Ohhhhhh the 2000s gave us crazy fashion, we’re not going to even lie about this. Most of those were inspired by our Hip Hop stars who broke out or began to make waves in that era.
We are talking about 2Pac, Nelly, Jay Z, Beyonce, Missy, 50 Cent, and many more.
These artists not only redefined the hip-hop music industry but from their fashion style and choices, were able to influence, to a great extent, the dressing of their fans, the world over.
Particularly from 2000 to 2010, young kids, adults, and even parents had to be in tune with those fashion trends which were in the form of baggy trousers, bandanas, durags, chains, and even brands such as FUBU, Sean John, Timberlands, and Airforce 1s. We also saw the use of accessories such as grills, chains, and even band-aids.
There was indeed a lot the 2000s hip-hop did for fashion, and I dare say most of those things are still in vogue, with some just not as pronounced and market-domineering as back in the day. Now, we look back in time and cringe at some of them but we can’t deny that they were the ‘it fashion’ then and the scramble to be among was massive!
So, let us look at 20 of the 2000s Hip-Hop Fashion that made huge statements.
2000s Hip-Hop Fashion We All Loved
1. Denim
This is one piece of fashion that has refused to phase out.
Denim is an all-season, all-era fave and has remained so ever since they broke into the fashion world. I’m not even sure we knew why we wore so much denim and are still wearing it.
We just had so many of them and did as we pleased. This fashion piece was made into trousers, skirts, gowns, hats, jackets, and so on.
It was so bad that we paired denim on denim, and it made total sense back then. Phew!
2. Oversized T-Shirts
You know how we say a girl wearing her man’s oversized T-shirt is cute and all, right? Well, back in the day, this didn’t look good on just females.
In fact, the men took this to a whole ‘nother level and didn’t even play about it. You’d see men in T-shirts 2 times their actual shirt size and some even paired the shirts with long-sleeved body cons.
These shirts are almost as long as a short gown, I kid you not. But then we thought it was cool, you know? Thank goodness for evolution.
3. Jersey Dresses
So, even I had a jersey dress till sometime in 2016, I won’t even lie. We saw Mariah Carey wear a Jordan Washington Wizard dress and Mya in the music video with Jay-Z back then also did.
This was a thing and, I have to admit, it did look pretty cool until it stopped being cool.
4. Football/Basketball Jerseys
Put in the same category as big T-shirts, these – jerseys. We still wear them to date and they still look cool to wear but as a fashion statement, this and jersey dresses started in the 2000s and it remained cool ever since.
Basketball jerseys just make one look very cool and football jerseys make you look confident and sporty.
This is probably here to stay for a long time.
5. Camouflages
Artists like Missy Elliot and Destiny Child redefined the sweet look of camouflage. Seeing them effortlessly rock this fashion design in their music video just meant the rest of us had to try it.
The good thing is, when paired with the right prints, you’d score big time with this.
Camos are still in vogue but let’s remember that the 2000s hip-hop industry brought this to life and inspired the various ways of rocking camo.
6. Durags
Rap legends like Eminem and 50 Cent popularized the use of durags back in the 2000s. Prior, not a lot of men wore this fashion piece outside their homes but watching their favorite artists wear this in music videos and for industry events just made it cool to rock out, and so the trend took off.
Durags went off for a while but has resurfaced in the 2020s. You must have seen a lot of men rock it recently, ladies too.
7. Ballcaps
Just as jerseys were a thing back then, baseball caps were also a big deal. A music video of a rapper would almost be incomplete without him rocking a ballcap and tilting it to the side.
Now, some of the hip-hop artists from the 2000s even rocked this with a durag underneath. 50 Cent is definitely in this category and he did rock it well with his vest most of the time.
8. Headbands
When I think ‘headbands in the 2000s’ I think Bow Wow and Nelly. However, it will interest you to know that they, in fact, didn’t pioneer that trend back then.
Back in the ‘90s, Allen Iverson had a cult of headband-wearing followers who took cues from him. It’s safe to assume that Nelly and Bow Wow were also part of that club.
However, we loved seeing Nelly and Bow Wow in their cute headbands, doing what they know how to do best – steal the hearts of females.
This fashion trend went with the wind but just like with durags, I see it making a comeback sometime soon.
9. New Era Fitted Caps
Undeniably, caps were a thing back in the 2000s, and hip-hop artists made it even more popular by using them in almost every music video.
It didn’t matter what type of cap, as long as it matched their outfit, it was a ‘go’.
Now, one of the most popular cap brands used by hip-hop artists to boost their fashion is this New Era Fitted cap.
To date, most caps bought are from this brand as it has dominated the market.
10. Trucker Hats
While we can attribute certain cap brands to certain other hip-hop artists, we have to point out that one artist of the 2000s made trucker hats famous.
Think trucker hats, think Pharrell Williams. You’d never catch the man without his trucker hat back then.
In recent times, following the lead from the 2000s, a lot of skateboarders have adopted this into their everyday fashion wear. Of course, this is all thanks to Pharrell.
Like other hats and caps, this one was also almost always tilted to the side by Pharrell and his followers. It was cute to see and it still is cute.
11. Rocawear
This brand was Jay-Z’s baby outside of music. It was his very first business away from the entertainment industry and he birthed it at the right time – when he could showcase it to the world with ease, through music.
In his early albums of the 2000s, we saw Hover rock a lot of wear from this brand. He had jackets, shirts, headbands, and even chains that were exclusive to members of Roc Nation.
Jay-Z won on both fronts in the 2000s with his music and this brand.
12. Fubu
Everyone wanted something from FUBU and everyone had something from FUBU. You didn’t? Then you’re probably GenZ.
For Us, By Us (FUBU), was the ‘it’ brand of the 2000s. It didn’t matter if you had your fashion line going for you, you still had to rock something from FUBU.
A lot of the hip-hop artists from the 2000s couldn’t resist being influenced by FUBU fashion. The brand has a way of calling to your spirit and soul.
Interestingly, the FUBU trend started before the 2000s. It dates back to the 1990s and is a fashion trend that celebrities and the common man needed to follow or be left out.
By the way, the FUBU brand hasn’t left the scene.
13. Sean John
It has always been a thing for hip-hop artists to push their money into some other type of business and so P Diddy joined the train.
Just like Jay-Z, he founded his own fashion brand and named it Sean John. You know, ‘Sean’ is his first name, after all.
This brand was very popular and was even regarded as the most popular Y2K brand of the era.
Funny thing is, this brand only put out men’s clothing at the time but women in the 2000s wouldn’t have that. Ladies found ways to convert men’s clothing to feminine pieces because they needed to feel among.
Luckily, in 2021, Sean Combs had a partnership with Missguided and a ‘Women’s Only’ Sean John line was birthed. Balance and win-win, albeit very belated.
14. Baby Phat
Kimora Lee Simmons may not have been a hip-hop artist but she was well into the system and knew to cash out through fashion trends inspired by hip-hop artists of the era.
As a former fashion model turned designer, businesswoman, and TV personality, she keyed into the rising trends in the world inspired by music artists. This led to the founding of Baby Phat.
The brand produced everything from denim, tracksuits, accessories, and many other fashion pieces. Baby Phat was a sensation in the 2000s; many female hip-hop artists patronized the fashion pieces offered, as evident in many music videos from back then.
Baby Phat was to the females what Sean John was to the male artists of the 2000s hip-hop fashion world.
15. Bandanas
If you’re a millennial and have never rocked bandanas then your self-control was top-notch! Peer pressure had nothing on you.
From 2Pac rocking his ever-famous bandana to other male and female artists popularizing the cute little piece of a fashion item, bandanas have been a big deal in the hip-hop world for long.
Some other hip-hop artists from the decade who made it easy to fall in love with this fashion item are, Ja Rule, DMX, Aaliyah, and Eve.
I clearly remember watching my brothers spend their allowances buying different designs and colors of bandanas, and it made total sense.
This piece faded away after a while but they are back and with almost the same velocity as back in the 2000s.
16. Air Force 1’s
If you have been a fan of Nelly from the early 2000s then you’ll most definitely know his hit song ‘Air Force Ones’ from his Nellyville album.
If you do, then you will understand why we sorta think Nelly may have had a hand or two in making this brand a household name back then and even now.
However, in as much as it is tempting to give him all the credit, we know better than to because this shoe brand has been a sensation since 2001.
But yeah, we admit seeing the singer rock Air Force Ones may have inspired fans and friends of fans to get a pair or more and feel fly too.
17. Timberlands
I had my first pair of Timberland boots sometime in 2015/2016. This goes to show that although this brand has been around for so long, it isn’t planning to take a break anytime soon.
In fact, Timberland boots are making a huge comeback in the 2020s like they never left the scene. And truly, did it ever leave?
The longevity of this brand shows how much of an impact it had on fashion back in the 2000s. There were many other brands that proved to be a competition such as PUMA, Jordans, Air Force Ones, and New Balance but this brand is one that almost everyone had or strived to get.
So while Timberlands made our hip-hop stars look great, they returned the favor by turning the brand into a billion-dollar brand.
18. Chains
Off the top of my head, I cannot remember an artist from that era who didn’t maximally utilize chains.
From Eminem to The Rocafella crew (of course), to Usher, there were a lot of chains to be seen. Some hip-hop artists even wore multiple at the same time because it looked and felt cooler.
These chains came in name or brand tags and were sometimes very big and I believe heavy, too. But you couldn’t take away the chain drip from our artists back in the day.
Chains are here to stay, by the way. Especially in the rap industry. You’re not fully a rapper if you’re not a fan of big or plenty chains, now, are you?
19. Grills
Think Grills, think Lil Wayne but before Wayne, we had the likes of Slim Thug, Paul Wall, and Nelly rocking these.
No! Grills are not braces. These were and are fashion accessories earrings and necklaces.
Nelly had one of the most influence when it came to this fashion item. Maybe you will agree with me when you remember one of his songs from the 2000s titled ‘Grillz’.
It is indeed a spectacle to see how much Nelly loved his fashion then that almost every piece had a song dedicated to it.
20. Band-aids
I ordinarily would have opted for a different number 20 but I just want to say that the band-aid on the face was a hit!!!
Nelly (of course) really did something with that trend. The most amazing thing about the band-aid trend was that it wasn’t even supposed to be a fashion accessory but when a big hip-hop musician like Nelly starts something, best believe it will sell, especially in the 2000s.
Of all the hip-hop artists, only Nelly had this and popularized it single-handedly. He had his personal reasons but fans and followers didn’t care. It looked good? They jumped on the trend!
Good thing it phased out after a while and even Nelly stopped wearing it but we can never forget the band-aid phase of hip-hop-influenced fashion.
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