Published: Sunday - April 1, 2007
Words by Arnold T. Pants
Dear Papoose,
Let me offer belated congratulations on becoming the 1.5 million dollar man. I've been checking your mix cds for a minute and I'm feeling the movement. It was great that you paid respects to Justo on Mixtape Murder. You know where you've come from in the game, and acknowledging the unsung players shows a great humility. Addressing the Sean Bell tragedy showed you understand your roll as a public figure and the power that brings in rallying people to a cause. Integrity and social conscious will allow you to crossover without compromise.
What denies your obvious intellect is that you choose to dress like a tenth grader. I am pretty sure that you are older than me. Yet, you stayed dipped in Gino Green Global. I don't care if this is a sponsorship, or you are just big supporter of a friend. It looks ridiculous. Is it a G? Is it a nine? Even the company website admits most people don't know. When is confusion over brand identity ever a quality marketing ploy? Tee, shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, hats all slathered with an indecipherable logo. They look bootleg and are astronomically priced. Thinking back on the golden era of New York's hip-hop centered garms (when Mecca, Enyce, Phat Pharm, Triple Five Soul, to name a few, were defining and redefining the hip-hop fashion industry), I don't think Gino Green would have ever trickled out of the big apple to infest the globe. Their designs are an embarrassment to a fine city. And, if I were a New Yorker, I would be devastated that the man with such a solid chance of really bringing New York back was dressed like a complete wanker.
Papoose wearing Gino Green Global
There is an old and popular adage, "clothes make the man." To an extent Jay was talking about this when he pushed button up shirts. Not just acting your age, but understanding your roll. He saw that he was becoming an elder statesman, noticed that American culture at large was beginning to take an interest in his actions. The catch 22 of hip-hop culture comes in trying to assert and validate an identity. Can you thugacate in a blazer? Perhaps not. Can you educate kids by presenting a positive image? Certainly. There is a great difficulty in appealing to both the core audience and record buying public. Image isn't everything, but people will judge you on your appearance. Andre 3000, implores kids to start wearing shirts that fit on the "Walk It Out (Remix)". More explicitly than Jay, Andre (a much more aware MC than Hova, in my opinion) sees the danger of falling to hip-hop clichés. My brother, Gritz, has voiced his opinion on clichéd verbiage, and I will add that a juvenile outward presentation is just as harmful.
Will Gino Green Global join "no homo" as New York's great contribution to hip-hop for 2006 through to 7? I certainly hope not. Just as the Dips over used disclaimer reminds, some people outside the culture that their impulse to believe hip-hop is infantile might just be true, so do grown men in awful graphic tees and oversized hooded sweatshirts. For a man who brilliantly offers mature commentary on a variety of topics, complex and otherwise, and manages to turn a pop cameo (Gym Class Heroes remix of "Friend Request") into a concise and winning tribute to the positive applications of the internet, your dress is the human equivalent of a MySpace page: a garish mishmash of logos and bright colors that might hurt someone's eyes. Unfortunately, old white women will not mistake Gino Green Global for an environmental agency, and just see it for what it is, shit clothing.
With the Nacirema Dream on the horizon, you have a chance to really push thoughtful hip-hop beyond the tired "conscious rap" sub-genre. Your music speaks to the streets, but has far wider applications. You want to be viewed as a man, but outfit yourself in the manner of a child. Before you over think things and accuse me of being overly interested in how another bloke dresses, let me say this -- I am only concerned with how this culture is represented. As you move forward in your career, from mixtape glory towards the dream of platinum sales, keep this in mind. Don't triple six your potential with that Gino Green bullshit. Please New York, bring back the glory, and more importantly make hip-hop proud.
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