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Episode 190

Hip-Hop's Flyest Fashion Icons

Queue Points hosts DJ Sir Daniel and Jay Ray drop the needle on the artists who didn’t just make hits, they made fashion history. Starting with hip-hop’s scrappy, innovative origins in New York, the duo explores how rappers turned limited resources into unforgettable looks, and how that style evolved from block to stage to runway.

The picks are personal and cultural:

  • Slick Rick’s Windrush-inspired elegance and gleaming opulence
  • Foxy Brown’s off-the-rack-made-high-fashion era
  • Lil’ Kim’s era-defining fashion moments
  • Lauryn Hill’s timeless, covered-yet-commanding sophistication
  • Queen Latifah’s regal consistency
  • Digable Planets’ bohemian-militant cool
  • Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) as the global-vintage dandy who expanded the rapper silhouette
  • Heavy D’s big-and-fly blueprint that changed representation for a generation

Honorable mentions go to Kool Moe Dee’s leather-and-shades era and Missy Elliott’s visionary, purpose-built style. Plus, the hosts share their first fashion buys (Flavor Flav-inspired stopwatch and a bootleg Nike sweatshirt) and talk Dapper Dan, Wallabees, 54-11s (Reebok Freestyles), and the commerce of hip-hop chic.

Who’s on your list of flyest rappers? Drop your picks in the comments and keep the convo going.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Intro Theme

00:16 Introduction and Hosts' Fashion Philosophy

01:13 Most Fashionable Hip Hop Artists

01:57 Slick Rick: The Style Icon

07:14 Foxy Brown and Lil' Kim: Queens of Hip Hop Fashion

14:14 Lauryn Hill and Queen Latifah: Timeless Elegance

19:10 Personal Fashion Inspirations

29:26 Honorable Mentions and Conclusion

33:29 Outro Theme

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Transcript
Sir Daniel:

Greetings and welcome back to another episode of Queue Points podcast.

Sir Daniel:

I'm DJ Sir Daniel.

Jay Ray:

And my name is Jay Ray, sometimes known by my governments

Jay Ray:

as Johnnie Ray Kornegay III.

Jay Ray:

What's happening people?

Sir Daniel:

Jay Ray, I, you know, I can honestly say that we might be

Sir Daniel:

the two of the flyest podcasters out here because although we're similar,

Sir Daniel:

we serve different looks at times.

Sir Daniel:

And if you go back into our fashion history, uh, Queue Points, fashion

Sir Daniel:

history, you could tell that whenever we show what we represent at.

Sir Daniel:

And, uh, of course I say that it's a little tongue in

Sir Daniel:

cheek, but it's true though.

Sir Daniel:

We, I think we, we represent and we can definitely represent wherever

Sir Daniel:

we go, but I must say Jay Ray, that when it comes to the, the catalogs of

Sir Daniel:

superstars and rock stars throughout the history, I will say that rap music

Sir Daniel:

has pro produced some of the flyest individuals on the planet Earth.

Sir Daniel:

And so what we wanted to do in this particular episode of Queue

Sir Daniel:

Points is Jay Ray and I wanted to go back and forth and discuss.

Sir Daniel:

Who we believe.

Sir Daniel:

Who's in our top five?

Sir Daniel:

I know y'all like to have these Mount Rushmore conversations.

Sir Daniel:

We're over there.

Sir Daniel:

Jay, Ray and I are beyond that.

Sir Daniel:

We've had those conversations.

Sir Daniel:

You guys are late right now.

Sir Daniel:

What we want to talk about is who isn't late and we're talking about fashions

Sir Daniel:

fashion wise, who are our top five most fashionable hip hop rap artist?

Sir Daniel:

So, Jay Ray, uh, I want, I'm, I'm.

Sir Daniel:

Ooh, I'm, so, I'm itching to hear who's on your list, so please hit me with your,

Sir Daniel:

one of your first, uh, hip hop rap stars.

Jay Ray:

Yo.

Jay Ray:

So, um, the first person I thought of when thinking of this topic was Slick Rick.

Jay Ray:

Is he on your list too?

Sir Daniel:

I told you there was gonna be some

Jay Ray:

I didn't even thought.

Jay Ray:

I was like, I don't know.

Jay Ray:

I

Sir Daniel:

But listen, we, what did I say at the top of this episode?

Sir Daniel:

Jay Ray and I are on it.

Sir Daniel:

We are very fashionable in our own way and style, recognizes style and

Sir Daniel:

slick Rick absolutely embodies style.

Sir Daniel:

Go ahead.

Sir Daniel:

Tell us why you, why he's your, um, first pick.

Jay Ray:

And, and, and I think that's it.

Jay Ray:

So, um, Rick.

Jay Ray:

Was able to ride the wave of all the different versions of kind of

Jay Ray:

hip hop, which was really dope.

Jay Ray:

So when we think of him in those early years, we think of him in the suit.

Jay Ray:

We think of him with the dark sunglasses, of course, with the kgo, right?

Jay Ray:

And then as he gets a little more, you know what I'm saying, a little

Jay Ray:

more shine, you still get the soup.

Jay Ray:

But then there's like these chains.

Jay Ray:

Are everywhere.

Jay Ray:

And then the rings like, he's like, he looks literally like the

Jay Ray:

most grand minister from a black church that you would ever see.

Jay Ray:

Right.

Jay Ray:

You know what I mean?

Jay Ray:

Absolutely.

Jay Ray:

And so, and then still being able to flow with a sweatsuit flow with

Jay Ray:

like Slick Rick to this day is just always like, you could tell that.

Jay Ray:

Um, color.

Jay Ray:

You could tell that fabric, you could tell that the way things

Jay Ray:

fall on him like matters to him.

Jay Ray:

So that tailoring is always together.

Jay Ray:

So, absolutely.

Jay Ray:

One of the first people I thought of was slick.

Jay Ray:

Rick, what about for, from your standpoint,

Sir Daniel:

So, uh, like we, like I said, slick Rick is one of the first people

Sir Daniel:

I thought of as well, and he slick.

Sir Daniel:

Rick resonates with me on several levels because he represents.

Sir Daniel:

Um, fashion that was inspired by the wind rush generation.

Sir Daniel:

And if you go back and listen to our episode, when we spoke about the, we spoke

Sir Daniel:

about the, um, the black immigrants that moved to, that migrated to England in

Sir Daniel:

the, in the early fifties, late sixties.

Sir Daniel:

That slick Rick was part of that wind rush.

Sir Daniel:

Generation.

Sir Daniel:

And when you look back at pictures of them, west Indian people always

Sir Daniel:

stepped out when it was time to party.

Sir Daniel:

There was a lot of blue collar people that did blue collar work, service

Sir Daniel:

work, but when they stepped out, they put on their finest and, and

Sir Daniel:

which is universal to black people no matter where you come from.

Sir Daniel:

Uhhuh, okay, is we're gonna step out and we're gonna put on our finest.

Sir Daniel:

But there was also.

Sir Daniel:

A uniform of a crisp shirt with a collar a, a popped up collar,

Sir Daniel:

you know, a couple chains.

Sir Daniel:

Um, the, the, the very well creased and fitted pants.

Sir Daniel:

We love the sharp crease.

Sir Daniel:

So, uh, and his, um, fashions, um, reflected that.

Sir Daniel:

But what also slick Rick also means to, to me, is he resonated with me because he.

Sir Daniel:

Started a trend amongst young men in the hood that would, if they got a

Sir Daniel:

piece of money, they got a piece of coin to go look for something to wear.

Sir Daniel:

You know, they would take cues from Rick because, oh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna

Sir Daniel:

look fly if Rick can look fly in a suit.

Sir Daniel:

And still be chill, but doesn't look like a stuffy businessman on Wall Street.

Sir Daniel:

I can do that too.

Sir Daniel:

So then you have people going down to the Lancey Street and other pla and you

Sir Daniel:

know, getting your suit from Alexander's.

Sir Daniel:

Like, I, I always tell the story of how my mother would take me to

Sir Daniel:

Alexander's every spring for new suit.

Sir Daniel:

And so that's put in our DNA.

Sir Daniel:

So if you could take that suit.

Sir Daniel:

And then, and go to the, and get you a kgo, a pair of Clarks or

Sir Daniel:

some wallabies, uh, which the Wu-Tang brought back, um, 20 years.

Sir Daniel:

Well, yeah, about 20 years later, they brought that back and

Sir Daniel:

started rocking the Wallabies.

Sir Daniel:

Um, you can feel fly.

Sir Daniel:

Not have spent a lot of money.

Sir Daniel:

And, but yes, the opulence also, oh my God, the gold chains, the,

Sir Daniel:

the un the un, the reveal of the gold chains is, is so dramatic

Sir Daniel:

from the gold chains to his wrist.

Sir Daniel:

Um, the gold teeth, all of it worked.

Sir Daniel:

All of it worked.

Sir Daniel:

It was, yes, it was gaudy, but it was gaudy in a good way.

Sir Daniel:

And, and yes, so that's, that's why he's like one of my very, the very first.

Sir Daniel:

That just embodies fly.

Jay Ray:

Yeah, no.

Jay Ray:

Um, I wanna stop there 'cause we could literally spend an entire show talking

Jay Ray:

about Rick's those that adornment.

Jay Ray:

Right?

Jay Ray:

Um,

Jay Ray:

and it is still, I do wanna say this.

Jay Ray:

That's important, right?

Jay Ray:

So all the people that I picked, and I'm sure you have this too,

Jay Ray:

um, they're all kind of different.

Jay Ray:

They all had their own thing, you know what I mean?

Jay Ray:

So my second person that I, I, I, uh, have on the list, and I'm surprised when

Jay Ray:

I get to this you'll, you'll see it.

Jay Ray:

But I have more women than I have men, which is interesting.

Jay Ray:

But my second person on the list is Foxy Brown.

Sir Daniel:

I see that I.

Jay Ray:

so what's, what really appealed to me about Fox is of course

Jay Ray:

she arrives in hip hop as the sea change of hip hop is happening, right?

Jay Ray:

In particular.

Jay Ray:

Um, the money that's in the game at that moment, the level of celebrity that's in

Jay Ray:

the game in that moment, and how we've kind of moved away from, uh, kind of the

Jay Ray:

black power, uh, conscious moment in hip hop into a more fashion forward moment.

Jay Ray:

Um, yeah, so I see, uh, I see Kevin and Fox.

Jay Ray:

Of course they're in the same lane, but they're doing very different things.

Sir Daniel:

Hmm.

Sir Daniel:

Mm-hmm.

Jay Ray:

I felt Kim, and this is not a bad, this is not a dig at Kim.

Jay Ray:

I felt like Kim was much more costume in the presentation.

Jay Ray:

Much more.

Jay Ray:

Hmm.

Jay Ray:

Different word, much more, um, artful in the presentation of her, the way she

Jay Ray:

showed up, you know, with the, the, the colorful hair and the, the, the, the,

Jay Ray:

the shiny whatever, bling, blings, right?

Jay Ray:

You could tell that people were making, making custom pieces for her, whereas

Jay Ray:

Fox, there was like off the rack fashion, but elevated, you know what I mean?

Jay Ray:

So I felt like as a dark skin.

Jay Ray:

As a dark-skinned woman rocking these, you know, rocking the Calvin Kline's later,

Jay Ray:

of course the Christian Diors of course.

Jay Ray:

You know what I'm saying?

Jay Ray:

And yeah.

Jay Ray:

And you know, furs and, you know, kind of all of that really kind of showed

Jay Ray:

women that, you know, black women.

Jay Ray:

Could be black women in hip hop.

Jay Ray:

Could be high fashion too.

Jay Ray:

You know what I mean?

Jay Ray:

It doesn't have to be your Kate Moss and just your Tyra Banks.

Jay Ray:

These like model model girls, like hip hop girls could rock these clothes and

Jay Ray:

bring these clothes up too, because.

Jay Ray:

Sisters saw Fox rocking these, uh, rocking these brands and were like,

Jay Ray:

oh, I want a piece of this too.

Jay Ray:

And then these brands start coming to her and started being like, oh,

Jay Ray:

you're gonna be the muse for this line.

Jay Ray:

So, um.

Jay Ray:

I think Foxy Brown really did, especially in her heyday, we're talking about

Jay Ray:

the mid, particularly in the late nineties, really, when that second album

Jay Ray:

hit through the early two thousands.

Jay Ray:

Foxy Brown was one to watch from a fashion perspective as a woman.

Sir Daniel:

Oh, 100%.

Sir Daniel:

I totally agree.

Sir Daniel:

And it's so, again, our choices mirror each other because my pick.

Sir Daniel:

Is Lil Kim.

Sir Daniel:

And so, and it's so funny in, in, in all of our Queue Points history, whenever

Sir Daniel:

we've discussed one, we typically end up discussing the other, which is, but

Sir Daniel:

what we do, what I'm very proud of us for doing is that when we speak of them, we

Sir Daniel:

speak of them not just in glowing terms, but we speak of them in their strengths.

Sir Daniel:

What they bring to the game and how they change the game.

Sir Daniel:

Now, Lil Kim, of course, is a standout to me because she, so when I say,

Sir Daniel:

when we talk about who's the flyest, um, Kim and is well documented, Kim

Sir Daniel:

is the, that girl in the hood who.

Sir Daniel:

You, you saw her, whether she was wearing some acid wash jeans that were ripped

Sir Daniel:

with a Coca-Cola shirt and the 54 elevens.

Sir Daniel:

If you know, you know what 54 elevens are, if she's rocking

Sir Daniel:

the 54 elevens, she's got.

Sir Daniel:

She had now, she had, she had, uh, and those are, those are inexpensive,

Sir Daniel:

but she had a, a Gucci purse.

Sir Daniel:

Now the purse was a, was more expensive than the whole outfit.

Sir Daniel:

And so what I'm saying is those girls always had an eye of flare for fashion.

Sir Daniel:

They may not have necessarily been able to afford it that the time until,

Sir Daniel:

you know, you met the neighborhood booster, you got your pieces

Sir Daniel:

that way, but they were able to.

Sir Daniel:

To carry on that tradition.

Sir Daniel:

And I must say Kim carried on a tradition that, that Roxanne Shante started, like

Sir Daniel:

if we look back at, at pictures of Shawnee when she was on the, come up, when she

Sir Daniel:

was a young girl, Shante was rocking furs, she was rocking, uh, golden leathers

Sir Daniel:

and you know, had custom pieces as well.

Sir Daniel:

Um, but to your point about Little Kim, when the.

Sir Daniel:

When her star was on the uptick in, you know, the fashion houses started

Sir Daniel:

noticing her and her wide appeal.

Sir Daniel:

This, of course, they came looking to her and for, and gave her

Sir Daniel:

statement pieces, but I think.

Sir Daniel:

Along with what she wore, Kim gave Kim would have fashion moments

Sir Daniel:

with wearing next to nothing.

Sir Daniel:

And that says a lot, like a lot of her fashion, huge fashion moments.

Sir Daniel:

I think of specifically that.

Sir Daniel:

Um, I think it's a Louis Vuitton moment in the backseat of a, of a,

Sir Daniel:

a Bentley where she's got her hands covering her, um, her breasts, but

Sir Daniel:

she has nothing on, but this one.

Sir Daniel:

Wide fedora style hat with a, a plume with a feather in it.

Sir Daniel:

And, but, and a, a pair of nasty, um, what ankle boots, I think they

Sir Daniel:

were, but she's completely naked.

Sir Daniel:

But that was a whole fashion moment, you know, I mean, and so to me.

Sir Daniel:

Anyone that can come along and completely upset the game.

Sir Daniel:

Turn people turn the turn, um, every function upside down when they arrive.

Sir Daniel:

Uh, have the, uh, paparazzi looking to see what you're wearing, um,

Sir Daniel:

on constantly on magazine covers.

Sir Daniel:

You're not just, I. Uh, um, you're not just a, a, hmm, how am I gonna say this?

Sir Daniel:

You're not just a, a rapper who just happens to be fly.

Sir Daniel:

You literally are a fashion moment.

Sir Daniel:

You are a fashion moment.

Sir Daniel:

You are, you, she, I know it's been said a million times before, but she

Sir Daniel:

really completely changed the game and, um, especially the commerce aspect of.

Sir Daniel:

Hip hop.

Sir Daniel:

And so to, to me, all of that combined is what makes her one of my top five flys.

Sir Daniel:

I mean, it kind of goes without saying, but there's, there's some real meat and

Sir Daniel:

potatoes behind that, behind that pick.

Sir Daniel:

And I think everybody out there would agree.

Sir Daniel:

But, um.

Sir Daniel:

So, so, okay.

Sir Daniel:

So since we're still talking about women in rap, there's somebody else

Sir Daniel:

who, and this, I have to say, seeing her at the Met Gala this past Met

Sir Daniel:

gala really, really reminded me of how much of a fashion plate this woman is.

Sir Daniel:

I'm gonna, I'm giving it up to Laury Hill.

Jay Ray:

Sh fashion icon.

Sir Daniel:

on the lowest of keys has been eating, as the kids say,

Sir Daniel:

has been eating the girls up left and right on the lowest of keys.

Sir Daniel:

Like she doesn't like, she doesn't do, you know, she's not splashy like

Sir Daniel:

Cameron Fox, but when you see Lauren.

Sir Daniel:

Lauren has on, might have on some vintage pieces, some custom, and

Sir Daniel:

to her, to her, um, to her credit, she's always remained covered.

Sir Daniel:

I noticed She's always remained covered now.

Sir Daniel:

And that's in her later years now when, you know, now when she was you,

Sir Daniel:

you know, el buggy, you know, uh, cop.

Sir Daniel:

What, what she used to call herself pop diesel or something like that.

Sir Daniel:

Back in the day, one of her nicknames, you know, she was also quite fashionable.

Sir Daniel:

You know, they, they were gap kids.

Sir Daniel:

Uh, I remember she made squirts look fly, and if you, if you know, you know, she,

Sir Daniel:

um, from the hair with the, you know, the, the twists and the, the, the knots.

Sir Daniel:

And then she finally just, um, went.

Sir Daniel:

Full, um, dreads, well, excuse me, went full locks.

Sir Daniel:

And Lauren has low key been a fashion movement in her own right for years.

Sir Daniel:

I have never seen her perform post, post miseducation.

Sir Daniel:

I've never seen her perform on stage without a pair of heels.

Sir Daniel:

And that's, and that's saying something.

Sir Daniel:

And, you know, you would think that she would not be.

Sir Daniel:

But mama has never stepped on stage without a nasty heel.

Jay Ray:

Nah, Lauren is, you are absolutely right.

Jay Ray:

I will never, um, forget, uh, there was the roots picnic, so this is like.

Jay Ray:

2012, then you could watch this video

Sir Daniel:

Yes.

Jay Ray:

Shoot, she came out in the white little dress and I was like, we

Jay Ray:

be forgetting that that girl Lauren is going to give you fresh style.

Jay Ray:

Okay.

Jay Ray:

At all times.

Jay Ray:

Nope.

Jay Ray:

Highly agree.

Jay Ray:

And we gonna stay in Jersey since we here, um, because Queen Latifah is on my list.

Sir Daniel:

she is.

Jay Ray:

And my this, um, Dana Owens has always from dance for

Jay Ray:

me on down, um, has always stuck to a signature style, but as her.

Jay Ray:

Star has risen, like everything about her style has also risen with it.

Jay Ray:

And so there's always been the, um, consistency around, uh, the

Jay Ray:

celebration of her blackness, especially her black womanhood.

Jay Ray:

Right.

Jay Ray:

Dana has always shown up, uh, royally.

Jay Ray:

On camera, even on tv, even when you would watch Living Single, right?

Jay Ray:

It was like, you could tell that whoever was styling her also was like, okay,

Jay Ray:

this is like Queen Latifah style.

Jay Ray:

You know what I mean?

Jay Ray:

On television.

Jay Ray:

But I think, um, speaking of the Met Gala, I remember when her and, uh,

Jay Ray:

her partner showed up on that red carpet at the, the Met Gala last year.

Jay Ray:

And it was just like, yo, this woman.

Jay Ray:

Knows how to turn heads, you know what I mean?

Jay Ray:

So, and what I love about, uh, what I love about Queen Latifah's style,

Jay Ray:

even when I watch the equalizer, it is one, we talked about this a lot.

Jay Ray:

Hair is never outta place.

Sir Daniel:

The, the hair needs a moment by itself.

Sir Daniel:

Jay Ray, the hair is a moment by itself.

Sir Daniel:

I don't understand why she, I know she's done covergirl for makeup and you know,

Sir Daniel:

faces face card is always on 10, but I am so surprised she never had some

Sir Daniel:

type of, um, relaxer deal or something was not on the cover of somebody's box

Sir Daniel:

because like to your point, that hair was.

Sir Daniel:

Always, always laid to this day.

Sir Daniel:

It's always laid.

Sir Daniel:

Even when she, even when she first came out and she had it cut short,

Sir Daniel:

you know, like a typical basketball, um, female basketball player, cut

Sir Daniel:

short, curly on top and cut on the sides with the lines and everything.

Sir Daniel:

That was still fly.

Sir Daniel:

She was the all fly flying the fly girls.

Jay Ray:

You know what I mean?

Jay Ray:

So she absolutely, uh, sits on my list.

Jay Ray:

I think she's an an important style.

Jay Ray:

I kind of taught black women that there are different ways that you could

Jay Ray:

kind of show up, um, and still be fly.

Jay Ray:

So, uh, queen Latifah.

Jay Ray:

Absolutely.

Jay Ray:

So that was three.

Jay Ray:

So we both did three.

Jay Ray:

I, yes, we did both.

Jay Ray:

Did three.

Jay Ray:

Right.

Jay Ray:

So who's your, who's a fourth for you?

Sir Daniel:

Okay, so before we get into that, I do have a question.

Sir Daniel:

Um, do you remember your first, your first clothing purchase

Sir Daniel:

and who was it inspired by?

Sir Daniel:

Like you took your own money and you were old enough to say, okay,

Sir Daniel:

um, I want this piece, this.

Jay Ray:

Yep.

Sir Daniel:

Piece of iconography on my back, um, because it's fly

Sir Daniel:

and it represents that I'm part of the culture and I'm cool.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

So, um, I do remember this, but, um, it was actually a, a, a, um, an accessory.

Jay Ray:

So the first, um, accessory that I purchased, and it was inspired by Flavor

Jay Ray:

Flav, was the rope, the rope, stopwatch.

Jay Ray:

Clock thing.

Jay Ray:

'cause I definitely wanted that.

Jay Ray:

I couldn't get the big joint.

Jay Ray:

'cause my mom was like, no, you can't do that.

Jay Ray:

But you couldn't do this swatch, they were selling those.

Jay Ray:

So shout out to, to the folks, y'all may not remember this, but back

Jay Ray:

in the day in the hood, you could buy color coded stop watches that

Jay Ray:

you could wear around your neck.

Jay Ray:

And so they were your watch and your stopwatch.

Jay Ray:

When I first got, when I would get money and I could go out and buy stuff, I can't

Jay Ray:

remember how much these things were, but I remember buying it from the flea

Jay Ray:

market and um, I got me one of those.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Sir Daniel:

okay,

Sir Daniel:

so another pick.

Sir Daniel:

This is coming from a little left field, but one of my picks was Diggable planets.

Jay Ray:

Oh, interesting.

Jay Ray:

Okay.

Sir Daniel:

Yeah.

Sir Daniel:

Digable Planets to me, I, so of course we're talking about 92

Jay Ray:

Mm-hmm.

Sir Daniel:

when they drop, so they are, they're squarely in the

Sir Daniel:

vein of, uh, tribe Called Quest and that whole Native Tongues.

Sir Daniel:

But they, it's like they took the, the Bohemian style and kind of.

Sir Daniel:

I don't know.

Sir Daniel:

It wasn't exaggerated.

Sir Daniel:

It was very, it was almost kind of, it was understated and clean cut,

Sir Daniel:

but there was also something very militarized about it without looking

Sir Daniel:

military, if you catch what I'm saying.

Sir Daniel:

Because if between rebirth and um.

Sir Daniel:

Uh, the, the blowout, the blowout between re, between blue blue balls, between

Sir Daniel:

between rebirth and the blowout comb.

Sir Daniel:

They had experienced some radicalization of their own.

Sir Daniel:

I'm pretty certain, brought on by the music industry.

Sir Daniel:

And so while they were.

Sir Daniel:

Kind.

Sir Daniel:

They were kind of backpackers, but they were still smooth with it.

Sir Daniel:

That kind of re, that stuck out to me.

Sir Daniel:

It's like, okay, I see you got that from, that looks like a gap piece.

Sir Daniel:

But I know that that's, you know, some camouflage that you cop from the

Sir Daniel:

corner store and, you know, camouflage pieces look, just, looks so dope to me

Sir Daniel:

back then, back in the early nineties.

Sir Daniel:

And it just, it felt strong.

Sir Daniel:

It definitely reflected a different movement.

Sir Daniel:

Within hip hop, you know, we're, we're backpackers now, we're, you know,

Sir Daniel:

we're kind of grimy and, you know, and earthy, you know, you got your, you

Sir Daniel:

got a Kofi on sometimes, or you get one of those military style hats to pull.

Sir Daniel:

'cause to feel like, because this is, we've taken the

Sir Daniel:

culture back to the underground.

Sir Daniel:

And so to do that you kind of had to look the part.

Sir Daniel:

And so Diggable planets to me.

Sir Daniel:

Did that, but now, but fast forward to now, the three of them.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Sir Daniel:

Man, those three are, so that is a good looking group of, um, people.

Sir Daniel:

They, their, their style has evolved.

Sir Daniel:

I love how Mecca being the only, the only woman in the group ladybug, the only woman

Sir Daniel:

in the group, she's able to shine and to, and to embrace all her femininity.

Sir Daniel:

'cause of course back then she was rocking, you know, shirts and, and,

Sir Daniel:

and pants, like the boys and whatnot.

Sir Daniel:

But now she's completely bloomed and, and has her pieces as well.

Sir Daniel:

It's like these women are getting their, you know, getting their tens from their

Sir Daniel:

stylists or if they do it on their own.

Sir Daniel:

And then the fellows, they, they're bohemian, um, ish in particular, I

Sir Daniel:

love Isha style from, from rocking Guber to the, to the tunics with the.

Sir Daniel:

Embroidered, um, the embroidering and, and something just looks very lush and lux.

Sir Daniel:

And so I liked the fact that I was inspired by them as a teenager and

Sir Daniel:

as an almost 50-year-old can still be inspired by them to still be

Sir Daniel:

fly and hip hop at the same time.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

It's, I love that you picked, uh, Digable planets.

Jay Ray:

'cause that's an interesting pick.

Jay Ray:

But it, it mirrors 'cause this person who is on my list got some stuff from Diggable

Jay Ray:

planets and that person is most deaf.

Jay Ray:

Most deaf or Yasin Bay.

Sir Daniel:

Mm-hmm.

Jay Ray:

Sorry.

Jay Ray:

Ya seen ya bay.

Jay Ray:

Um, what I love about his evolving style is it absolutely veered from kind of the

Jay Ray:

grimy backpack underground, late nineties, early two thousands, New York into uh uh.

Jay Ray:

Vintage pieces.

Jay Ray:

So he started wearing the fedoras, uh, started wearing the jackets,

Jay Ray:

started wearing, you know, like, uh, you know, custom pants, like

Jay Ray:

fitted pants and all of that.

Jay Ray:

So I distinctly remember.

Jay Ray:

When the new danger was coming out and just watching how, uh, his style

Jay Ray:

had evolved leaps and bounds since like the black on both sides record.

Jay Ray:

Um, and seeing the way that he was able to kind of bring suits into this.

Jay Ray:

But they weren't like, at least to my knowledge, like brand

Jay Ray:

new designer suits, right?

Jay Ray:

They definitely looked vintage.

Jay Ray:

They may not have been vintage, but they looked vintage and.

Jay Ray:

He absolutely expanded, uh, especially in the early two thousands.

Jay Ray:

Like what it was okay for a rapper to look like, right?

Jay Ray:

Because we were squarely entering a movement where everything was

Jay Ray:

like, um, names and high fashion.

Jay Ray:

So you were hearing all of the names, the Gucci and the Versaces and all of that.

Jay Ray:

Whereas even though that was in his, his wheelhouse, he looked.

Jay Ray:

Classic.

Jay Ray:

So when I even think of, and I know that we're gonna, we're gonna do a

Jay Ray:

show on this, when I think of like the idea of the Dandy Yasim Bay

Jay Ray:

represents that in so many ways.

Jay Ray:

And even today you see it showing up in his style.

Jay Ray:

So, um, I think that brother is dope and um, absolutely has inspired the

Jay Ray:

way I see myself as a black man.

Jay Ray:

And I think other rappers, the way they can see themselves.

Sir Daniel:

Absolutely.

Sir Daniel:

And I, and to add to that really quickly, I just distinctly feel like ya also

Sir Daniel:

brought a global appeal like you could.

Sir Daniel:

Like some of the things that he would wear, you would see in South

Sir Daniel:

African art pieces from the sixties.

Sir Daniel:

Like, okay.

Sir Daniel:

It's like, oh, so this brother is doing references back to, to the

Sir Daniel:

sixties, the seventies, but not just here in the states, um, across the

Sir Daniel:

globe and not just Africa, but um, places outside of Africa because I'm

Sir Daniel:

sure be, uh, uh, he is Muslim, right?

Jay Ray:

He is.

Jay Ray:

He absolutely

Sir Daniel:

he's so that has, that had a, um, uh, an effect

Sir Daniel:

on the way he dressed as well.

Sir Daniel:

But a lot of our Muslim brothers and sisters be rocking it.

Sir Daniel:

Like a lot of that stuff is custom and is fly as, I don't know what, so hats off to

Sir Daniel:

you on that pick, and you said something very important about seeing yourself.

Sir Daniel:

And reflected in these, um, these artists, and we've said it many, many,

Sir Daniel:

many, many, many times on this show.

Sir Daniel:

That Heavy D was one of the influences for us because you and

Sir Daniel:

I, we had, we have a different, um.

Sir Daniel:

Way of presenting in this world because both of us, we we're, we're

Sir Daniel:

big guys, we're men of stature.

Sir Daniel:

Um, myself, I was Jay Ray.

Sir Daniel:

I was, um, 13 years old and already almost six feet tall.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Sir Daniel:

And ha and wearing a size 13.

Jay Ray:

hard, man.

Sir Daniel:

That's hard.

Sir Daniel:

That's hard when you're 13 and you want to look like everybody else, but

Sir Daniel:

your body is doing something completely different than everybody else, but

Sir Daniel:

you want to be fly at the same time.

Sir Daniel:

And heavy D came at a time when I was going through that

Sir Daniel:

and I was like, oh, okay.

Sir Daniel:

You know, at that moment when he steps out of the big and tall store in Mount

Sir Daniel:

Vernon, I was like, oh, that's me.

Jay Ray:

Yeah.

Sir Daniel:

That's me going to the big and tall store and, but then

Sir Daniel:

being more intentional about what I pick out and making sure that I

Sir Daniel:

feel good about what I'm wearing.

Sir Daniel:

And so, you know, everything from the, from the uniformity of what

Sir Daniel:

he had on with the, with the boys.

Jay Ray:

Mm-hmm.

Sir Daniel:

Who were much smaller than him, but there was

Sir Daniel:

a uniformity in what they wore.

Sir Daniel:

And then when we got to big time and the albums after that, you talk about

Sir Daniel:

classy, but still, but still representing Hip hop, clean it, it lent him to not

Sir Daniel:

just us in the hip hop community, but it gave him crossover appeal and allowed

Sir Daniel:

him to kick down some more doors.

Sir Daniel:

In order for us to come through as well.

Sir Daniel:

So Heavy D will forever be one of my hip hop style icons forever.

Sir Daniel:

And um, before we wrap this up, Jay, okay.

Sir Daniel:

You not, I know you're not gonna expect this, but I have to give honorable

Sir Daniel:

mention, I have to give honorable mention.

Jay Ray:

have one too.

Sir Daniel:

Oh, perfect.

Sir Daniel:

So I have honorable mention to Mr.

Sir Daniel:

Cool Modi.

Jay Ray:

Oh, good one.

Jay Ray:

Okay.

Jay Ray:

Okay.

Jay Ray:

Good one.

Jay Ray:

I thought we were gonna pick the same person.

Jay Ray:

Okay.

Jay Ray:

Cool, cool, cool.

Sir Daniel:

That would, that wouldn't surprise me.

Sir Daniel:

But Ku OD on the lowest of keys was killing you all.

Sir Daniel:

It was killing y'all.

Sir Daniel:

He was eating the game up in the, in the mid eighties.

Sir Daniel:

Now, he came from, he did come from the era where, uh, it was pumas,

Sir Daniel:

puma sweatsuits and whatnot, but.

Sir Daniel:

He also did come from the era where they were integrating a lot of leather.

Sir Daniel:

The look was very downtown, very soho very, you know, punk inspired and they,

Sir Daniel:

he was integrating a lot of leather.

Sir Daniel:

And then when the late eighties came along, Kumo DI don't know who, if I

Sir Daniel:

don't, where are those Dapper dance.

Sir Daniel:

But Kumo D always had a fresh leather outfit.

Jay Ray:

Always.

Sir Daniel:

With the pill box hat to to, to top it, all off

Jay Ray:

coats and boots.

Sir Daniel:

I mean, the, if, if Peter had known about Kuo D they would've been at

Sir Daniel:

every video shoot waiting to throw blood on that brother because he was sharp.

Jay Ray:

Always.

Sir Daniel:

sharp.

Sir Daniel:

And let, and let's not talk about the eyewear, the eye, the signature eyewear.

Sir Daniel:

Uh, it went from just regular shades to those, um, to those big blockers.

Sir Daniel:

I don't know

Jay Ray:

I don't know what they're called, but

Sir Daniel:

what that brand was, but eyewear.

Sir Daniel:

Custom gear.

Sir Daniel:

You are.

Sir Daniel:

He's a style icon.

Sir Daniel:

He's a style icon that we, we like to not talk about Kumo d on purpose because,

Sir Daniel:

because I think of the way, because of the way he raps and people nowadays make fun

Sir Daniel:

of the way, the cadence that he deliver.

Sir Daniel:

But the brother gave a lot to the game and he, um, whether it was

Sir Daniel:

with his music and his rhymes.

Sir Daniel:

But also he was a style maven.

Sir Daniel:

He was a fashion maven for sure.

Sir Daniel:

So my honorable mention goes to Kumo D

Jay Ray:

Oh, that is a really good honorable mention.

Jay Ray:

So Missy is my, my honorable mention because I feel like even to this

Jay Ray:

day, whenever you see Missy on camera, she's ready to be on camera.

Jay Ray:

You know, I mean, like it's, you know,

Sir Daniel:

The same way we feel about Latifah and Hair.

Sir Daniel:

Missy is also a hair,

Jay Ray:

Hair and makeup.

Jay Ray:

I remember.

Jay Ray:

And uh, Missy used to say when during, especially during them early years, when

Jay Ray:

she was like super duper busy, her makeup artists would literally do her makeup

Jay Ray:

while she, while Missy was sleeping.

Jay Ray:

Because it was like, no, 'cause she had to like be ready to do a thing was Yeah,

Jay Ray:

apparently the makeup artist would just be like in there, like getting the face

Jay Ray:

done and the eyes and all of miss, you would wake up misdemeanor, but, um, yo.

Jay Ray:

This right here was such a dope conversation.

Jay Ray:

I, um, who are your, let us know.

Jay Ray:

Let us know, um, as a, as, as a comment, who's your flyest rapper?

Jay Ray:

Who are some of your flyest rappers?

Jay Ray:

We would love to hear from y'all, but please stay connected to Queue Points.

Jay Ray:

Um, please if you can see our faces or hear our voices subscribe.

Jay Ray:

Let your friends, family, colleagues know because if you enjoy Queue Points, chances

Jay Ray:

are they will enjoy Queue Points as well.

Jay Ray:

Visit our website@Queue Points.com.

Jay Ray:

You can watch all of our archive for our entire show.

Jay Ray:

Uh, shop our store@store.Queue Points.com and check out additional content on Queue

Jay Ray:

Points mag@magazine.Queue Points.com.

Sir Daniel:

Thank you Jay Ray, and what do I always say in this life?

Sir Daniel:

You have a choice.

Sir Daniel:

You can either pick up the needle or let the record play.

Sir Daniel:

I'm DJ Sir Daniel.

Jay Ray:

My name is Jay Ray, y'all.

Sir Daniel:

And this is Queue Points podcast, dropping the

Sir Daniel:

needle on black music history.

Sir Daniel:

We will see you on the next go round, looking fresh dress, ready to impress

Jay Ray:

Peace y'all.

Sir Daniel:

peace.

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About the Podcast

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About your hosts

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DJ Sir Daniel

DJ Sir Daniel is a DJ/Selector and part of Atlanta's, all-vinyl crew, Wax Fundamentals. Co-host of the Queue Points podcast, he is an advocate for DJ culture and is passionate about creating atmospheres of inclusivity and jubilation from a Black perspective.

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Jay Ray

Johnnie Ray Kornegay III (Jay Ray) is a podcast consultant and co-host and producer of Queue Points, the Ambie Award-nominated podcast that drops the needle on Black music history. In addition to his duties at Queue Points, he is the Deputy Director of Strategy and Impact for CNP (Counter Narrative Project). A photographer, creative consultant and social commentator, Jay Ray's work is centered around a commitment to telling full and honest stories about communities often ignored.