20 Ways Hip-Hop Style Was Different 20 Years Ago

Back in the day...

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Trends come and go, and nowhere is that more evident than in the world of hip-hop style. From its early days of tracksuits, bucket hats, and dookie chains to the '90s heyday of gangsta leans, baggy jeans, and Timberlands, it's evident that today's crystal-mask-clad, skirt-wearing rappers are a far cry from what was considered dope when Tupac and Biggie ruled the airwaves. The line between high fashion and hip-hop is more blurred than ever—just look at how guys like A$AP Rocky rub shoulders with lauded designers like Alexander Wang and Jeremy Scott. The fashion landscape of the rap world is absolutely nothing like it was in 1993. Is it better? Arguable. Is it weirder? Definitely. Let's take a walk down memory lane and look at 20 Ways Hip-Hop Style Was Different 20 Years Ago.

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A Bathing Ape was relatively unknown outside of Japan

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No rappers wore Givenchy

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Collabos happened organically

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The streetwear "industry" was just beginning

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Female rappers were less sexualized

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Camo was from the surplus store, not a fashion or streetwear brand

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Style gimmicks made it easier to stand out

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Looking tough was more important than looking trendy

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Hair was bigger and more awesome

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Skaters listened to rap, but rappers didn't skate

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Brands discovered the hip-hop market

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Timberlands were more popular than Jordans

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Very few rappers had tattoos

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Rappers didn't sit front row at fashion shows

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Everything was baggier

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No one expected rappers to launch their own clothing lines

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Hip-hop style was determined by where you were from

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Rappers wore Nikes; they didn't design them

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Polo was the fashion brand with the most hip-hop cred

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Rappers championed more affordable brands

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