Came across an organization called “America Libre” Hiphop, a group based in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. It literally means “Free America” Hiphop in the sense that America is a place where one is free to express. When you look at some of the dudes on the page it’s like a crystallization of that conscious era mentality. Big pants, various forms of headgear (sporting and cultural), shirts from the merch table supporting other artists etc… without the “I’m a real G and if you look at me wrong you get blasted” vibe that’s holding down that side of Hiphop fashion today. In the States or Canada if you believe yourself to be a positive, uplifting or even lighthearted and comedic type of Hiphopper, rocking that type of look gets you pigeonholed as a hustler, thief or some other kind of criminal that needs to be approached with caution. Not a conscious warrior or abstract minded artist as before. How did this style that was popularized by artists and lyricists all over the spectrum (from De La, Tribe, Outkast to Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang etc..) become solely associated with the negative over here? Take a step back and see how the heads in the DR are perceiving this. They are keeping the tradition of this style alive. I feel like they see it how it is and how a lot of us deep down in our subconscious feel about it too. Reclaiming this style from the companies who stole and re-packaged it and re-define what activities that it is synonymous with. In other words making sure the history made doesn’t get re-written.
…And lets not forget NWA rocking tighter pants and properly fitting shirts talking about slangin’ and shootin’ while De La was sporting XXXL gear and making jams for B-boys to rock to…
