Ways to Belong in the Hip Hop Culture by Christine Layug

HIP HOP: A HISTORY Before you start your quest on becoming one of the hip hop culture, you should first learn on the history of Hip Hop. One of the hottest cultures of the 20th century is the Hip Hop culture. It is the largest and the most popular culture that have spread throughout every country all over the world. It was first introduced by rap music in the late 1970s. As the rap music grew, so too was hip hop fashion. Hip hopers are now some of the most influential celebrities in the world today; having influenced almost every area of entertainment such as music, movie, celebrities, including the world of fashion and style. Hip Hop fashions are comprised by several elements, from footwear to accessories such as jewelries and hair styles. In the late 80's, it was white sneakers and big gold chains, gold nameplates-inspired belts, gold earrings, and black bomber jackets with fur-trimmed hoods that made the styles of hip hop in this generation. And some of those are still popular today. In the 90's, it was baggy pants, black ink tattoos, bandanas, and shirt tails outside one's pants. Dark denim prison gears were also popular. The style of sagging one's pants, or wearing them baggy and low without a belt, was also the style that originated in prisons. It was in also in this era that sportswear such as sweat shirts and throwback jerseys are very popular. But when Sean John Combs, or also known as Diddy, came into the picture, the whole of hip hop fashion has revolutionized to what we know now forever. It was Sean John Combs that introduced elements such as loud, flashy PVC aviator inspired suits and platinum jewelry to the forefront of hip hop in an effort to add a new vivid dimension of color and flash to the videos produced as a marketing tool. It is also in this era that hip hop artists and executives started their own hip hop fashion labels and clothing lines. These includes personalities such as the Wu-Tang Clan with their Wu-Wear, Russell Simmons and his Phat Farm, Kimora Lee Simmons and her Baby Phat, Sean John Combs and his Sean John, Nelly and his Apple Bottoms Jeans, Damon Dash and Jay-Z and their Rocawear, 50 Cent and his G-Unit Clothing, Eminem and his Shady Limited, 2Pac and Makaveli and OutKast and their OutKast Clothing. Today, hip hop fashion clothes are now manufactured by different popular and successful entrepreneurs, designers, celebrities, and entertainers, who charge significant amounts for their products. HOW TO BECOME A HIP HOPER From the above information, one can easily become a hip hoper. But here are some short tips on how should one dress like a hip hoper. Hip Hop fashion is also categorized by the gender of its user. For the men, the fashion has changed because of what Sean John did that has revolutionized the hip hop culture. As stated above, he was the one introduced lashy white suit with a cap and rich silver jewellery, items which have been previously regarded as being unacceptable for males to wear. But Sean John set a new fashion trend, making the white suits with white sneakers and caps renewed as the newest hip hop clothes in the world. When it comes to the women, nothing much has changed. But it was relaxed a bit by the influence of a hip hop artist by the name of Missy Elliot. She was one of the first hip hop artist that adopted a more relaxed or loose, and manly style. This is by baggy pants, T-shirts, durags or bandanas, and sneakers. But by the recent release of Beyonce's House of Dereon, things got a little slimmer, especially around the waist area. Hoodies for women are also introduced by the House of Dereon. Here is a breakdown of what elements to become a hip hoper. Footwear * Anything goes when choosing the right sneakers to wear. But bright white colored sneakers can give you the most authentic style. * For the men, this can be paired with a set of baggy pants, such as Evisu, Akademiks, and Rocawear. * For the women, cute denim skirts in the summer and baggy, gym-inspired sweats in the winter are more appropriate for a sneaker. Or slim jeans such as the jeans from House of Dereon and Apple Bottoms. Upper Wear * For the upper wear, it is important that you choose the right kind of style that will go perfectly with the rest of the look. * There are a variety of upper wear for a hip hop look such as hoodies, t-shirts, polos, polo t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jerseys * It is more preferable to wear branded upper wear such as from the clothing collection of Sean John, House of Dereon, Akademiks, Rocawear, Meezan, Miskeen, Makaveli, and many more. Accessories * Accessories can be a bandana, durag, big gold earrings, the bling-bling, or sunglasses. * For the big gold earrings or sometimes called "Doorknockers" o This is for the girls: the bigger they are the better. o The earrings can be thin or thick, it usually depends on what the other elements are. o To really accentuate the earrings, pull long hair into a high, tight ponytail. o If your hair is short, no problem, the length of your neck will naturally accentuate the size of the earrings. * For the bling-bling o You don't have to worry about sacrificing a lot of cash on this. o This is a more ethnic look for more fab. o It is recommended to wear 3 to 4 sets of bling-blings with a variety of sizes and shapes. o It is also recommended to include a big gold pendant that has your name on it and with 3 to 4 bracelets also. o Take note: keep your earrings small, or it may ruin the whole look. * For the sunglasses o The flashier, the better. o Choose a more cutting edge sunglasses that would go perfectly with the rest of the elements. o Most preferred sunglasses can be found with Sean John collections. In conclusion, how does one become a hip hoper? Clothes and accessories are the key elements to becoming a hip hoper; it all rests upon the attitude of a person. Clothes and accessories are just tools on how to express it, but the real element that makes a person a hip hopper is the attitude. Without attitude, these tools would be useless. More information about hip hop clothing collections can be found with Streetzwear. Visit Streetzwear at www.streetzwear.com for more details.