A History of Style Trends Started By Rappers

Image via Complex Original

Who started it: Slick Rick

Circa: 1985 

When Rick the Ruler and Doug E. Fresh dropped "La Di Da Di," Rick name checks his whole outfit, as well as his grooming regimen. Long before rappers were calling out sneaker brands, Rick shouts out the Bally shoes he wears with fly green socks. In fact, a pair of bright red Bally kicks is seen on the cover of his debut album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. Rappers like Rakim followed suit, and so did fans of the music, who copped the Swiss company's footwear as well.

Who started it: Big Daddy Kane

Circa: Mid-'80s

Kane is quick to admit he didn't invent this style of haircut—he actually has a photo of his father rocking the 'do in the '60s—but there's no doubt that he was popularizing it before guys like Bobby Brown, MC Serch, and Kid were taking it to new heights, sometimes literally. As the Jheri Curl faded (pun not intended) out of popularity, this hairstyle combined a chemical-free cut with an asymmetrical, modern freshness.

Who started it: Biz Markie

Circa: Mid-'80s

Those iron-on letters you can buy at the arts & crafts store were pretty much the precursor for modern-day streetwear. When young b-boys and b-girls wanted to rep their crew or personalize their gear, they did it themselves. Biz Markie is immortalized with his thick chain and off-kilter "BIZ" hat, done up in the recognizable "Cooper Black" typeface—a readily-available DIY font that's been appropriated most recently by OFWGKTA.

Who started it: Run D.M.C.

Circa: 1986 

The laceless sneaker thing was adopted from prison culture, but Run D.M.C. brought it to the masses. They immortalized themselves as stans of "the brand with the three stripes" when the group dropped "My Adidas" in 1986, and their relationship with the brand went from independent enthusiasm to a million dollar endorsement deal—a first in hip-hop history.

Who started it: LL Cool J

Circa: Late '80s 

Sugar Hill Gang's Big Bank Hank has the honor of being the first rapper to wear a bucket hat in a rap video (the first rap music video, to be exact), and Run D.M.C. switched up to Kangol bucket hats from time to time—although Jam Master Jay apparently thought they were wack—but no rapper adopted the fuzzy Kangol and made it as mainstream as LL Cool J. Every now and then he switched it up with a canvas version, but his endorsement of the  bucket hat took the Kangol logo from dope accessory to must-have piece.

Who started it: Grand Puba

Circa: Early '90s

In 1989, Tommy Hilfiger was making $100 million in annual sales. During a random encounter at Kennedy Airport, Tommy Hilfiger noticed a group of hip-hop heads walking through the airport wearing his gear. His brother Andy, a former rocker, recognized Grand Puba and his crew and made introductions. Puba was a prominent 'Lo head, but also an early adopter of the Hilfiger brand. Although, it wasn't until Snoop rocked a Hilfiger rugby on SNL in 1994 that the brand really seized its hip-hop moment, endorsing up-and-comers like Aaliyah and Usher for commercials and magazine ads.

Who started it: Kriss Kross

Circa: 1992

In the pre-Internet days, standing out from the crowd was important to get your work noticed. No one was reblogging your shit our retweeting your links. One way to do that? Dress in a unique way. The kids from Kriss Kross got the idea of turning their clothes backwards, and when their music videos started hitting the airwaves, plenty of old heads thought it was corny, while younger kids of the '90s thought it was the coolest shit they had ever seen. Of course, much like Kriss Kross' rap career, this trend was short-lived.

Who started it: Wu-Tang Clan

Circa: 1993 

In 1993, the Clarks business was on the verge of bankruptcy. The family-run business was considering selling itself to an investor, but held out all because of the Wu-Tang Clan. Thanks to Enter the 36 Chambers, the hip-hop supergroup's endorsement of Wallabees single-handedly saved the company! ...Well not really, it was more of a combination of corporate restructuring and smart business decisions, but Clarks did move from being a manufacturing-based company to being driven more by consumer marketing. Which, when you have guys like Tony Starks rapping the praises of your comfortable kicks, adds to your overall brand awareness.

Who started it: Boot Camp Clik

Circa: Mid-'90s 

While Boot Camp Clik's sonic aspirations fell apart before they achieved any huge success together, there's still something to be said about their surplus-inspired style. The whole crew made a case for rocking camo with Timberlands—and not just the wheats either, they were strong proponents of stomping around in the less-appreciated-yet-still-classic "Beef and Broccoli" boots. While the fits have changed, the mid-90s hip-hop crew is still remembered for their militant style.

Who started it: Tupac Shakur

Circa: 1995

Plenty of rappers have rocked their caps backwards, but only Tupac prominently rocked his bandana backwards. Perhaps it's a style cue he swaggerjacked from Rosie the Riveter, but there's no doubt who celebrities are paying respects to when they wear the front-tie bandana today.

Who started it: LL Cool J

Circa: 1995 

This mid-90s trend was first spotted in LL Cool J's"Hey Lover" music video in 1995, and it's become one of the ridiculous trends that personified that era of hip-hop style. Whitney Houston claimed that LL jacked it from Bobby Brown, although the rapper insists it was the other way around. However, if The New York Times has anything to say on the matter, the trend actually came from mid-90s bike messengers, who hiked one leg up to avoid getting their pants caught in their bike chains.

Who started it: DMX

Circa: Late '90s 

DMX was the archetype of the angry, roughneck rapper of the late '90s. That's why his simple wardrobe of tank tops, baggy jeans, and boots were such a prevalent outfit at the time—the stuff was affordable and made you look tough. Remember Lotto from 8 Mile? His dreads may have been knocked off Xzibit, but the too-tight tank top and biceps definitely came from DMX. 

Who started it: Memphis Bleek

Circa: 1999 

In Roc-a-Fella Records' heyday, no one put this look on blast more than Memph. Combining two classic hip-hop accessories, he proved that the sum could truly be greater than its parts. Obviously, guys like Papoose got it wrong and forgot the du-rag underneath, which explains the oversized fitted... kind of.

Who started it: Jay-Z

Circa: Early 2000s

If you needed more proof that Hov wasn't lying when he said he "made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can" look no further than in 2010, when Jay-Z branded Yankee gear was sold in Yankee stadium. Rocawear followed that up in 2012 with another co-branded collaboration. When Jay-Z is moving more gear in Yankee Stadium than Jeter... well, you know how the lyric goes: "Men lie, women lie, numbers don't."

Who started it: Fabolous

Circa: 2001 

Fabolous was heavy on the throwback tip in the early 2000s, rocking a shit-ton of Mitchell & Ness. Big Boi to a certain extent did the same in the ATL, throwing on gear like Pistol Pete Maravich jerseys, but certainly not in the same way Fabo was. Almost 10 years later, younger guys like Wale started bringing the throwback trend back, appearing in videos rocking old Pittsburgh jerseys with coordinating caps and kicks, but Fabolous has always been rap's biggest proponent of the throwback.

Who started it: Jay-Z

Circa: 2003 

When Jay-Z dropped The Black Album in 2003, he was preparing to transition from rapper to "business, man." As such, he eschewed sports jerseys and T-shirts for a more grown-up look. But he still kept his street cred intact by throwing a fitted on top. The resulting look from the "Change Clothes" music video caught on, and became a de facto uniform for dudes who wanted to be able to get in the club without looking like they just got off work.

Who started it: Cam'ron

Circa: 2004 

Purple Haze-era Cam'ron was known for his candy references and bright gear, like his Laffy Taffy-looking Range Rover. The "Killa Cam" music video was a testament to the color pink, and his wardrobe at the time was known for furry accents also done up in the color. So it's no surprise that pastel tones would soon pop-up on limited sneakers and streetwear gear down the line.

Who started it: Dem Franchize Boyz

Circa: 2005 

In the spring of 2004, the stylish Atlanta rappers dropped a summer anthem that pre-dated the rise of the tall tee a year later. From its implications as a uniform for drug dealers to avoid getting caught, to people who simply dismissed the tall tee as another passing fashion trend, it's crazy to think that less than 10 years ago the same guys who wear small and medium shirts now used to rock 6XL tees that almost touched the ground.

Who started it: Paul Wall

Circa: 2005 

Long before Ryan Lochte took the cosmetic dental apparatus mainstream, grills have had a storied place in hip-hop—and it all really starts with New Yorker Eddie Plein, who outfitted gold caps for the likes of Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane, and Flavor Flav before he took the trade to Atlanta. There, he worked with OutKast, Ludacris, and Lil Jon. It was in the South that grills started to become a larger phenomenon, with guys like Paul Wall and Big Gipp in the forefront. So when Nelly dropped 2005's "Grillz," he had the common sense to include Paul Wall, who moonlights as a jeweller and took the excessive accessory to another level.

Who started it: Pharrell

Circa: Mid-2000s 

Pharrell's obssession with Japanese brands like A Bathing Ape and friendship with founder Nigo brought the new wave of streetwear to the forefront, all-over print hoodies were worn with graphic tees and dark kicks were overlooked in favor of patent leather Bapestas and his own brand of colorful Ice Cream sneakers. It was a natural progression from Cam'ron's colorful style, and one of the most memorable eras of Pharrell's style evolution.

Who started it: Kanye West

Circa: 2006 

Debuting in the music video and album art for "Stronger," Kanye West rocked a pair of custom Alain Mikli shutter shades that became the de facto symbol of his style at the time. He continued to wear them through 2008's Glow In the Dark Tour. It wasn't long before companies started knocking off the silhouette, and now you can easily find bootleg versions on places like Canal St., and even Barack Obama's campaign made some for his 2012 re-election campaign.

Who started it: Odd Future

Circa: 2009

Tyler, The Creator is credited with placing the box logo's paneled camp caps to the mainstream, thanks to appearances on the VMAs and multiple photo shoots where he wears one prominently. As a result, his teenage fans now flock to Fairfax Ave or Lafayette St. with their parents in tow and beg them for a $40 5-panel so they can emulate their idol. Other OFWGKTA members rock the brand prominently too, like when Frank Ocean rocked a Supreme hockey jersey on SNL.

Who started it: Kanye West

Circa: Late 2010 

An early adopter of Riccardo Tisci's Givenchy menswear, Kanye was always about more than the animal-print graphic tees. Before he achieved style notoriety with his leather skirt, he wasn't afraid to wear leather pants. Less than a couple of years later, the "street goth" movement is in full effect, and brands like En Noir are making high-end leather versions of sweatpants and basketball shorts.

Who started it: Drake

Circa: 2011

There was a moment in 2011 when Drake started wearing batting gloves with all of his outfits. This first popped up in the video for "Headlines" but soon spread to live performances and other public appearances. It wasn't long before kids on Tumblr and Instagram followed suit, but it never really caught on with the mainstream.

Who started it: A$AP Rocky

Circa: 2012

While Jay-Z has been a longtime proponent of the "all-black everything" look, A$AP Rocky is the guy who took that into the future. His relationships with streetwear brands like Black Scale led to an awesome collaboration that drew upon their mutual love of gothic imagery, predating brands like PYREX Vision and setting the direction of streetwear from hip-hop oriented references and skate-friendly graphics to a more directional, fashion-forward aesthetic. Brands like Fear of God L.A. and Hood By Air wouldn't be as poppin' without A$AP Rocky leading the charge.