The Coolest Custom Jerseys in Hip-Hop (and Beyond)

Rocking your favorite player's jersey is common among diehard sports fans. It's a way to rep your squad or city, while feeling like you made the team. But if you actually make the team, there's something to be said about seeing your name and number on the back. Now that jersey-inspired gear is having a big moment in the fashion world thanks to brands like Les Plus Dores and Casely Hayford, we took a look back at the precursors of this trend.

Long before fashion designers reinterpreted the sporty silhouettes, rappers and other celebrities had custom jerseys made for them. Whether it was commemorating a milestone or stunting on an album cover, one thing's for sure: They all looked freaking awesome. Take a trip down memory lane as we bring you through The Coolest Custom Jerseys in Hip-Hop (and Beyond).

When and where: 1991, MTV "Rock N' Jock" basketball game

At the first annual MTV Rock N' Jock game, this jersey, worn by the likes of Magic Johnson, Mark Wahlberg and Will Smith, holds a special place in our custom jersey lovin' hearts. The original MTV logo is iconic and nostalgic at the same time, and the kid versions of ourselves still want one of these to wear right now.

When and where: 1994, "Juicy music video

This song. That jersey. Notorious B.I.G. was everything. Making a custom jersey to rep you label can probably be attributed to this classic song and video. We'll always love Big Poppa.

When and where: 1995, "Shook Ones: Part 2" music video

Some would constitute "Shook Ones: Part 2" as one of the greatest rap songs of all-time. Well, we think the "Hennessey" football jerseys Prodigy & Havoc wore in the video are up there as two of the greatest custom jerseys of all time. That's probably why Supreme decided to pay homage with their version of in their fall/winter 2011 collection.

When and where: Circa mid-90s

Master P and No Limit once dropped 23 albums... IN ONE YEAR. You have to have some clout when you're trying to get people to buy 23 albums in 12 months. That was easy for Percy when he was trendsetting with music and style, like this custom camo-sleeved No Limit baseball jersey.

When and where: 1997, Antonio Ansaldi ad

Antonio Ansaldi revolutionized custom gear back in the 90s. While Dapper Dan hooked the hip-hop world with Gucci and Louis customs, Ansaldi wanted to bring a new luxurious dynamic to a popular urban fixture: custom leather jerseys. By using rappers like Ma$e and The Lox to showcase what was he had to offer, the trend hit the ground running and created some of the awesome customs on this very list.

When and where: 1997, cover of her debut album "Supa Dupa Fly"

Missy Elliott was supa fly. You might even say she was supa, dupa fly. And you'd definitely say that when catching a glimpse of the crazy baseball jersey she wore on the cover of her debut album.

When and where: 1997, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" music video

Puff Daddy and Ma$e were ahead of their time. The leather craze that Bad Boy went through in the '90s is unfuckwithable. The custom football joints really make you miss the good ol' days of Bad Boy. Who can forget the baseball joint at the beginning of the video with "Daddy" on the back?

When and where: 1997, "Make Em Say Uhh" music video

Master P, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal and crew had the hip-hop nation scrunching their faces with that "yeugh!" face while bopping their heads and coveting the custom "No Limit" jerseys they rocked. That was a shit ton of halftime performances, though.

When and where: 1998, "React" music video

Fact: Onyx made hockey jerseys swaggier with the appearance of these customs for their "React" video. Another fact: you didn't remember 50 Cent made an appearance and killed it in the penalty box.

When and where: 1998, "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)" music video

For a duo that had just one hit before they split, Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz seriously kept the summer of '98 chanting "Uptown baby! Uptown baby! We goin' down baby! Uh, for the crown baby!" The two represented New York to the fullest with custom leather pieces like Peter Gunz's Yankees jerseys.

When and where: Circa Early 2000s

One of the most stylish rap crews of all-time definitely did not disappoint as they showed their love for RR in the team hockey set. Have any of them every touched a hockey stick? Probably not, but wearing hockey jerseys off the ice worked then and certainly does now.

When and where: 2002, "Let's Get It" music video

In addition to introducing the real Harlem Shake to the world, the "Let's Get It" video also debuted G. Dep's Bad Boy jersey. Rocking Bad Boy jersey was like making the team. Only the G.O.A.T.S. got one: Biggie. Ma$e. Diddy. Real heads were quick to notice the nod to the San Anonio Spurs, the 2003 NBA Champions.

When and where: 2002, Nike "Roswell Rayguns" commercial

Nike has a buttload of memorable commercials that urged us to want and buy their shit, but no commercial made us want something we couldn't have more than the Roswell Rayguns commercials of the early 2000s. When Vince Carter, Jerry Stackhouse and Jermaine O'Neal came out rocking those white, yellow and orange beauts, everybody instantly needed one in their life.

When and where: 1999, back cover of compilation album, "Ryde or Die: Vol. 1"

It took you three weeks to memorize all the words to Drag-On's part on "Rock Bottom" and it's taken you 14 years to realize you'll probably never get your hands on one of the custom Ruff Ryders football jerseys with each member's name and the number "88" on it.

When and where: 2002, "Hey Ma" music video

Was it easier for honeydips to slide and ride with Dipset with their custom leather basketball jerseys? You can bet your bottom dollar, bitch. Here's a bit of trivia: Juelz Santana's name on the back of his jersey is spelled wrong... unless he was going by "Juelez" back then.

When and where: 2002, "Bout It Bout It: Part III" music video

Killa Cam; you know he 'bout it, 'bout it. The Pink Panther revolutionized the gentle color to represent thuggishness and pimphood. While a pink fur coat made the statement in the winter, a Laffy Taffy-toned Harlem Diplomats basketball jersey said the same thing come summertime.

When and where: 2003, "Thoia Thoing" music video

Next level! Fuck a regular ass jersey with English letters. Kellz went ahead and rocked a jersey with "Houston" and "Chicago" in Japanese characters. And did you peep the nunchuck action? Unreal.

When and where: 2003, "Snake" music video

The Pied Piper of R&B not only brought us an incredible custom, all-white "Chicago" basketball jersey, but he gave us a double helping of "none before it, none to come" with a white and blue football top that reads "Hug A Thug." You can't make this shit up.

When and where: 2003, "Snake RMX" music video

If you thought Kellz was done with the white Chicago joint, you were dead wrong. He continued to shut shit down with this camo-tipped Jordan jersey. He's probably sweating because it's that dope.

When and where: 2003, Roc-A-Fella jersey provided by Mitchell & Ness for Jay-Z's "retirement"

Jay-Z duped everyone into thinking he was retiring after The Black Album. Four albums later, this commemorative Mitchell & Ness "Roc-A-Fella" basketball jersey is still dope. Arguably, this throwback is more timeless than some of his post-retirement albums.

When and where: 2009, New Jersey Nets press conference

Hip-hop and custom jerseys go hand-in-hand, but this one is different. This one infuses something every rapper brags about, but few can really claim: extreme wealth. Jay-Z's stake in the New Jersey Nets signified a change in the hip-hop culture. While some rappers spent their money on chains and cars, Jay-Z was busy buying NBA teams and moving them to his neighborhood. The jersey wasn't a gift for him to ride around shining with in a video with a vixen girating on his lap. This jersey was an public service announcement everyone had to listen to: Hello, Brooklyn.

When and where: 2011-2013, everywhere

Kevin Smith's cult following is very much deserved with classics like Clerks, Mallrats, and Jersey Girl (just kidding about that last one). But he's also known for being a staunch proponent of the oversized hockey jersey wearing. We love it though. He flips the blue and orange color scheme with different logos and cheeky sayings like "Puck U" and "S.I.R.I." the director takes his New Jersey roots literally—practically buying a "new jersey" every other day.

When and where: 2012, UNKNWN shop exclusive

Dr. Romanelli's Frankensteinian creations are that of legend. And when LeBron took his talents to South Beach, so did the doc with a "Stealth" collection of crazy custom jerseys using camo fabric, snakeskin, leather and more for the (now 2-time) champ.

When and where: 2012, the Internet

Whether you think it's "art" or parody, Wil Fry created a lot of online buzz with his Givenchy-inspired Brooklyn Nets jersey. The fact that it's never gone on sale (only given as gifts to friends and family) makes one of Fry's jerseys all the more covetable.

When and where: 2013, Nick Young's Instagram

Nick Young is emerging as one of the more outgoing, stylish young gents in the NBA with an Instagram to match. His fashion sense shows when he goes above and beyond with this custom Clothsurgeon baseball jersey with his "SP" signature. Swaggy P, indeed.