For Us By Us: Rap Builds Its Own Brands

Cross Colours advertisement

Karl Kani advertisement featuring Tupac Shakur

Short sleeve kente cloth tunic with black and white plaid and red striped fabric on center front. 1972-1974. Gift of Richard and Linda Chapman

West Coast and Gangsta style rap were pioneered in the mid-1980s by artists, such as Schoolly D and Ice-T and was later popularized by groups like N.W.A. Before N.W.A.’s iconic “Straight Outta Compton” was released in 1989, Public Enemy and their record, “Yo! Bum Rush the Show” in 1987 would signal a change in rap music and fashion. Public Enemy celebrated Afro-centric themes and their lyrics largely centered on politics affecting Black youth. Their style brought back clothing associated with the more radical wave of Black Nationalism in the 1960s, while also incorporating African leather medallions, Kente Cloth and the traditionally African revolutionary colors of red, black and green. Groups like N.W.A, set a new trend in hip-hop fashion by wearing pants several sizes larger than their waist, worn low on the hips revealing brightly colored boxers. Some form of head covering was also worn, be it a knit hat, baseball cap or doo rag. Rappers began wearing American sportswear brands, such as Tommy Hilfiger, and designer jeans. Black fashion designers began to question why they weren’t developing their own clothing companies that catered specifically to the hip-hop community rather than creatively manipulating existing brand offerings.

Carl Jones founded Cross Colours in 1989 with the idea that he could design better fitting hip-hop style pants. “We said we were going to make those pants with a size 38 body, but with a size 32 waist. That’s what started it!” Jones had studied fashion design in college and wanted to create a brand that better reflected the style of clothing he saw kids wearing on the subway from Harlem to Brooklyn. Cross Colours pushes the message, "Clothing Without Prejudice," a slogan that appears on every garment. Since they were primarily targeting African American youth, they wanted to inspire them with positive messages like "Stop D Violence" and "Educate 2 Elevate". A marketing director at the company reached out to the wardrobe department at The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, leading to a close relationship with the show by providing a large number of garments for Will Smith’s character.

Other companies would soon follow including Karl Kani in 1989 and FUBU in 1992. Karl Kani, born Carl Williams, is commonly linked with some of the biggest rappers of the 1990s. He didn't have the money to bring in a big name for their product launch in 1991, so instead they chose a young student from New York City by the name of Sean Combs to be the face of their campaign. During the height of his fame, Tupac Shakur was rarely seen without a Karl Kani logo across his chest. In 1994, Tupac famously appeared as the face of the brand’s campaign free of charge saying, “I'm not going to charge you to wear your clothing, you're black; I don't charge my people for anything."

FUBU, which stands for For Us By Us, was set up in 1992 by Daymond John. Their initial products were a collection consisting of 80 hats made in 1989 in John's house and sold on the street in Hollis, Queens, New York. At its peak in 1998, FUBU grossed over $350 million in annual worldwide sales. In 1997, L.L. Cool J memorably starred in a commercial for Gap Inc. in which he wore a FUBU hat. He also incorporated the lyrics, “For us by us” into his rap. The commercial's production team was unaware of the meaning behind LL's FUBU references until the advertisement aired. Instead of being a negative for Gap Inc, their admitting to the gaff gave them street cred.

The success of these companies, and their close relationship with rap artists, had a downside however. Rap artists began to capitalize on their image by creating their own fashion lines, rather than act as spokesmodels for other brands. This led to the watering down of the hip-hop fashion market and the eventual closure of many of these companies.

Follow the link to watch the 1999 L.L. Cool J Gap commercial. Be sure to listen for the line, "For us by us, on the low."

Pictured in the exhibit is a shirt that was purchased in the city market in Accra, Ghana. Kente cloth, like that featured in this tunic, inspired the color palette for much of Cross Colours late 1980s and early 1990s designs, which sought to connect with the young Hip Hop community. The Cross Colours ensemble consists of a long-sleeve polo-style shirt with broad horizontal stripes in gree, yellow, red, blue and purple. It is paired with gray denim jeans with “Cross Colours Post Hip Hop Nation Roll-On Ya Dig” printed on the front of the left leg. The ensemble is completed with a pair of Doc Martens.