Fashion has always been a staple of hip-hop. But what to do when a fashion trend literally divides the house of hip-hop in half?
Some fashion-forward rappers like Atlanta’s Young Thug have adopted the controversial shirt-skirt into their wardrobe, while other more traditional rappers like the outspoken Lord Jamar of the legendary group Brand Nubian have called foul on the particular trend.
During a recent interview with Vlad TV, veteran emcee Ja Rule weighed in on the subject. The multi-platinum rapper believes that fashions of the day represent the younger generation and that the older cats should just let it be.
(Veteran R&B crooner R. Kelly in a shirt-skirt)
When asked if he’d let his son rock the shirt-skirt, Rule initially balked at the idea before reconsidering.
“I had to catch myself and say, ‘You know what? If you wanna shirt-skirt, go head get you a shirt-skirt. Cause this is your generation,’ ” Ja said. “Trust me. I’ve looked back at some of my old pictures and been like, ‘What the f— was I wearing?’ He may do the same thing when he gets older, but it’s part of being young and growing up.”
As far as the some of the trends for men being construed as “feminine,” Ja says it’s not so. It’s just the fashion of the day.
“I don’t think he’s saying I want a skirt cause I wanna be a female. I think dudes are doing it because it’s fashionable. Being fashionable has now taken a new turn from when we were being fashionable,” asserts Ja. “Absolutely, [shirt-skirts are] hip-hop now. Hip-hop dudes are wearing them. They made it a part of our culture. I don’t think shirt-skirts existed until a hip-hop artist wore them,” says Ja.
