Jackie P.: Run DMC

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November 1, 2012 by fashioninguis

“But its like that, and that’s the way it is” should hopefully trigger the image of Kangol bucket hats, Adidas track suits and heavy glamorized gold rope chains. This popular track by Run DMC in the 1980s is just a part of the rising hip-hop culture in that time, and what we now call hip-hop has stemmed from. Part of this hip-hop culture was and has been gold rope chains. Ridiculously sized gold rope chains have definitely come around full circle to show a cycle that history and fashion does repeat itself.  Gold rope chains made much more of a statement than “I can outwear and outsize your gold jewelry.”

The late 1970s and 1980s hip-hop culture/movement is predominantly attributed to the Black culture and pride that surfaced around this area as well. They were surely to be leftovers of movements such as the Black Panther party. While the Black Panther party was definitely what some considered a militant and strong bodied movement, their reasoning for their actions were with good intentions. Like Run DMC’s “Its Like That” song, the point of those joining and partaking in the hip-hop movement is not only to motivate and bring together Blacks and those in urban, impoverished communities, but also make their voice heard, through a median often used but sometimes glossed over very quickly.

Gold rope chains were a status indicator as well as symbolism of past struggles in the African American community and the legacy from slavery. For members of a typically impoverished community to be able to make it “out of the hood” into mainstream by rapping and singing of everyday struggles and being able to afford lavish gold jewelry that was FRONT and CENTER [in view] was a huge obstacle to have overcome. Some say that the “look” of the gold rope chain comes from a resemblance of what warriors wore in Africa as well as the possible “enchaining” of slaves. The wearing of something that was at one point in time used as derogatory and oppressive centuries later goes to show the legacy and the ability of the current culture to take something negative and into a positive. The African American and hip-hop culture was not only focused on their Black pride and putting an end to their history of “failure”/oppression but also a culture that focused on others that were going through similar situation and circumstances.

The 1980s was a decade of immigrants once again. Immigrants that were expected to assimilate to American customs and cultures. The idea of a “melting pot” came into play around this time and those that were against assimilation tried to join forces. That’s when we have things like bright colors being worn and incorporated into street wear. Certain name brands (which unfortunately did not stick around for long) were trying to target a wider audience than normal to show the acceptance of many cultures, which was a little opposite of what the American government wanted for its people.