Do you have style?

America is fascinated with Hip-Hop culture. Evident from school-yards to commercials, Hip-Hop culture permeates advertising, product placement, product production, attitudes, personalities and even the music genre itself. Since this subset of American culture is such a boon to business, pop culture and American values in general, many people who aspire or strive to be a "part" of what's hip and cool actively seek to emulate it. Being a hip-hop artist or part of their entourage is one thing, but let's face it, not all of us were cut out to be one among many who create the music or characteristics of the culture. Nonetheless, it is possible to behave like it, show allegiance to it and most of all, walk the walk by dressing the part. Here's how.

Instructions

1. 1

Get your footwear on. Starting from the bottom on up, outfit yourself with some new kicks (sneakers). Most hip-pop performers and artists prefer clean-as-a-whistle white. You probably can't go wrong with anything that American basketball players don, but a seemingly favorite are Nike Air Force Ones.

2. 2

The threads on your legs should reflect the trends (some lasting many years). Get a pair of baggy name-brand jeans.

3. 3

Keep those baggy jeans up with a belt, preferably one with a massive buckle.

4. 4

Buy shirts that are at least XXL. Your upper torso should be covered by either a t-shirt that is much to large for you (read as: the more X's on the label the better) or a basketball jersey, again, larger than life in size.

5. 5

Be cool but stay warm. If it's cold out or to further the effect, wear an over-size hoodie (sweatshirt with a hood). If it's really cold out then purchase an oversize winter coat with this stipulation: it should be tuned with a fur (faux fur is just fine) collar.

6. 6

Check your head. Cover your noggin with a baseball-style cap. Of course your cap should match your choice of shirt. For example, if you are sporting a sports jersey, make sure your teams match. Otherwise, in the case of a t-shirt, simply match colors. A durag underneath is completely optional but only adds to the entire package.

7. 7

Accessories are a vital purchase. A little bling-bling goes a long way. In other words, sprinkle your body with flashy jewelry (the shinier the better, or better yet, diamond encrusted--otherwise known as ice). This includes everything from rings to necklaces

http://www.wikihow.com/Dress-Like-a-Gangsta
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Hip-Hop Fashion "Part 3"

In this blog I well be talking about  two iconic people and there major contribution to the hip-hop and fashion world.

                                         Nicki Minaj is one of the most iconic people in Hip-Hop today. She’s uses her style and  personalities to define who she is, some people define her as a “black Lady GAGA”.  Nicki Minaj  quotes that she is someone that can “never be defined”. She also states that her versatility is unimaginable in the since of human eyes. Nicki Minaj was first discover when she signed a record contract with “Young Money Entertainment” and then later she signed with “Cash Money Records”. Nicki Minaj became the first artist ever to have seven songs within the Billboards hot 100 at the same time. Her second single “Your Love” reached number one on the Billboards hot rap song chart, Making Nicki Minaj the first female artist to top the chart unaccompanied since 2002.

                                         Nicki Minaj quotes “ when I grew up I saw females doing certain things, and I thought I had to do that exactly. The females rappers of my day spoke about sex a lot. And I thought that to have the success they have, I would have to represent the same thing. I made a conscious decision to try to tone down the sexiness. I want people, especially young girls to know that in life, nothing is going to be based on sex appeal you’ve have to have something to go with”.

                                  I feel that in this world we live in today young girls need this type of impact to see that you can be professional and well dressed woman and still do big things and make it though as a successful person or artist. This would also be a major contribution based in the stereo type that people have for Hip-Hop woman or African American women in general.

                               

                               A male artist that has also made a big impact on Hip-Hop and fashion is Usher. Usher is an American performing artist, dancer, and actor. He rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album “My Way”. Which spawn his first billboard hot 100 to the number one hit “Nice and Slow”. Usher since of fashion is very professional  and conservative. Usher fashion is not only inspiring, but is also a big motivation method for young African American men to see that Hip-Hop style is not all about baggy clothes and etc but it can also be a professional and inspiring thing.  

                                      

Hip-Hop Fashion "Part 2"

             

                        At the turn of the century, the evolution of Hip - Hop style threw back to its early days. "Old school" fashion became popular again as a result of retroactive artists like Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco. As early '80s fashion became popular once again, bright neon colors took the place of bling. Modern hip hop clothing was also enhanced by punk and hipster culture, which infused skateboarding and European styles into the fashions of the streets. As a result, the style of modern Hip - Hop has been criticized as succumbing to ironic intentionality.  " I want kids of this generation to see that everything is cool, that there's some kind of unity in Hip-Hop" saids Missy Elliot.

                          I personally feel that some people have a misunderstanding about  the big role  that Hip-Hop plays in the world. Some cool facts that people may not no are, Baggy clothes was introduced to Hip-Hop culture by  the West Coast Family, 2 Pac is credited with being the first rapper to popularize tattoos in the rap community, first all female MC crew was Mercedes Ladies, first Hip-Hop radio show was Mr. Magic WHBI FM in 1979, first rap grammy was awarded to DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince in 1988, by 2006 rap music was the second most popular form of music in the United States.

                      Over the years, a number of brands have been created to market exclusively to the hip hop culture. Fubu, Zoo York and Phat Farm are just a few examples of clothes designed specifically for the urban look. Many hip hop artists have crossed over into the fashion world after establishing themselves in the music business. Sean Combs went on to create Sean John, Snoop Dogg has a line called Rich and Infamous, Jay Z's Roc-a-Wear line is hugely popular in hip hop fashion and Wu-Wear is directly linked to the music of the Wu-Tang-Clan.

                

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Hip-Hop

                     

                 Hip-hop is a distinctive style of dress originating with African-American youth the

Scene of New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, Chicago, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Detroit, Memphis, Atlanta, Jersey City and Miami among others. Each city contributed various elements to its overall style seen worldwide today. Hip-hop fashion has changed significantly during its history, and today, it is a prominent part of popular fashion as a whole across the world and for all ethnicities. During the 1980s, hip-hop icons wore clothing items such as brightly colored name-brand tracksuits, sheepskin and leather bomber jackets, Clarks shoes, Britishers AKA British Walkers and sneakers (usually Pro-Keds, Puma, and Adidas-brand shelltoes and often with "phat" or oversized shoelaces). Popular haircuts ranged from the early-1980s Jheri curl to the late-1980s hi-top fade popularized by Will Smith (The Fresh Prince) and Christopher "Kid" Reid of Kid 'n Play, among others.

                In the 1990s and beyond, many hip hop artists and executives started their own fashion labels and clothing lines. Notable examples include Wu-Tang Clan (Wu-Wear), Russell Simmons (Phat Farm), Kimora Lee Simmons (Baby Phat), Diddy (Sean John), TI (AKOO), Nelly (Apple Bottom Jeans), Damon Dash and Jay-Z (Rocawear), 50 Cent (G-Unit Clothing), Eminem (Shady Limited), 2Pac (Makaveli) and OutKast (OutKast Clothing). Other prominent hip hop fashion companies have included Karl Kani, FUBU, Eckō, Girbaud, Enyce, Famous Stars and Straps, Bape, Billionaire Boys Club, Beans, Ciara, Erykah Badu (Starter Clothing Line), LRG, Timberland Boots, Akademiks and Southpole. The hip hop fashion trends of the 2000s were all over the place and changed constantly. During these years there was a heavy celebrity influence among fashion trends. Hip Hop artists made brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton popular amongst the hip hop community, where most initially used hip hop as a way to a better life. Throughout these years many fashion trends from the 80's and early 90's were made popular again, when we see the rebirth of the door knocker earring and form fitting jeans for males. We also see bright colors being used and cartoon graphic print hoodies by Bathing Ape made popular by artist and producer Pharrell. Females could not get enough of high heels in all different forms and many ideas were crossed and we saw things like the open toed boot.