A History of Defunct Rapper Clothing Lines

After “making it” and stacking some dough, rappers—being the

natural born hustlers they are—often foray into other entrepreneurial ventures. One

of the popular side hustles involves starting up their own clothing line. Seems like a natural progression, right? We see them stylin' in their music videos and staying freshly dipped on stage. However, many of the rappers who pump out original apparel find the clothes business to be tougher than show business. The relics of their ventures are left only to be found years later on eBay or Amazon. Laugh at these short-lived brands, or cry because you miss them. Take a look back at A History of Defunct Rapper Clothing Lines.

WHO: Busta Rhymes

FOUNDED: 1998

Someone should have told Busta Rhymes the clothing business was not for him. The line went as far as designing a boot with GBX. The boots were horrible and the world was not ready for leather vests with a top hat to match.

WHO: Jim Jones

FOUNDED: 2007

Nostic gear was the Ed Hardy of the hood, and it meant “knowledge of self and individuality.” Well, let’s just say you can’t be an individual when you spot another person on the street wearing the same bedazzled outfit as you. When Capo switched up the gear in his closet, he probably threw out all the Nostic gear.

WHO: Outkast
FOUNDED: 2002

Not one ounce of the group’s style was really found in the clothing line—except for some sports inspired jerseys. With Big Boi busy running his pit bull breeding business and Andre 3000 going through a style transformation himself, we could see why this clothing line was put on the back burner permanently.

WHO: Fat Joe

FOUNDED: 1997

Fat Joe might have been the first real rapper to have a clothing line. He hired African-American and Latino designers because he felt they knew best what designs his fans wanted. In case you were wondering, 560 is not his weight—it’s the address to his original store Half-Time in the Bronx. See kids, he was hustling gear, not crack.

WHO: Snoop Dogg

FOUNDED: 2008

First there was Snoop Dogg’s original line, Snoop Dogg Collection filled with bandana motifs. He then “reinvented” the brand and changed the name to Rich & Famous, but closed up shop just a year later. The stock markets tanked around the same time so the brand might have been affected, but even a stimulus package couldn’t have revived this brand.

WHO: Shaquille O'Neal

FOUNDED: 1996

Shaq might not be a full time rapper, but his first album Shaq Diesel went platinum status. We can’t believe it either, but he qualifies to be on this list. Now that he’s retiring, maybe he'll revive the brand?

WHO: Eminem

FOUNDED: 2003

Eminem’s popularity and status as a multi-platinum selling artist might have helped the sales of his clothing line. But the very generic, logo-only designs weren't too successful.

WHO: Nelly

FOUNDED: 2001

Nelly started two brands—Vokal and Apple Bottoms—the latter being a successful women's line. Sadly, Vokal tanktops didn't pop off as much.

WHO: DMX

FOUNDED: 2006

DMX Signature Clothing was sold exclusively at concerts and specialty shops. Even at these locations, nobody was buying. He would've been better off designing collars and leashes for pit bulls. Stick to what you know best.

WHO: Master P

FOUNDED: 1998

Master P is the true definition of a hustler. Not only was No-Limit a men’s clothing line, it also had clothing for women and children. The only thing missing was a home collection! We would kill for 1200 thread count No-Limit Egyptian cotton sheets embroidered with the tank logo.

WHO: Andre 3000

FOUNDED: 2008

It was only right that Andre 3000 (the more fashion forward individual of Outkast) set out to do his own line. The first collection was strong, as it was inspired by the college football era of the '30s. The line was filled with preppy staples that would satisfy any dandy. Hopefully he brings Benjamin Bixby back along with his next solo album. Hey, Andre, we're waiting.

WHO: Dame Dash

FOUNDED: 2006

After splitting with Jay-Z, Dame Dash was scrambling to start up ventures that could produce some cash flow. All failed, including his start up line CEO.

WHO: Common

FOUNDED: 2006

Known for rocking newsboy caps on the regular, Common got together with Sicilian milliners La Coppola Storta to start his own line, Soji. We are not quite sure why the brand didn’t flourish. Maybe it was just bad timing. Our advice: re-release the hats and brand them as "heritage" and they'll sell like hot cakes.

WHO: Bow Wow

FOUNDED: 2003

Influenced by the older rappers in the game, Bow-Wow decided to drop his own clothing collection. Shago was a boys line with sizes 2-20 for the lil’ ballers out there. It would have taken 6 weeks worth of lunch money to buy a whole outfit though.

WHO: Beanie Sigel

FOUNDED: 2002

While most urban brands preached that their clothing was made for the streets, State Property clothing took it a step further. Described as “hard every day wear,” some pieces from its collection had built in gun holsters. Seems like a brand that was made for the hard core criminal. No thank you.

WHO: 50 Cent

FOUNDED: 2003

G-Unit Clothing had everyone wearing its tank tops. The brand has been on hiatus since splitting its partnership with Marc Ecko. We're wondering what new piece of clothing 50 will reinvent to make the hood go crazy.

WHO: LL Cool J

FOUNDED: 2008

The brand was a generic knock off of MMA shirts and hoodies which used similar gothic lettering and tattoo graphics. The brand folded a year after it started. We think it was for the best.