From Snoop Dogg to Gunna, a little treatise on rapper style

Of all musical genres, rap is my favorite. It's creative, risky, rhythmic music, different from the others. When I listened to the 10 most listened to artists on Spotify in 2021, they are almost all rappers classified as ego-trip .

Thus, when listening to artists like SCH , Damso or Ninho , we hear many references to fashion and haute couture brands. From ten years , trends have evolved . In 2010, it was baggy pants and rhinestone t-shirts. Today, the modern French rapper dresses as a designer , at the very least.

I have one question left. With all this media exposure, all these clips, all these collaborations, aren't rappers overdoing it a little? Now, artists have a strong image, and have become fashion influencers , so it is normal to appear with brands . Yanis, stylist assistant at GQ , explains: "Rappers have understood that image is extremely important. Beyond music, branding has become essential, you have to know how to be recognizable." Noriane, fashion photographer, confirms the trend: "The 90s/2000s had popstars as muses, now it's rappers."

Certainly. But are all stylistic choices good taste?

With my extremely casual style, it might seem daring to judge each other's style, of course. I will still try to support my point of view. It is natural to point out that not all rappers are affected by this carte blanche!

WHAT I FIND TO COMPLAIN

Before we begin, let's put ourselves in a situation.

As you can see here, these rappers don't choose brands randomly . These are haute couture houses, not stores where you and I can come and buy two t-shirts. Ego-trip rappers have gotten into the habit of name-dropping luxury brands in their lyrics, and dressing similarly in their music videos, or their posts on Instagram. The idea is to show off your wealth.

If we consider that the spirit of ego-trip rap is to highlight social and financial success, it is very coherent. They are in character, and show that they are “better dressed” than you. But the question of good taste comes back: is it necessary to display oneself with all these visible brands?

By listening in depth, and appropriating the atmosphere and codes of the music, it would seem that the brand is cited more for its prestigious and luxurious appearance than for the intrinsic quality of its clothes.

Yanis rightly points out that brands are “social markers”. What's better than showing off expensive clothes to demonstrate social ascension?

Some rappers have therefore seized on fashion culture, drawing references from it, to re-appropriate them into their linguistic universe. Sometimes to excess .

A good example of this transformation is Freeze Corleone . Underground rapper at the base , he swaps his slightly geeky look for a more fashionable thug look. Influenced by American rap, to which he makes a lot of references, Freeze Corleone has transformed himself to become more bankable , and change his image as a "niche" rapper.

Many egotrip rappers have been influenced and made their own. I can understand the interest for a rapper to become a muse, but I often have the impression of seeing a sandwich man , far from the image of the free and creative rapper that I love so much.

BUT WHERE DO THESE INFLUENCES COME FROM?

As is often the case in culture, if it works in the United States, there is a good chance that the trend will arrive in France. This is also true for ego-trip rap. Since the internalization of rap, in the 90's , the clothing style of American rappers has had an influence on the wardrobe of others.

Take Snoop Dogg. A rap monolith for thirty years, the Californian rapper has continued to evolve his style . It went from the typical streetwear of the 90's (baggy Fubu era, basketball jerseys, flashy bombers) to a more sober style in the early 2000s, then returned to an atypical and exuberant look. Unpredictable, Snoop Dogg has remained true to himself since Tha Doggfather .

Booba, for example, seized on these American stylistic trends, before subsequently influencing the style of French rap. It's been over 20 years that the Duke draws his inspiration (stylistic and musical) from the country of Uncle Sam, where he resides.

This transfer is still true today. Some American artists even have their stylistic equivalent in France.

In current rap, certain subgenres are rapidly advancing dress codes, notably drill, but also plug music, wave, trap... genres that come from the United States.

Let’s take the example of flex culture . Initiated by rappers like Young Thug, Gunna, or the Migos, flex is a lifestyle mixing luxury, women, drugs, big cars, everything that glitters.

A limitless source of inspiration for ego-trip rappers. To flex means: “showing one’s goods, without humility”. In Versace by Migos, flex reaches new heights.

Very widespread in American rap lyrics , the word crossed the Atlantic to spread in French lyrics.

Flex culture has imported another small word, the drip . Created by Texan rapper Sauce Walka, the expression to drip means: “to be super fresh”. The ultimate level of flex. When we “drip”, it’s because we’re stylish: the choice of clothing, the accessories, the approach, it’s all there.

This trend has therefore trivialized ostentatious lyrics and clips . A rapper who “shows off” shocks much less than in the past. Dogmas evolve, and so do rap lyrics.

There are other examples, but flex culture is the most telling recent example. The rappers who sell the most are often the ones who flex the most. Simple, basic.

HOW BRANDS HAVE ADAPTED

Taking a step back, this visibility not only benefits rappers, but also brands ! By targeting millennials, who are increasingly hungry for luxury, brands are rejuvenating their typical clientele. Thus, new market shares open up to them .

Some brands have appointed artistic directors who are very popular with under 25 , like Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton men, or Demna at Balenciaga. Nothing is left to chance. For Yanis, it's a logomania : "the brand of clothing must be visible, recognizable. That's what works with a younger audience."

After all, why would we criticize brands for wanting to rejuvenate their audience? "When American rap exploded in the early 2000s, brands did not want to be associated with rappers, for image reasons. When we realized that rap would very quickly become a very profitable musical genre, I think that the brands have changed their minds,” Arthur, a rap entrepreneur whispers to me.

In addition to appointing a profile like Abloh to a strategic position, Louis Vuitton has chosen to modernize its communication and the technologies used , further proof of the brand's interest in this emerging market.

WHO AM I TO JUDGE?

This is where my opinion ends, since I cannot evaluate a culture globally! The brands mentioned above have entered the streetwear market, so there are inevitably good and bad students. Some brands, such as Lacoste or Ralph Lauren have been able to seize this growing demand for high-end ready-to-wear, and perfectly fit into this trend, while keeping their own identity .

Today, streetwear is changing shape: “Streetwear is a whole cultural movement. It is full of history, and it will continue. It has its roots in counter-culture circles,” judges Yanis. "The social and political context have an impact on urban culture , the works translate a reality experienced or felt by the creator." For a subversive musical genre, you might as well have the look that goes with it .

I'm a big customer of ego-trip rap, but not for its ostentatious aspect. I appreciate the rhythm, the flow of the artist, the substance of his message. When I hear “I want some Gucci for my dog” , it's the eccentricity of the message that I appreciate, not the name dropping.

It becomes philosophical: it's the freedom taken by rappers that fascinates me. They do what they want, say what they want, dress how they want. In the end, the rappers are perhaps not overdoing it: it's a musical genre where the codes evolve, while remaining faithful to a culture of streetwear, which I have never practiced before.