#A$AP MOB

[vrtlworld]

A$AP Rocky for Beats

[yankeeblue]

A$AP Mob photographed by Brock Fetch

[spaceghostswim]

A$AP ROCKY for Billboard, August 2024

”Oh, I’m going to be aight. I’m Young Denzel. I’m Himzel, you heard?”

[delsincloud]

[wokeupcold]

[todayinhiphophistory]

Today in Hip Hop History:

A$AP Ferg released his debut studio album Trap Lord August 20, 2013

[5k5k5k5000]

"GET IT SEXYY" promo concept.

Cover Art & Visualizer by 5K

Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/5k5k5k5000/

https://www.tiktok.com/@5k5k5k5000

https://www.pinterest.com/5K5K5K5000/

[bengisuedotcom]

PLEASE DON'T TOUCH MY RAF

HOE DON’T STEP ON MY RAF SIMONS!

Enter RAF by the A$AP Mob, released in 2017. Peak hypebeast culture. An ode to Raf Simons by some of contemporary hip-hop’s most influential names: A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert and Frank Ocean. This track symbolizes the peak of music, luxury fashion and streetwear crossovers. The song wasn’t just about flexing: it was about knowing. Raf Simons wasn’t just a name you threw around—he was a reference that signaled taste, depth and an understanding of fashion beyond surface level branding in the way brands like Off-White or Supreme was perceived at the time.

IT’S RARE RAF WHEN I WEAR RAF

 People weren’t just buying Raf’s Adidas collabs: they were hunting for early 2000s Raf bomber jackets, his "Consumed" collection and the Riot Riot Riot parkas on Grailed (Grailed used to be SUCH a battlefield back then, now I get to ridiculously lowball). The hype wasn’t just about status, it was about being part of an exclusive subculture that understood the significance.

RAF DRAGGIN’ ON THE FLOOR BITCH!

By the early 2020s, the whole hypebeast aesthetic was so oversaturated to the point that it lost its appeal. And just like everything, it went out of style. Quiet luxury took over and big logos were considered tacky. Too oversized, logo-heavy streetwear started to feel try-hard and the looks shifted toward a more polished, grown up look.

BUT as we all know by the trends operate in cycles which means it’s comeback is matter of when, not if…

RAF SIMONS. ALL KINDA CRAZY COLORS.

The new hypebeast wave won’t be Supreme x Louis Vuitton, Instagram flex culture -esque in the way we’ve experienced it before. I say this full of optimism but instead I think it’ll be archival, intentionally curated, and focused on personal style rather than just hype. Instead of buying into trends, people will be digging into niche fashion history, obsessing over early 2000s Helmut Lang, Prada Sport and, of course, vintage Raf Simons.

HERE ARE MY PREDICTIONS: 

FROM LOGO HEAVY, TO UNDERSTATED ARCHIVAL - less Off White, Supreme, more early Raf, 2000s Helmut Lang, Rick Owens

LESS MAINSTREAM RESELL, MORE DEPTH - more passion instead of mindless consumption. You risk pretentiousness either way so I think people are going to hunt for forgotten gems and flex with fashion knowledge rather than a price tag 

LESS INFLUENCER DRIVEN, MORE SUBCULTURAL INFLUENCES - the last hypebeast era was driven by big names in terms of influencers. This time, fashion nerds, underground communities, cult designers and niche people are going to take the lead. 

That means I think Raf, especially archive pieces & even the Ozweego, is going to resurge, but in a way that’s more niche and intellectual than before. The Ozweego won’t just be a sneaker, it’ll be a statement of understanding where the culture came from. Kind of like what has happened to the Isabel Marant Bekett this and last year. 

I WEAR THAT RAF FORE I MADE IT

Listening to RAF now (I admit, it’s made it’s way back onto my playlist) it feels like a relic from a time in fashion, where it was all about deep obsession curation and the thrill of being on something before everyone else was. Personally, I think that’s the energy that will persevere but this time instead of recreating Instagram moodboards and hoping your post made it onto the fit check page after you’ve tagged 20 different accounts, I think it will be more low key and people actually diving into the history of the designers they love. 

TEXT: BENGI-SUE DOYURAN

PHOTO: BENGI-SUE DOYURAN

[vrtlworld]

[montetheeadonis]

[spaceghostswim]

we would be nothing without flower boy but i am absolutely crushed we live in the universe where WANG$AP was scrapped..

[ found this gem on the internet archive, don't go to the website now it's a fucking virus 💀 ]

[indeedgoodman]

[tttttohm]

[kom0dogallery]

A L L R E D 🩸 🔒

[d-llll-l-llll-b]

Sickö