Bowie, Hip Hop and SWAG

SWAG - Before Kanye, Young Thug and CeeLo Green, there was Bowie. Arguably, the father of Adrogenistic fashion, Bowie set the stage for modern Hip Hop artists to express their (dare I say) feminine side. Sure, Bowie is known for his Glam Rock/Art Pop music, but what else is there? His life off stage was just as influential and colorful as his music, specifically; he took gender bending fashion to a whole new level....the result?

Kanye West

 Hip Hop’s good guy gone bad...gone fashion designer (raised eyebrow)... gone androgynous.  But before Kanye adorned his first skirt and produced music hits “You Don’t Know My Name” for Alicia Keys and Rihanna’s hit “B*tch Better Have My Money" - there was Bowie

Young Thug

Jeffrey Lamar Williams aka Young Thug is all (awe) too comfortable shopping in the women’s department. Young Thug is BIG into wearing LITTLE dresses – as well as chart topping hits like“Power” and “Best Friend". But before Mr. Thug slid into his first mini dress - there was Bowie

 

CeeLo Green

The iconic singer/rapper of “Forget You” and “Bad Mutha” seems to walk the walk…I mean, how else could he pull this look off without believing in his hit songs’ namesake? But before he was a judge on T.V’s The Voice and bore a "promish" style dress for a photo op- there was Bowie

  

THE ONE

Bowie is a highly decorated musical icon (Space Oddity, Let's Dance, Young Americans, etc) - I get it. Yet, when I think of Bowie, his music is not the first thing that comes to mind. I think of his appearance. From floral dresses to second skin skinny jeans - Bowie was revolutionary in what hip hop slang would refer to as "do you" mentality. I mean, the amount of scrutiny he faced (as perhaps the world's first popular cross dresser) is unfathomable, and yet, he did it and he did it well - so much so, that he unknowingly gave permission for "hard-core" hip hop artists to wear a dress and still keep their manhood - swag.

David Bowie