While the groups appeal grew globally artists such as LL COOL J, RUN DMC, Eric B. & Rakim set precedence by dressing as the everyday individuals within the Bronx and throughout New York. Which is why 80s Hip Hop Fashion is a merger of street, sport, and luxury fashion.

This off set of change during the 80s would go on to set the blueprint for 90s Hip Hop Fashion as we continued to see select pieces from the 80s be worn in the 90s and still worn today such as air Jordan’s, bucket hats and full tracksuits.

The impact of the song resulted in the first deal between a music group and a sports cooperation of $1 million. Run DMC invited adidas executives to a live show in which the group told the crowd to raise their shoes in the air during the song’s performance.

Outside of looking great in its sports detail and patterns the 80s tracksuits provided much comfort and a style which is constantly worn today for its retro appeal.

Nike and Jordan released the Air Jordan series 1 – 4 which would set precedence for style in the 80s & 90s.

Dapper Dans creation can be seen all throughout the 80s for example Eric B. & Rakim used Daps creation on album covers, Salt-N-Pepa used Daps creations in photoshoots & LL COOL J used Daps pieces in videos.

The main purpose of jewellery was to communicate status and riches which would also compliment the flamboyant outfits rappers wore in the 80s to make statements.

As the culture began to grow so did label budgets which inevitably meant bigger chains for the artists. Rope chains were the status symbol of the 80s and can be seen all throughout the years during this period.

Within a short period of time Troop grossed millions and gained the admiration from the Hip Hop community. From LL COOL J, MC Hammer to Chuck D, artists had outfits and sneakers from the brand due to its high-quality fabrics and style.

At the height of TROOP’s streetwear dominance, a rumour began to spread which suggested that the brand was run by the KKK, this overnight had the Hip Hop community disassociate themselves from any Troop clothing. While you will not see much troops clothes worn today it is still about of the 80s Hip Hop history.

Higsnobiety interviewed the founders of troop - Click Here– The Incredible Truth Behind ’80s Mega-Brand TROOP

As we have mentioned multiple times in this article, the 80s were about creating statement outfits which 4 finger rings supported! Much credit can be given to Big Daddy Kane for popularizing this style! 

Today the tradition continues within Hip Hop culture as artists such as 2 Chainz use this 80s look to compliment statement outfits and styles.

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To put things into perspective the term 90s Hip Hop Fashion has had a steady search increase as indicated below by google trends from 2010 – Present which is evidence that we are constantly inspired by the era and its nostalgia is still used as a reference point influencing our style and trends today.

The origin of the boot can be traced back to the 90s as virtually every rap artist from the east coast has worn the boot from Jay-z, Biggie Smalls to Mobb Deep.

Though initially intended for construction workers, the boot became popular amongst New York drug dealers to withhold bad weather conditions. With the vast majority of drug dealers and hip hop artists growing up in the same neighbourhoods, upcoming rappers would be influenced by the look and place the boot within hip hop culture.

How to style: This is How to wear Timberlands

The big bold colours, graphics and patterns would cement its place in Hip Hop Culture. Shirt Kings being pioneers of these styles took their graffiti skills and airbrushed these designs to apparel for LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane & Mike Tyson. More about that here – Shirt Kings: Pioneers of Hip Hop Fashion

Culturally oversized clothing became the norm which was often referred to as urban fashion and from this tradition brands were birthed such as Fubu, Phat Farm&Wu Wear catering to their audience of similar tastes.

Though today in Hip Hops artists can be seeing sporting mostly designer and luxury brands the 90s was about stepping out big , bold and confident which was captured through the oversized clothing during the era.

How to style: Best way to style the oversize look today is to create a contrast with a regular/slim fit pants and oversized jacket, jumper or t shirt. The combination of slim fitting clothes with 1 oversized item of your choice gives you the best of both worlds, homage to the 90s while still having a contemporary look.

Though the early 2000s saw 59FIFTY FITTED being the hat of choice a resurgence of the snapback took place during the last decade with help from songs by Tyga such as Snapbacks Back, clear indicator that the 90s influence is still strong and were still rocking them today.

The dungarees were made popular during the 90s through the most prominent artists such as Will Smith, 2 Pac, The Fugees and TLC.

With both videos released in the 90s, what the 2 have in common is that the artists are sporting their jerseys as fashion statements.

One of the defining moments took place in 1994 as Snoop Dog performed on Saturday Night Live with a Tommy Hilfiger Polo gifted to him hours prior to the show. This performance would influence Hip Hop and R & B artists toincorporate their own style with sportswear brands.

Other popular examples would be Aaliyah who is a perfect example of capturing 90s Hip Hop Fashion as she featured in multiple campaigns for the brand while keeping the aesthetic 90s with baggy jeans and crop tops.

Whether the artist was conscious of it or not the military gear acted as a uniform to further emphasize the message being portrayed in the lyrics while also symbolising the war against Black America.

Though military clothing became a fashion statement in the 90s it also became the go to gear for artists wanting to spread a message while looking the part and in doing so caught on with artists such as Biggie and Das EFX. Outside of wanting to share a political message camo was also a big trend in the 90s and still is.

Whys that?

Similar to the Timberland Boot, the puffy coat was worn by East coast MC’s as a response to the cold weather conditions. Designed big and puffy for practical reasons it was made popular by Hip Hop artists and black youth within the neighborhood & then paired with NY Yankee caps, hoodies, and boots which would explain all of the New York style meme jokes years later.

Subcultures such as punk rock had adapted denim into their culture in the 80s and Hip Hop began to do the same around the time RUN DMC introduced street wear to the masses.

Often styled with timberland boots or Lug boots the denim look in the 90s became another affordable look for black kids in the inner cities.

During the 90s rappers from the west coast usually wore bandanas to represent their respective neighbourhoods. Los Angeles was filled with bloods and crips who wore red and blue bandanas which then naturally transitioned to artists from LA incorporating this into their music in the 90s.

Outside of looking great these branded tracksuits provide much comfort for most activities and became a favorite for artists during promo tours, photoshoots and interviews.

Brands such as Karl Kani, Lugz, FUBU and Pelle Pelle all spoke directly to the urban market and demographic. Though brands such as Calvin Klein and POLO were using Hip Hops influence to get the consumer the urban brands had a competitive advantage by understanding Hip Hop culture more.

Take FUBU for example, which meant “For Us, By Us” which was one of the first black owned fashion brands being intended for Hip Hop youth and Black America. The brand understood where street wear was going, what the youth wanted, the lingo and most importantly was at the centre of the culture.