This document discusses the elements and styles of "old school" hip hop dress and culture. It describes the key elements like the DJ, MC, b-boy/b-girl, graffiti. It explores styles of hip hop like goodtime rap, conscious rap. It examines elements of hip hop dress like urban and sports styles, Afrocentric influences, brands like Adidas and Timberland. The document presents how hip hop dress reflected the culture and ideas of hip hop and became a global influence through iconic artists.

1. A Spectacular Vernacular:
The Rhetoric of “Old School”
Dress

2. A Spectacular Vernacular:
The Rhetoric of
“Old School” Dress
Leta Hendricks
Human Ecology Librarian
255B Thompson Library
614.688.7478
hendricks.3@osu.edu

3. Spectacular Vernacular
ELEMENTS
STYLES
SEEIN’ IS BELIEVIN’
LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
STYLIN’

4. ELEMENTS
Elements
The DJ
Graffiti
The b-boy/b-girl
The MC
“The Fifth Element”
“Knowledge, Culture, and Overstanding”

5. ELEMENTS
The DJ
The DJ (disc jockey)
chooses, introduces, and presents
prerecorded sounds and music to a listening
audience. The first DJs were radio disc
jockeys who broadcast music over the
airwaves.
THE FATHER OF HIP HOP
DJ KOOL HERC

6. ELEMENTS
The MC
MC, short for Master of Ceremonies, term
predates Hip Hop. The MC is an urban
“Griot,” a West African poet/musician/
teacher who documents and discloses the
local news and history of a community
through the oral tradition.
SALT-N-PEPA
DJ SPINDERELLA

7. ELEMENTS
The b-boy/b-girl
Dancing was the essence of early Hip Hop
Culture. B-boying represents the dance
element of Hip Hop culture. DJ Kool Herc is
credited with creating the term.
ROCK STEADY CREW

8. ELEMENTS
Graffiti
Graffiti is the product of urban
revolutionaries who visually expressed
their dissatisfaction with
parents, police, teachers, and other social
authorities.

9. ELEMENTS
“The Fifth Element”
Afrika Bambaataa and his Bronx ,based
Universal Zulu Nation, created the fifth
element: “Knowledge, Culture, and
Overstanding.”
AFRIKA BAMBAATAA

10. ELEMENTS
“The Fifth Element”
Street Knowledge
Sports
Entrepreneurialism
Hip Hop Aesthetic
Language
Fashion
AFRIKA BAMBAATAA

11. ELEMENTS
Street Knowledge
In the inner-city context, “street knowledge”
refers to one’s knowledge of
events, people, and inter-personal skills
associated with life on the streets and the
ability to stay in touch with what’s real.
KRS ONE

12. ELEMENTS
Sports
Sports provides hope and inspiration for
African American youth. Sports reaffirms
the culture , ethics, and politics of the
African American community.
MICHAEL JORDAN

13. ELEMENTS
Entrepreneurialism
As Hip Hop’s popularity grew the
opportunity to create grassroots, and
later, global business ventures materialized.

14. ELEMENTS
Hip Hop Aesthetic
The “Hip Hop aesthetic” encompasses all of
the styles, concepts, culture, and ideas that
are accepted and practiced by Hip Hoppers.

15. ELEMENTS
Language
Hip Hop is a product of the urban underclass
and street culture. The language of the
disenfranchised remains the intellectual
source of Hip Hop.

16. ELEMENTS
Fashion
Hip Hop dress provide Hip Hop practitioners
a distinctive look and cultural pride.

17. STYLES
ACCEPTED RAP CONTROVERSIAL RAP
Goodtime Rap Conscious Rap
Acid Jazz Explicit Rap
Crossover Rap Gangsta’ Rap

18. Spectacular Vernacular
Hip Hop is the first popular cultural music
genre to create a diverse global marketing
stratagem. MCs and DJs, the icons of the
music, influence the globe with their
lyrics, music, and life style.

19. LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
CLOTHING
Early Hip Hop appearance and dress
focused on urban, sports, and Afrocentric
fashion styles.
TLC GRANDMASTER FLASH

20. LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
CLOTHING
Urban appearance and dress dominates
today’s Hip Hop and global culture styles.

21. LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
CLOTHING
Early Hip Hoppers, 1978-1995, wore
Afrocentric inspired dress.
THE X-CLAN
QUEEN LATIFAH

22. LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
CLOTHING
African influenced styles still influence
today’s Hip Hop dress.

23. LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
CLOTHING
Hip-Hop DJs, MCs, and aficionados still
sport and athletic look.

24. LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
Clothing
By 1994, global ethnic styles began to
influence Hip Hop dress.

25. LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
SHOES
Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Lugz, British Knights
(BKs), British Walkers, and Timberland.
JORDAN #1
RUN D.M.C. ADIDAS

26. LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
Bling
Door Knocker Earrings, Chains, Piercings,
Leather, Medallions, Sunglasses…

27. LOOK THA’ WAY U THINK
Grillz

28. STYLIN’
By 1995 Hip Hop MCs became label
spokesman and establish their own clothing
lines.

29. Spectacular Vernacular
THE ONLY STUPID
QUESTION
IS THE UNASKED
QUESTION
Lee B. Hendricks