The best gifts are thoughtful and personal, and few gestures warm the heart more than letting someone know you pay attention to their listening habits. One could argue what a person wears, buys or simply appreciates in life is in some way tied to their taste in music. With only a few weeks left before the holidays, we’ve rounded up a handful of the best music-themed gifts to prove to the rap fanatic in your life you know them inside and out.
for tech-savvy rap fans
For hip-hop heads looking to combine their affinity for music, technology and fashion, the Diesel Full Guard 2.5 provides a match made in bluetooth heaven. Syncable will any bluetooth enabled device, pairing this touchscreen smartwatch with a rap fan’s headphones of choice would make this a holiday season they won’t soon forget. As seen on the wrists of artists such as Sage the Gemini and Steve Aoki, the Full Guard definitely comes through in the clutch, allowing quick access to all major streaming services available via Google Play.
for stylish rap fans
Pharrell stans rejoiced earlier this year when the producer and style icon doubled down on his partnership with adidas, releasing a Billionaire Boys Club edition of the NMD Hu. In May, an unreleased sample of the sneaker leaked featuring BBC’s classic astronaut and “B” logos across the candy-striped upper. The model pictured above, with an upper that instead reads “HEART” and “MIND,” would make a great gift for fans who are more partial to Pharrell's OG text-inspired collaborations with the brand.
for artsy rap fans
With works displayed in the homes of Drake, Chance the Rapper and Logic, Maha Sattva has made a name for himself crafting oil paintings immortalizing rappers. Two paintings in particular happen to hold a special place in the Wisconsin artist’s heart, though.
“2014KOD” imagines a mashup of J. Cole’s two most pivotal and critically acclaimed projects, 2014 Forest Hills Drive and K.O.D, and “Astronaut” was inspired by Kid Cudi’s debut album, Man on the Moon: The End of Day. As both rappers are known for having incredibly large and passionate fanbases, you shouldn’t have much trouble finding someone to purchase either of these two paintings for.
For lazy rap fans
Whether you’re turning up to the new Meek Mill, or searching for a change of pace with some old Thelonious Monk, no one in 2018 should be subjected to the labor of manually controlling the music in their home. Featuring far-field voice recognition, the Amazon Echo Spot makes playing a song as simple as calling out its title. And thus, we’ve been blessed with an evergreen Alexa meme—a gift that keeps on giving.
for studious rap fans
If the special someone you have in mind this holiday season identifies as a hip-hop historian, Vikki Tobak’s Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop is the perfect gift. With rare outtakes from iconic photoshoots, along with essays from hip-hop legends and a foreword by Questlove, Contact High is essentially a 288-page textbook on the power and aesthetic of rap culture. Frankly, the book belongs in classrooms across the country. But the hands of a loved one will have to do for now.
