EQ Heat

Category: Hip-Hop Fashion

An observation on hip hop fashion related trends and related topics of discussion.

  • Individuality in Hip Hop Creates Unity

    Let’s talk more about if hip hop fashion is about individuality or if it became more brand-driven.

    It’s inspired from a question that was responded to earlier about hip hop fashion.


    We’re gonna expand on the answer given to Alice’s question. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Is Hip Hop Fashion more about individuality or became more brand-driven?

    It starts with an individual but turns into unity as that person becomes more influential. Hip Hop’s Culture seemed to have an unspoken agreement in backing up clothing brands to help identify itself. It evolves to where individuals adopt different looks and synthesize something completely new to live under the umbrella of what’s considered Hip Hop.

    It starts with the individual

    The individual is what makes the society known as hip hop culture. 

    The society loses our on development when an individual doesn’t do what they can to perform at their true potential. It applies to hip hop in relation to fashion when those that are considered leaders don’t push the envelope with exploring new looks.

    It might sound superficial, but personality in many cases only goes as far as the clothes we’re able to wear. It’s even more important when applied to hip hop since there’s so many characters that make the genre. What they do is represent oppressed individuals that are part of the culture, regardless of how much they don’t appear to be.


    They’re the foundation of the entire organization and can influence the change that could happen.


    This proves itself to be true if accountability is emphasized as a core belief.


    That’s the case because it empowers the individual with ownership.


    They believe that they have power when it comes to a certain section. In this case it’s fashion.


    It brings up an interesting question in the wanting to know if intentional influence is more powerful than an unintentional one. I would say it’s a cyclical phenomenon. The creator of fashion often gains that ability to create from someone that dresses unintentionally. Most people that try to dress with intention typically do it in hopes of gaining the approval of others. At that point, the individual chooses to lean on the benefits of being in a group instead of working to become innovative and ambitious.


    They push development and inspire personal growth.


    Speaking ideally, that’s what the individual will do collectively if they’re active in the community.

    Hip Hop’s Unspoken Agreement of Putting The Group Before The Individual

    Hip Hop’s history has proven to be one that agreed upon backing up brands that would eventually go on to identify iconic individuals.


    Jordan, Nike, Rocawear, Sean John, Addidas, the list goes on in where these clothing brands would play a pivotal role in styling some of Hip Hop’s greatest.


    I can remember when I was able to finally wear street clothes after attending a private school for several years and got a chance to finally get in tune with some of the brands that would be cherished by my peers who were also products of Hip Hop.


    South Pole, Enyce, Zoo York, Fubu were just a few to name that would style my neighborhood. The history itself though played out like a science in where you can predict what would be worn because it reflected what type of money was being made in your household.


    I have a theory in where communities would inadvertently agree to push specific brands for whatever was affordable for the people that placed the (Hip Hop) community in a bright light. The quality of the clothing would increase as success grew too.

    Synthesizing Looks To Create Something Completely Different For Hip Hop

    This is where most get active when choosing to tackle different obstacles in Hip Hop fashion.


    There’s so many different looks that are being pumped out by these companies that cater to our crowd, but for most it leaves them with the same question, how do you stand out from what’s being done already?


    If I could share something that could connect the dots for someone in this area, I’ll take the opportunity.


    Around the same time that I mentioned earlier in where I would finally be able to wear my own street clothes, it got to where this challenge would start to hit home even harder than ever.


    Luckily I had a friend on the basketball team that was popular, talented, and charismatic.


    She seems to dress the best out of all her female associates and seemed to take a liking to me that I could and would appreciate.


    I mentioned Zoo York and she was actually one of the first people that influenced and shared a confidence for me in picking clothes on my own that wouldn’t break my already short bank at the time and still earn acknowledgement from my friends.


    Part of doing this was figuring out what stores would be able to serve me the looks I wanted, and what my mother could afford.

  • Baggy Jeans, Oversized Hoodies, Graphic Tees and Cargo Pants With Chunky Sneakers, Snapbacks, and Statement Jewelry Are The Best Representation For How Hip Hop Fashion Looks Like

    Baggy Jeans, Oversized Hoodies, Graphic Tees and Cargo Pants With Chunky Sneakers, Snapbacks, and Statement Jewelry Are The Best Representation For How Hip Hop Fashion Looks Like

    I’ll be explaining how hip hop changed over time. EQ Heat is in support of all kinds of music, but hip hop has a special place in our hearts. And what better way to pay homage though acknowledging how it’s changed over time?

    What Does Hip Hop Fashion Look Like?

    • Baggy Jeans
    • Oversized Hoodies
    • Graphic Tees
    • Cargo Pants
    • Chunky Sneakers
    • Snapbacks
    • Statement Jewelry

    Add all of these clothing and accessories into the mix of an individual, and it typically equates to someone that’s commonly noticed as a staple in fashionable hip hop culture.

    Baggy Jeans: A Loose Look That Defines Hip Hop

    They’re the style of pants that earned a stereotype attached to everybody that wears them.

    Being seen as rebellious, comfortable and a street-wise aesthetic since the 1980s and 90s, it’s without a doing a defining look in hip hop culture.

    Baggy Jeans became a symbol of resistance and identity because it went against a traditionally standard look that would be pushed by corporate earth.

    Everybody that told you to get a job and be a part of the civilized world would typically mean they would be against others that would dress otherwise.

    It might not have been direct of an attack against people that would wear baggy jeans, but you have to understand that your specific jeans would play a role in how you would be perceived to be in society.

    Oversized Hoodies: The Baggy Top Heavy Look That Contributes To Hip Hop

    Oversized hoodies are another aspect of a hip hop look that’s commonly displayed through someone in tune with the culture.

    We can look at the appeal they have because of what they’re meant to do for the person wearing them.

    It stands for comfort functionally, but also stylistically speaking it becomes a real sight for sore eyes.

    Oversized hoodies grew on to become an emblem of hip hop with how popular it became. Constantly it would be seen to be the pick of choice for most respected figures in the culture.

    It mixes comfort with luxury in many ways. We find that to be true thanks to the type of hoodies that would go on to be some of the hottest.

    I can think of how popular Bape hoodies would be. They were Baggy and Stylish: 2 elements that any in hip hop fashion would care to have.

    Of course it would transform to different looks when artists themselves would go on to create their own looks that would take over the fashion industry.

    Kanye for example, his campaign following a successful launch of Life of Pablo would allow him to flex his authority of fashion influence with the look of Baggy Clothing which would also include his hoodies.

    Photo Credits to Kanye West Merch

    Graphic Tees: a canvass for Self Expression in hip hop fashion

    Graphic Tees are considered wearable art that displays personal identity, community loyalty, and even social commentary.

    That alone should tell you why it holds such a significant place in cultural and artistic expression.

    You look at some of the most popular stores you can walk into and grab graphic tees as memorabilia, suddenly your mind takes you to a Hot Topic, or Tilly’s, even five below! Those are all high selling stores that reflect Pop Culture. Basically, if a Tee ends up at one of these spots, it’s embraced by hip hop for the most part.

    Graphic tees are the things that shows a different thing off about the person wearing them. We’ve seen them be key in sharing literal messages. You see a shirt that becomes iconic because of what a person may be intentionally or even unintentionally communicating. A specific shirt that pops up in mind is the Warner Bros tee.

    You can clearly see that these shirts get flipped in several ways with having a play on words. In this case it’s: when you see the Police, warn a brother.

    Photo Credits to Pinterest

    But graphic tees in many cases establish group identity in where established gangs do effective enough branding in where fanatics would eagerly look to cop a shirt that shows their affiliation.

    Photo Credits to Poshmark on Pinterest

    The messaging could continue even further in sharing provocative statements, sometimes literal words that make the cut, or sometimes actions such as picturing a person holding up a middle finger for example.

    Another occurrence of what makes graphic tees do so well is just how customizable they can be. One of the most common examples of where it’s shown in hip hop culture is putting a loved one on the shirt to pay homage to them.

    Cargo Pants: Utility Meets Style

    Cargo Pants were a style of fashion wear that was quickly picked up in hip hop fashion and what the culture represents. You look at the functional aspects of what they contribute and it seems to mesh well with being a solution to problems that members of the community would face. I think of Bag Lady by Erykah Brady and see where Cargos was a form of alignment that complimented her project in that regard. Maybe it’s a bit of a reach, but we have a strong black woman helping the value of being able to carry go up. Cargos was universal in that application. You’re displaying that there’s a chance you have a million and one different things on you, and sometimes it’s absolutely necessary to just survive.

    Cargo Pants combining the function of being able to carry and having a look that was recognizable made them even easier to embrace. I’ll even apply it to some of the things that would trend in my own community. There’s one show in particular that stood out: Kim Possible. She would wear these type of pants and that’s a show that I’d safely say was watched in black culture, despite how little it was talked about publicly. All of that plays a role in dictating the type of clothing that’s worn. Being close to even militaristic looks was something that would be embraced by hip hop. I’ll reference the looks that would float around in even the Soldier music video by Destiny’s Child. There’s definitely more references that could be made, but most things are interconnected anyways, so that should be helpful in the moment at least.

    As far as youth being impacted by the trend of cargo pants, I can personally attest to how popular these styles of pants were in branding. Specifically, around the mid 2000s a specific brand of pants that everybody seemed to be Girbauds. I see these style of pants remaining relevant as long as the hustler and traveler aesthetic is still appreciated. What do you think is the case?

    Chunky Sneakers: The Bold Footwear Choice

    Bulky sneakers that had a lot of padding and support found its way quickly into hip hop culture. I have a theory on this that might deserve its own special attention. But these styles of shoes dominated the market and culture overall since the late 80s/early 90s. For many it’s a symbol that revives nostalgia with the feeling of comfort and silhouetted designs.

    Sneakers in general have been a central point of hip hop fashion, plain and simple. You look at what they stood for, and it only makes sense. A good majority of the designs that would go on to create the biggest impact on the community would be basketball sneakers without a doubt. Athletic wear would of course go on to influence the members of each generation because most of the shoes were inspired by players that would be products of hip hop environments.

    They would keep the chunky look because of what it meant for the athlete, and the average consumer wants to be as close to the athlete as possible. These companies that made these sneakers would clearly keep that in mind. We could discuss endlessly on how the Jordan brand shoes fit this description, but there’s bulky shoes in other spaces that would be embraced in hip hop culture. We could go with Filas for example. K-Swiss. Reebok, and many more.

    These style of sneakers would be accepted because of their long shelf life. Bulkier shoes are more durable. And when you’re from areas of poverty, you’re gonna opt for the sneaker that gives you the most bang for your buck. As new hip hop artists started to emerge and build their brand to unforeseen heights before, it led to some powerful collaborations between artist and manufacturers.

    The size of your sneakers would go on to dictate what type of clothing you would suggest. Typically it would be where the sneakers themselves would determine what pants you wear, T-Shirt, Hoodie, Cap, and anything else you could think of to complete a fit.

    Snapbacks and Statement Jewelry: Accessories of Expression

    Snapbacks and statement jewelry will always be a staple of hip hop. It’s the flashiest part of your outfit in many cases. Snapbacks in many cases would solidify what team you’re with, and that would consummate your affiliation for that feeling of belonging that many people would look for. Aesthetically it would look pleasing because the quality of merchandise to hold a particular logo or image. Your jewelry adds to the look of everything too. It’s flashy in being something that was meant to help you stand out from everything else that was circulating fashion wise. It was empowering in a way that when you had one of these 2 accessories, you would be taken a bit more seriously. It added validation to an effect that was relatively cheap in comparison to other methods.