Hip Hop Clothing Gear

Here comes the hotstepper, murderer
I'm the lyrical gangster, murderer
Excuse me mister officer, murderer
Still love you like that, murderer.

Ini Kamoze sure became a hot stepper with this chartbusting track in the ’90s. ‘Here comes the hotstepper’ also saw itself being played at all major fashion shows and this was the time supermodels were labeled as the hot steppers during the ’90s. Hip hop songs have always been known to influence people at large when it came to sporting the latest fashions and trends.

Hip hop dance is actually a very informal dance and it allows the dancer to move with a lot of freedom incorporating his/her own attitude into the steps. Hip hop dance refers to mainly street dance styles. It is primarily danced to hip hop/rap music or it may have evolved as a part of the hip hop culture. Break dance was first associated with hip hop. Many of the new styles of hip hop dancing have become very popular with the MTV generation of today.

Think hip hop and you can always recall rappers wearing cool jackets and baggy low waist jeans with sporty trucker caps. Svelte ladies with braided hairstyles wearing tight micro minis and bright Tees also dominate the scene even today. Hip hop fashion has seen many evolutions from the olden time till date.

Hip hop clothes in the late ’70s and mid ’80s:
Baggy pants, oversized athletic jerseys, expensive sneakers were sort of a uniform for all the fans of the hip hop culture. Although hip-hop is the musical outgrowth of urban African-American culture, it soon traveled across the globe. Brands started associating itself with the hip hop culture. Bright tracksuits, leather bomber jackets and sneakers were now being manufactured by big brands in the business.

It was not only the clothing but also the accessories that gained a lot of prominence. Bling was considered ‘in’. Men wore huge necklaces, chains, rings and bulky belts where as the women adorned huge and heavy earrings with metallic belts. Loads of bling was worn with loads of attitude.

Hip hop clothing in the late ’80s to early ’90s:
Hip hop was also categorized with vivid hairstyles and looks by this era. Different types of braided hairdos and dreadlocks dominated the scene at that time. Neon colored clothing and even neon shoelace was flaunted by leading hip hop groups. MC Hammer popularized the blousy pants and it resulted in them being a common item in the corridors of colleges. There was even a trend of wearing ones clothes backward. Silver and gold jewelry gained prominence during this era.

Hip hop clothing post mid 1990s:
Rap being popular by now, it took on a new look with the trend of ‘Gangsta’ rap catching on amongst the hip hop fanatics. Branded baseball caps, plaid shirts and outfits that resembled the prison gear caught on amongst the people like wildfire. Low waist pants actually originated from the gangsters who wore this clothing in prison. Lots of tattoos and bandannas also gained impetus in terms of hip hop clothing.

Hip hop clothing as seen today:
Despite all the changes and transitions, the main elements for the male hip hop fashionistas today, remain baggy pants , polo shirts and gold/platinum chains. The feet should be clad in huge boots and sneakers and caps should be worn to complete the look. (Preferably worn the opposite way) Large T-Shirts are also standard street wear today. Now, there is a marked difference between the male and female fashion scene in hip hop.

The women who originally adopted the ‘tough-guy’ look, now sport feminine hip hop gear. The base often remains the same, the pants are slimmer, the skirts-shorter and are often combined with leggings and boots. The glam look can never be complete without some loud make up, a touch of lip-gloss and women oozing sensuality instead of the tomboy style of dressing. Earlier, groups like Salt ‘n’ Pepa made a mark with their bold videos and overt dressing. Cornrows with colorful beads, chunky, beaded jewelry and tying a bandanna around one’s thigh also remains to be a part of hip hop clothing gear.

Today, there are many brands that cater to the growing market for hip hop clothing gear. Of course, whether one wears a branded jacket with a non-branded baggy pant, the entire look can never be complete unless you manage to season it with oodles of attitude combined with some snazzy head spins on the floor. This is definitely the true flavor of hip hop.

Common hip hop gear:

• Baggy sweatshirts/ T-shirts
• Baggy jeans or Cargos (Low waist)
• Loud/bright colors
• Tight fitting/flared short denim skirt
• Leggings
• Colorful bandannas
• Bling Jewelry
• Large Ornamental Belts
• Singlets worn with T-shirts
• Sneakers or big boots