Fresh Fly Fabulous: 50 Years Of Hip Hop

On a hot summer night in August 1973, DJ Kool Herc and his sister Cindy played a back-to-school jam in the rec room of their apartment building at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the West Bronx. The rest is history. The birth of hip hop spread across the globe, influencing music and fashion for generations. Early hip hop style focused on customization from spray-painted jean jackets and sweatshirts to wrinkled jeans and boxy sneakers. Before Nike had clothes, stylish Dan made Nike fashion in addition to unique looks featuring MCM, Gucci, and Fendi logos. The eclectic style eventually evolved into its own clothing brands, from Fubu to Sean John, Roc-A-Wear, Billionaire Boys Club, Bape, Baby Phat, Cross Colors, and Pelle Pelle. Sections on these individual designers run alongside topical chapters on stylists, record labels, pink, hairstyles, nameplates, earrings, nails and sneakers. Each chapter on hip-hop style is illustrated with photographs of artists, entrepreneurs and iconic pieces. New research from journalists who witnessed the developments firsthand and oral histories from celebrities and designers make Fresh Fly Fabulous the definitive source for hip-hop style.