
Hip-hop's love affair with jeans is as diverse and varied as the genre itself. Long before today's slim cuts, baggy jeans by FUBU and Girbaud reigned supreme. Rappers like T.I. and Young Jeezy were name-checking Evisu and LL Cool J walked around with one pant leg rolled up. In the '80s, Run DMC and Big Daddy Kane were rocking straight-legged jeans with sneakers and a shorter hem that many dudes would be quick to label highwaters.
It took a long time for hip-hop and fashion to intersect in the way they do today—where Kanye West has a collaboration with French denim brand A.P.C. and Future stunts onstage in Givenchy kicks and Balmain jeans. So we charted the course of how hip-hop's denim obsession arrived at its current state. From the heyday of Tommy Hilfiger overalls (with one strap unhinged, of course) to the "premium" jeans craze that had dudes rocking tons of True Religion, a lot has changed in how rappers and their fans prefer their pants. Call us "jeaneoligists," if you must, here is The Evolution of Denim in Hip-Hop.
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Run D.M.C. makes straight legged denim iconic.

Beastie Boys rock cuffed jeans.

Acid wash jeans lighten up the denim game.

Canadian tuxedos get West Coast love.

Ice-T makes high-waisted jeans look dangerous.

Kriss Kross turns the denim game backwards.

Marithé + François Girbaud jeans are a status symbol.

Cross Colours give jeans a message.

Overalls get thugged out.

Baggy and saggy becomes the only way to wear denim.

Tommy Hilfiger gives hip-hop an all-American makeover.

LL Cool J rolls one leg up for NYC.

F.U.B.U. brings in the era of hip-hop brands and rapper-owned clothing lines.

"Premium" denim permeates the rap game.

Japanese denim is deemed "next level" shit.

Young L.A. rappers and the "Dougie" and "Jerkin'" dance movements push the skinny jean look.

The skinny silhouette polarizes mainstream rappers.

High-fashion denim focuses on fit more than branding.

Denim jackets keep on truckin' with young rappers.

Stylish rappers make jean shorts acceptable.

A$AP Rocky and Kanye West popularize waxed, leather-like denim.

Trendsetters Kanye West and A$AP Rocky stack their jeans at the ankle.

Kanye West's A.P.C. collection sells out instantly.
