The Fashion of Hip-Hop

The definition of hip-hop from dictionary.com states that hip-hop is a the popular subculture of big-city teenagers, which includes rap music, break dancing, and graffiti art. So according to the dictionary hip-hop is more than just music, it is a way of life (major cliche). To the people who live/lived in the hip-hop world, they related everything back to hip-hop; especially their clothing. What a lovely segway into what my second post will be about, the fashion of hip-hop.

After searching images for hip-hop fashion, I am bombarded with pictures of bling bling (also known as "ice"), which are big pieces of jewelry covered in rhinestones, even though most would say their necklaces was covered in diamonds. Even today ice and bling are used as tools to represent how much money he/she or they have. (Run DMC) Can you spot the bling?

Another big trend was really vibrant colors, sometimes used to represent a specific group or gang, but for women were used more for a fashion purpose then to mark their territory. Salt-N-Pepa took full advantage of the McDonalds' theme.

They also show another trend of the time and one that is in style today, leggings or very very tight pants, usually paired with a baggy top or jacket. I do believe they are also sporting the same bling that the members of Run DMC are wearing on the picture above, a trend that crossed gender barriers.

To top it off the last picture of the post will be Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five modeling for us of the major trends of the 1980's all in one, it's quite a sight.