“I was 13 when I bought the Purple Haze album,” twenty-five-year-old rap-enthusiast James from Harlem admitted. “I remember bumping that shit for the first time, and thinking it was realer than anything I had ever heard before. And, I still listen to that record today. Dipset, bitch!”
To many, the Diplomats movement of the ‘90s transcends just the music. Since its inception in 1997, the founding clan members Jim Jones, Freekey Zekey, Cam’ron, and latecomer Juelz Santana have been constantly pushing the envelope with their color-and-pattern coordinated looks, which were controversial to many, but refreshing to most.
From Cam’s pivotal frosted all-pink 2003 Grammys look, to Juelz’s ultra-patriotic head-to-toe Stars and Stripes ensemble in the “Dipset Anthem” film clip, the crew were untouchable when it came to their steelo and they seemed to inject a sense of humor into their aesthetic. In his 2004 track “Dead Muthafuckas,” Cam’ron (aka Killa Cam) notes that, “I got the whole New York wearing pink,” sharing how his personal style has revolutionized the way hip-hop fans dress themselves, normalizing the notion of men wearing the color pink. Who could forget Cam’s Laffy Taffy Range Rover, that he himself claims makes “bitches (call him) tacky daddy”? These bright, monotone looks have been re-imagined in the present, with contemporary designers like Gypsy Sport, Gosha Rubchinskiy, and Shrimps creating eccentric garments with a Killa flare.
So it came as no surprise that the Dipset 2015 reunion last night is already the most-hype hip-hop event of the year in New York City. If you weren’t proudly bearing the Eagle logo on your chest, you were fronting a Cam-inspired look—namely head-to-toe pastels, a layered bandana-and-fitted combo, or obnoxiously loud fur. The venue was littered with fire outfits worn by die-hard fans who see Dipset as a lifestyle and the crew’s lyrics as gospel.
Amid the sea of hovering iPhones and members of Dipset’s crew who suffocated the rapper’s side-stage, the Dipset sound emanated a surprising sense of “freshness” almost two decades later and counting.
The sound wasn’t the only dose of freshness from last night, check out the slideshow above to see highlights of the crowd—whose personal style couldn't be denied.![]()
Photos by Ava Nirui![]()
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To many, the Diplomats movement of the ‘90s transcends just the music. Since its inception in 1997, the founding clan members Jim Jones, Freekey Zekey, Cam’ron, and latecomer Juelz Santana have been constantly pushing the envelope with their color-and-pattern coordinated looks, which were controversial to many, but refreshing to most.
From Cam’s pivotal frosted all-pink 2003 Grammys look, to Juelz’s ultra-patriotic head-to-toe Stars and Stripes ensemble in the “Dipset Anthem” film clip, the crew were untouchable when it came to their steelo and they seemed to inject a sense of humor into their aesthetic. In his 2004 track “Dead Muthafuckas,” Cam’ron (aka Killa Cam) notes that, “I got the whole New York wearing pink,” sharing how his personal style has revolutionized the way hip-hop fans dress themselves, normalizing the notion of men wearing the color pink. Who could forget Cam’s Laffy Taffy Range Rover, that he himself claims makes “bitches (call him) tacky daddy”? These bright, monotone looks have been re-imagined in the present, with contemporary designers like Gypsy Sport, Gosha Rubchinskiy, and Shrimps creating eccentric garments with a Killa flare.
So it came as no surprise that the Dipset 2015 reunion last night is already the most-hype hip-hop event of the year in New York City. If you weren’t proudly bearing the Eagle logo on your chest, you were fronting a Cam-inspired look—namely head-to-toe pastels, a layered bandana-and-fitted combo, or obnoxiously loud fur. The venue was littered with fire outfits worn by die-hard fans who see Dipset as a lifestyle and the crew’s lyrics as gospel.
Amid the sea of hovering iPhones and members of Dipset’s crew who suffocated the rapper’s side-stage, the Dipset sound emanated a surprising sense of “freshness” almost two decades later and counting.
The sound wasn’t the only dose of freshness from last night, check out the slideshow above to see highlights of the crowd—whose personal style couldn't be denied.
Photos by Ava Nirui
