Sports in Hip Hop

By the end of the 80s, one of the most notorious hip hop groups of all time would rise to fame: N.W.A., standing for 'Niggaz wit attitudes'. They were the first major rap group out of the west coast to earn national recognition, and their presence initiated a darker tone for rap music. They rapped about what they believed was really going on in the streets of california, and they believed such a violent image of Cali had not been portrayed in the media and attention should be drawn to the violence in cities like Compton and Watts. They expressed their dark tone in their choice of dress: due to their affinity with the NFL's Los Angeles Raiders, they wore Raiders gear and black and silver. This started hip hop's affiliation with sports, foreshadowing the throwback jerseys that we see today. But more importantly, the popularity of the Raiders may have increased crime in Los Angeles; some people affiliated the black and silver with gang colors, and there were often reports of people stealing items such as the Raiders jacket becase it 'looked cool'. Nevertheless, sports have played a huge role in hip hop fashion and showed hip hop's habit of taking established trends and making it your own.