makinselections

hip hop dress code? that's an oxymoron, no doubt. recently i was geeked to see one of my heroes, Mixmaster Mike, perform live in my hometown. my excitement was quickly extinguished at the precise moment when my eyes met the sign "NO SNEAKERS, NO BOOTS, NO ATHLETIC APPAREL, NO BAGGY CLOTHING" posted at the venue's entrance. "is this sign for real?", i asked the doorman. he nodded. "this is supposed to be a hip-hop show? that sucks", i muttered as i stormed off in puzzled amazement in my shelltoe adidas, baggy jeans, t-shirt & baseball cap.

what in fuck's sake am i supposed to wear on my feet? sandals? penny loafers? i've never owned anything BUT sneakers & boots! who in their right mind dresses up to go to a hip-hop show! should i have rented a tux? i've been to countless hip-hop shows in my life & time, NEVER had i encountered something as fundamentally absurd as a dress code. you mean to tell me if Jam Master Jay himself were to walk up to the door with his godfather hat & shelltoes he wouldn't be able to get in ?!?!?!?!

who was the venue excluding? poor people, thugs, minorities, ACTUAL hip-hop heads? this show was obviously booked by ignorant spineless douchebags who stereotype those who listen to hip-hop as inherently violent, classless people incapable of acting civilized in an establishment with such high "standards". there are times & places where it makes sense to dress up, a rap show isn't one of them by any means.

hip-hop is all about self-expression, not assimilation & compliance to someone else's standards. contrary to popular belief, true hip-hop is not about violence, sexism, narcissism & materialism. i don't know what the scene was like inside the place that night, in all likelihood a bunch of clear-channel listening chicks with fake orange tans & dudes with gelled hair & slacks, but there for sure wasn't a hip-hop show going on.