outkasts Andre 3000 who mixes 1930's sportswear with nerdy and retro fashion (NHP Lecture). Hip hop fashion is what sells product, and a great example of this is the Worthington legacy which was a man who wore a two piece suit, cowboy hat, and a sales pitch that was foolproof with a southern draw that could be argued to have made folks feel right at home (Kun, 2002). His look is what kept people coming back to him no matter where he went (Kun, 2002). It's no secret that humans are creatures of habit and when they like something, they want the same thing over and over again. When a person likes hip hop, they want to see it over and over again so you have to give it to them and they will buy your product. Hip hop has shaped my style by telling me what is cool to wear and I go out and get it if it is in my price range. I also engage in sampling to complete my style by wearing logotype t-shirts, and perhaps apple bottom jeans, or even Johnny Blaze jeans. One of the most obvious forms of self adornment is in the hairstyle. When any female hip hop artist gets a new hairstyle that looks trendy, it seems like hip hop fans will try to run out and get the same look. One example of this can be seen in the "Just stand up" video written and directed by Babyface. There are several hip hop, and few artists from other genres, in this video with several different beautiful hair styles. The video is made for breast cancer awareness and there are several different hairstyles displayed in this video on the different artists. Though it is not the intention of the artist(s), the video is a very commercial way to get people to pay attention to the hairstyles of the artists because the audience who the video will inevitable reach are cancer patients who have lost or face loosing their hair and will be searching for cute wigs or weaves. Even when an artist is not intentionally selling their fashion, it is being bought.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop has evolved through time, and similarly so has fashion in general. Especially when it comes to numerous fashion styles that have resulted through hip-hop. In lecture, we discussed how “self-adornment” is like how a person takes care of himself/herself. It is the type of clothing, hairstyles, jewelry, and more that consists of the “physical styling” that can be connected to hip-hop music or culture over time. We also talked about in class how various hip-hop artists such as P. Diddy, Jay-Z, and more have created their own clothing lines to further develop the hip-hop fashion style. These clothing lines have grown to be worth millions of dollars. Various hip-hop artists have also paved the way when it comes to designer clothing in high fashion name brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci. For example, Kanye West collaborated with LV to have his own input when it came to the brands design. It is clear that hip-hop celebrity’s have a large impact on fashion within society, and it impacts some people without them even realizing where the style evolved from. A lot of people buy and wear certain clothing, accessories, and make up because of what’s “popular”. When celebrities make certain styles popular, then it results in a new fashion trend set by these celebrities. These results impact me and others in society.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop fashion continues with many of the themes found elsewhere in the genre: sampling, commercialization, blackness, etc. In hip-hop fashion, sampling and commercialization are probably the most easily discernible elements. Since the mid-80’s with Run DMC’s release of “My Adidas,” hip-hop fashion has always had an overt relationship with the market. This trend is still easily discernible today, with songs like “Air Force Ones” by Nelly and Kanye West’s partnership with Louis Vuitton in the development of his own line of sneakers. This items reflect not only the eclecticism of hip-hop fashions, but also their easy commodification.
ReplyDeleteNicole Fleetwood’s article “Hip-hop Fashion, Masculine Anxiety, & the Discourse of Americana” sees this progression in hip-hop fashion with two important alignments: America and the predominantly white, suburban markets for hip-hop products. Since hip-hop has dominated American pop culture for some time now, the alignment of an American aesthetic with hip-hop fashion can be seen with designers like Phat Farm. Also, with the demographic of white, suburban males as the target audience, traditionally urban, African-American fashions have had to make a jump to different spaces. This is, again, apparent in the marketing of Phat Farm.
Josh Kun’s article “Two Turntables and a Social Movement: Writing Hip-hop at Century’s End” documents hip-hop in a historical light at the turn of the century. He problematizes the notions of commercial culture that have removed some of the authenticity of hip-hop, as well as the multitudinous factors that influenced its development. Hip-hop fashions shares much of the same trajectory, following in the same patters as the genre as a whole.
Hip-hop fashion is yet another way that rappers, MCs, DJs, B-boys, and B-girls express themselves. Whether they wear custom-stitched, haute couture attire or baggy, bright, old school hip-hop fashion, what the artists wear defines who they are and what their trying to display about themselves (Hodges Persley Lecture). In Biggie Smalls’ “One More Chance,” Biggie sings about his “Versace shades” and “bags from Chanel” and “High fashion” to brag about his wealth and his ability to buy very expensive, brand-name clothing. Biggie Smalls’ lyrics represent the idea that hip-hop artists hold regarding high fashion and wealth. Once hip-hop artists have ‘made it,’ they have obtained considerable wealth and show it off by wearing the expensive brands associated with prosperity and riches (Hodges Persley Lecture). In Josh Kun’s article, “Two Turntables and a Social Movement: Writing Hip-hop at Century’s End,” Kun explains how hip-hop fashion has “impacted fashion trends across the world.” Whatever brand or style that the newest and coolest hip-hop artists wear, it is inevitably going to be the newest and coolest fashion trend (Hodges Persley Lecture). Hip-hop fashion has become highly influential in effecting the market’s demand for certain products, brands, and accessories.
ReplyDeleteFashion, self-image, and self-adornment are all important concepts in hip-hop culture and among hip-hop icons. From the beginning, specific styles and designers have combined to develop a hip-hop fashion. For example, in early hip-hop, Run-DMC introduced Adidas shell-toed sneakers and sporty jump suits into the hip-hop fashion genre. Run-DMC did not only sport Adidas attire but also included the clothing brand in song lyrics, such as “My Adidas”. With the help of Run-DMC, Adidas made a name for itself in hip-hop fashion. More recently, high-end, expensive fashion has been associated with hip-hop artists, such as Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton (Lecture 11/23/2009). My analysis for why hip-hop artists find it so important to have a relationship with high-end clothing lines and to own such expensive products relates back to the origins of hip-hop. Hip-hop was created by underprivileged, low income African-American and Hispanic people living in run-down and dangerous environments. Even today, many MCs were born and raised in less than ideal environments. By being able to afford expensive clothes and more impressively, being a part of the design and production of the clothing lines shows the progress and success that once underprivileged MCs have accomplished. According to Josh Kun in his article “Two Turntables and a Social Movement: Writing Hip-hop at Century’s End”, hip-hop is “…internationally recognized as a dominant commercial force, the commercial idiom in which one must become fluent in order to sell products…” (Josh Kun). For example, Kanye West joined forces with Louis Vuitton and developed a line of hip-hop shoes that incorporated both classic Louis Vuitton styles as well as hip-hop style. By doing this, Kanye West and Louis Vuitton ensured that customers who had never purchased any Louis Vuitton product but were up to date with hip-hop fashion became intrigued by the combination. As a result, both artists received a new demographic of fans (Lecture 11/23/2009).
ReplyDeleteIn the past thirty years or so, Hip-hop has been used as a means to promote different fashion styles. The songs, and even the MCs themselves, put forth different Hip-hop lifestyles, from the name-brand shoes to the “white tee.”
ReplyDeleteHip-hop fashion is a form of art in where the person is the medium, and the clothing is the actual art. Just like art in a museum, there are different forms. There is the “high” art; this includes anything from custom designed track suits to Louis Vuitton shoes designed by Kanye West. There is also “street” art, including white tees, shell toe Adidas, and bandanas; in fact, one could get a “grill” on a budget, courtesy of Paul Wall.
Fashion in Hip-hop is very important because the clothing style presents a specific connotation with it. With the expensive, name-brand clothing, one shows that he or she has power, influence, and money. In short, it is a way that someone shows self-expression. Because fashion is a market that may affect people outside of the realm of Hip-hop music, the music becomes more commercialized because of profits. Fashion is made an important component to the music not only as a form of self-expression, but it is also used as a means of further commodifying Hip-hop.
Similar to the other elements of hip-hop like battling, graffiti and dance, fashion has been a way for people within the hip-hop culture to express themselves. Hip-hop fashion has always been a huge part of the culture, incorporating a sense of braggadocio, which can be seen throughout hip-hop culture. From the fashion labels to the expensive jewelry that hip-hop artists wear, what they wear defines who they are. Young people today look up to and admire the hip-hop artists they listen to, following their every move and recreating their style in places like the Midwest with Nike, Reebok and Adidas sneakers and Members Only jackets.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop artists tend to be ahead of the game when it comes to fashion. Whatever Kanye West or Jay-Z is wearing this month will become a new trend next month. Although I don’t consider my sense of style hip-hop at all, when I want to stay up-to-date about what is popular, I read about what hip-hop artists are wearing first. Their style is very progressive and trendsetting.
Just like an artists music helps them create a name for themselves, so does how they present themselves. Their clothing, hair, shoes, and jewelry all play a huge part in this. Discussed in lecture last week, the way people present themselves gives other people the right to judge them(Hodges Persley Lecture). If a person has new shoes or jewelry before anyone else and dresses in flashy clothing, then people will assume that they are very wealthy. An artist’s fashion and style is a way for them to show how far they have come and their success in the hip-hop industry. A lot of artists have made certain fashion products famous because of the way they have presented them in music videos, such as Run DMC and adidas, or Nelly in his music video “air force ones”, shown last week in class. Self-adornment is expressed in all these ways through hip-hop, it is primarily the way an artists takes care of himself/herself(Hodges Persley Lecture), and affects their success and popularity in the hip-hop industry.
ReplyDeleteSelf-Adornment, or the way you show yourself with respects to jewelry and clothing, is very important in Hip-Hop. Ever since the beginning of Hip-Hop fashion has had a direct link with the music. We have seen this with numerous artists like Nelly and Nike Air Force Ones and Run RMC with Adidas as we have discussed in lecture (Hodges Persley Lecture). Another fashion items that have been linked to music are things such as Grills with Paul Wall, who actually has his own Grills store. Many popular artists now come out with their own clothing line to further spread their name, some artists get into higher fashion markets than others. We saw the effect of Hip-Hop on high fashion with Kanye West and his not so affordable shoes from Louis Vuitton, as well as a line of Graffiti inspired bags from Louis Vuitton designed by Steven Sprouse (Hodges Persley Lecture). Another big aspect in Hip-Hop fashion is the more custom or higher the brand name the better it is. We saw an example of this in the “Still Fly” music video by Big Tymers. In the video they show off their custom Gucci suits while Gucci of course is a brand that doesn’t make custom products for just anybody.
ReplyDeleteFashion has always played a critical role in Hip-hop culture, as it directly influences the way in which the outside world perceives you. This being said, I do not think Hip-hop fashion has a major influence on the fashion of mainstream society. Hip-hop fashion is often very much about the price of an outfit over all else. An artist may look like a clown to a person outside of the hip-hop community, but this is acceptable because these are $1200 sneakers, or $500 jeans. I have yet to see a company that is carried in Neiman Marcus solely as a result of Hip-hop, as high society has been wearing Burberry and Louis Vuitton for decades, and will continue to do so regardless of what hip-hop does. Instead of influencing outside groups, hip-hop embraces itself, with its fashion greatly representing hip-hop ideals such as Braggadocio, and the pursuit of wealth. An individual’s value it seems can be determined by the material goods they adorn themselves with. Has this allowed fashion to further an entire culture or set it back even farther with misguided ideals? Such a culture can have a devastating influence on the youth. I have friends, and have seen countless people who cannot pay their phone, cable, whatever bill it may be, yet still have Gucci Shades, Louis V accessories, as they cruise down the street on their DUBS. Has a culture obsessed with its own material success, only further hindered the future of its audience? My argument would be yes.
ReplyDeleteHip hop has always been a way of expressing yourself. The way that a hip hop artist dresses is just another form of self expression. This can then be interpreted by the media and the masses that follow their music. Many hip hop fans have taken their favorite artist's style as their own; you can find people dressing in a manner they usually would have never done before. Even for those that haven't adopted a hip hop inspired fashion, it has still influenced many well known designers that are more popular on with a larger crowd. For example, Kanye West collaborating with Louis Vuitton, a designer geared towards the wealthier, upper-class, to create a new line of shoes. The shoes, while bearing the classic LV symbol, definitely have a hip hop flare to them. Whether we like it or not, hip hop has made a huge impact in the world of fashion and this is evident even when walking on campus.
ReplyDeleteSelf-Adornment in hip-hop can be defined as the clothing, hairstyles, jewelry, makeup, etc., and other physical styling that can be connected to hip-hop music and culture over time (Lecture 11/23). Hip-hop has greatly influenced all aspects of fashion. Famous sports lines such as Adidas, Lacoste, and Converse along with famous clothing lines such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci have used hip-hop as an inspiration for their fashion. Kanye West was a promoter and designer for Louis Vuitton which consisted of high-dollar clothing items such as shoes. Also, when Kanye West was using a mohawk hairstyle, it's popularity inspired many people to get similar haircuts. Run DMC introduced a new look in hip-hop which consisted of Adidas jump suits and shoes along with a large gold chain. This look is still prominent in today's hip-hop culture and has been used as a stepping stone for other brands to produce their own hip-hop fashion lines. Other forms of Hip-hop fashion may include things such as baggy shirts and jeans, loud and bright colors, tight fitting and provocative clothing for women, colorful bandannas, gold/bling jewelry, large ornamental belts, and sneakers or big boots. Hip-hop has shaped my style in many ways. Primarily, I own many pairs of shoes which may be similar to those in the hip-hop fashion world, along with many 'retro' era shoes. Also, I feel that hip-hop was the main inspiration for the growth in the popularity of flat-billed hats, which I also own a lot of. Lastly, my primary sunglasses were made for Lil Jon by Oakley and they also feature his signature on them.
ReplyDeleteThe evolution of hip-hop fashion can be conceptualized as a progression from utilitarianism/revolt to an almost postmodern mishmash of influences from anima to high art. It must always be remembered, of course, that hip-hop's MO bespeaks embodiment, first and foremost, and therefore its visual presentation demands a highly idiosyncratic style as a means of reclaiming the self (Hodges-Persley lecture). Ironically, recent history has revealed a paradoxical pattern of trensetters upsetting the status quo only to put another in its place: Run-DMC's Adidas obsession, Nelly's "Air Force Ones" video, and Kanye West's highly visible collaboration with Louis Vuitton (Hodges-Persley lecture). The aforementioned evolution of style can be roughly differentiated by decade. In its nascent years, fresh out of disco, hip-hop fashion sought to separate itself from disco's tight clothing in order to facilitate breaking. This, in turn, gave way to the iconic Run-DMC look of black leather, Fedoras, chunky chains, and Adidas footwear in the 80s. Concurrently, African colors gained prominence as a way of establishing a unique, irrepressible African-American identity. In the 90s, the proliferation of oversize pants and do-rags has led some to theorize that prison-wear became a dominant force of hip-hop fashion. Interestingly, the new millennium hasn't offered so much its own style as creative freedom to incorporate anything, from Jay-Z's "nerd culture" to Kanye's 80s throwbacks (Hodges-Persley lecture). Moreover, the idea of an MC-cum-designer is no longer unthinkable: product endorsements, though still prevalent, have given way to hip-hop fashion labels as a way of claiming that space as appropriate for the hip-hop mentality.
ReplyDeleteIn class we discussed how Hip Hop music was promoting fashion in there videos, sometimes even in lyrics to the songs, and that the promotion of fashion in cases such as Kanye West with Louis Vuitton and Nelly with his Air Force One sneakers can turn these lower class high profile items into higher class apparrel only for the most wealthy individuals. In Two Turntables, he discusses how hip hop promotes fashion in the lyrics to push a product. In class we discussed several instances of this; be it from Run DMC pushing Adidas or simply just Jay-Z always wearing a jersey or all black clothing. The artists are pushing fashion as much if not more than they are pushing the lyrics and content of their songs.
ReplyDeleteA common way of self- expression within our society is using our bodies to enhance certain things we want to be portrayed to the world. Using one’s body as a form of self -expression makes it more personal and more amusing, rather than using words. As we see, several rappers within the Hip-hop world are looked highly upon for their eccentric clothing, jewelry etc. These styles are what are passed down by the Hip-hop generation to form a sense of fortune, while holding the notion of success on their shoulders. When outsiders see these artists as confident individuals, rolling with the high styles, they too want to be apart of that generation and do so by portraying their image as top notch within society. For example, in Hodges previous lecture we discussed how Nelly made a comeback with his “Air Force one” music video, and soon after, much of the Hip-hop audiences owned a pair, sporting themselves in high fashion. As we see that Hip-hop artists can make such an influential impact on our generation, it continues to be the starting point for the ways in which fashion has affected our generation in a form of high functioning stylistic views.
ReplyDeleteThe two major athletic footwear companies in the United States are also two of the biggest show companies when it comes to the Hip-hop scene, Nike and Adidas. From the hard-shelled Adidas to the retro-high top Nikes’ from the clean 3 stripe Adidas to the flamboyant Nike Air Force Ones. Fashion, with a large part dealing with footwear, is a major part of Hip-hop today. Run DMC and Nelly each had a song which was completely and totally dedicated to Adidas and Nikes, respectively. Many of the new artist have their own clothing lines as well. Sean John, Rocawear, Nostic, and Extended Merch. Clothing is clearly a huge part of the Hip-hop as we know it today.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I believe hip hop fashion gives people more confidence in who they are and how they present themselves to other people. Personally I love hip hop fashion because it pushes the envelopment making you feel sexy, sassy, and staying up with the current trend in hip hop. During the 2008 elections, I believe hip hop fashion helped the Obama campaign bringing in top hip hop designers to promote his campaign, I even bought an Obama tshirt to not only be in style but to show my support. Thinking about self adornment from the style of a person’s hair, shoes, and accessories hip hop has definitely influenced this. Like I said, hip hop fashion gives a person confidence, making you feel good about yourself because you either see a hip hop icon wearing the same thing, or because it looks trendy.
ReplyDeleteHip-hop culture emerged as a method of self-expression. It comes as no surprise that the fashion associated with it would also be used as expression. For years people have dressed themselves as representations of how they want to be perceived. Hip-hop fashions might come across as more outlandish because of the culture behind them. In Hip-hop, everything is meant to be big, and over the top, the idea of “one-upping” everyone else. The means of fashion and self-adornment must follow this style as well.
ReplyDeleteNot only are we a materialistic society, but we are also very impressionable. So much that conglomerations captalize off our desire to be "in style" and cool. Artists (especially those in the music industry) are utlized to market to a wide audience to get them interested in buying a seemingly unncessary and overpriced product. Corporations are able to make money off the fact that we idolize these celebrities and we see them as trendsetters (Nicole Hodges Persley). The media is able to perpetuate this desire with a heavy rotation of music videos that showcase self adornment with an artists wearing gold chains, driving fancy cars, and using constant product placment of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and other expensive brands. Kun speaks about how there is no "new" fashion that surfaces spontaneously. That everything is recycled. For example, Kanye West brings back the nerdy fashion with large frames and small bookbags.
ReplyDeleteLooking back on the past few decades Hip-Hop fashion styles has made its indelible mark on the fashion world by continuously creating the edgiest and sexiest clothing and accessories. These material attributes provide a sense of self-adornment for people to claim themselves by. Whether it’s by clothing, hairstyles, or jewelry; every physical style in which people represent is somehow connected to culture over time (Hodges Lecture). As far as trend setting goes, Hip-Hop artists have the power to popularize a specific brand or style of fashion to the mass population with their celebrity-level statuses. For example, Run DMC is forever famous for wearing Adidas shoes. The heavy influence of Hip-hop fashion is nowhere near of slowing down either since the industry has the flexibility to sample styles such as sports attire and Haute Couture (Hodges Lecture).
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ReplyDeleteIts really very interesting to see how hip-hop artists across the world are similar. Hip-hop was created in New York to give the African-American youth a voice in the early 1970's (Hodges Persley Lecture). Although this foundation of hip-hop is a part of black culture in America you can see how it has taken over all of the United States to the point where it's representation can be seen in all ethnic groups. Now, hip-hop doesn't only have a presents in America but also around the whole world. There are hip-hop cultures in most all countries today (Hodges Persley Lecture). At first these artist were recreating the same types of songs and styles from the American culture, they were rapping about the hardships of being a minority, ect..but as the hip-hop scene got larger in their countries they were able to start to create their own kind of hip-hop. Although these new cultures of hip-hop sampled heavily from American hip-hop they grew to become quite different and unique. Yet, even with these differences there are a lot of similarities. Certain things like clothing, jewelry, and hand motions are almost universal among hip-hop artists all over the world (Hodges Persley Lecture). From these similarities it seems as though the world is much more connected than we may have once thought.