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Rocawear isn't the hip-hop clothing line it used to be. Shawn 'Jay Z' Carter is pushing to give the brand a new and more mainstream look WWD reports.
"We are a great American brand. We don't envision ourselves as an urban brand or streetwear brand," Jay-Z said. "We wanted to show people how we've evolved and repositioned ourselves, without abandoning our original DNA."
A new pop-up store in New York City's Soho will introduce this new push and aims to attract a broader range of shoppers with a new advertising campaign in the works. The campaign will be a compilation of 37 short videos from a variety of musicians, poets and artists to represent the relaunch.
Jay-Z is nothing if not constantly evolving both with his style and sound. The young rapper who used to write verses about "big pimpin' is now a New York Times bestselling author with a net worth estimated at more than $450 million.
The Rocawear revamp comes at a time when popular artists like Lil Wayne are eager to boast their rap-rock sound, and the concept of a "black" clothing line targeted exclusively toward African Americans, as formerly seen in Karl Kani and FUBU, is out of fashion.
Rocawear now seeks to represent a broader appeal. "When I played the Glastonbury music festival, people said a hip-hop artist couldn't play a rock festival," said Jay-Z. "But culture isn't segmented like that anymore. There's so much cross-pollinization and the same thing is true for clothes."
Comments: (19)
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By: Li Wright on 6/27/2011 2:02PM
Love Jay-Z. REad his book, Decoded. Very deep guy.
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By: ADMR on 6/27/2011 3:10PM
A REAL MAN Knows A REAL WOMAN When He SEES Her.
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By: SapphiresMomma on 6/27/2011 3:01PM
HOO-RAY for JAY-Z!!
And, you know why he has switched gears?
Because he is a wise enough business man to know when the juig is up. He can see that the "Hip-Hop" gear as is the so called "music" is on it's way out, and GOOD RIDDANCE!
The so called "culture" has contributed to the destruction, and slaughter of too many young black males!
Lastly, BLACK MEN! PULL UP YOU PANTS!
You look like ignorant, fool, clowns!
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By: Deb on 6/27/2011 3:18PM
I agree...waiting to read a more indepth article in Black Enterprise!
Sad to see so many college classes filled with black women and jails with black men but that's keepin it real I guess!!!
Oprah pushed his book enough on her Behind the Scenes fave things show.
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By: Mr. G. on 6/27/2011 6:42PM
Your absolutely right. He's pulling a fast cross over to stay in pocket with the market. The urban apparel trends, just like all others have been stolen. To be trangress into the homosexual community. The culture has been lost/stolen.By so called supporting record labels. This whole rock shinanagin is a easy pass to stealing one of the last things that blacks have had creative control over. Once they have the woman on board it Black peoples exstinction, such as the indians....
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By: poboy on 6/27/2011 6:29PM
"By: Deb on 6/27/2011 3:18PM
Neutral
I agree...waiting to read a more indepth article in Black Enterprise!
Sad to see so many college classes filled with black women and jails with black men but that's keepin it real I guess!!!
Oprah pushed his book enough on her Behind the Scenes fave things show."
Dimepiece, Hip-Hop music will never die if you don't believe me ask the white kids that you know. Ask your daughter. As for the pants needing to be pulled up I’m with you on that but your white boys needs to pull up their pants as well. Drawers showing phenomenon needs to fade into oblivion. Or stay in the prison system in which it was born. Oprah didn't turn Jay's book into a best seller because just as many white Hip-hop fans bought Jay's book than people of color. Just like with the sagging pants crosses many color lines so does Hip-Hop fans.
Also, jay's book isn't just for Hip-hop fans because the book explains many of the hip-hop lango and it deciphers the questions that non fans have always wanted to know. One day The Decoded will be required reading for all who want to understand Hip-Hop.
It's all about evolution. Jay knows that rocawear needs to keep up with the changing tide. All races love Rocawear but to make it do what the Sean John brand does, Jay needs to embrace change. Sean John designs range from the hood to the boardroom and da club.
Rocawear now seeks to represent a broader appeal. "When I played the Glastonbury music festival, people said a hip-hop artist couldn't play a rock festival," said Jay-Z. "But culture isn't segmented like that anymore. There's so much cross-pollinization and the same thing is true for clothes."
Exactly, Jay.
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By: Col Jessup on 6/28/2011 8:52AM
POBOY, don't worry about thw white boys pulling their pants up. The deal is, whether you are white, black, hispanic, or asain, they all look equally worthless when their pants are down. But down worry, cause an employer with sagging pants will hire you, oops there aren't any.
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By: Deb on 6/28/2011 7:36AM
@Poboy-I never said I wanted hip hop music to die. I was commenting on what Sapp wrote because seems black women can enjoy hip hop and keep their a@ in school while young black men feel the need to "keep it real" with ignorance and fill jails. I came from the beginning of hip hop when it was about the struggle to get out of the ghetto (grew up in St. Louis/E. St. Louis)."The Message (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five)" and police brutality (NWA), now hip hop is pure ignorance bragging on material things and half naked women gyrating in videos!
That was slick but I'm not Dimepiece (I know you wish I were to make you feel smarter!).....I just agree with a lot of the posts! That tells me the level of intelligence on this board anyone who agrees with Dime must be Dime. That's a sad state of affairs but black media keeps telling us we're supposed to think alike!!!
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By: Deb on 6/28/2011 8:01AM
@Poboy-Since you mentioned my daughter (thinking I was Dimepiece) she is a hip hop head but managed to keep her azzz in college and graduate 2011..HOLLLAAA! Who do you think asked me to listen to Eminem because she knew I'm a HUGE Dr. Dre fan and like I said my oldest daughter's friend played Fiddy mom in movie "Get Rich..." so that's how I listened to his music and knew immediately Fiddy was going to sell through the roof!!!!
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By: "DimePiece' on 6/28/2011 10:17PM
@poyboy,
LEAVE DEB out. Deb is not me, BOO BOO. I am tired of people like you always thinking that they are me and vis versa. FOCUS ON THE SCRIPT! I am tired of people always thinking I am white, hating, whatever. I never bring up RACE up on here. I agree with Deb on this one. Deb wasn't dissin Hip Hop. DON'T YOUR AZZ LOOK STUPID!
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