Redefining Iconic

Throughout American history, blacks have always taken mainstream dress and style and changed it to fit their own interpretations of “American-ness.” Generally, blacks have often been left out of the equation when America has defined itself. However, dress and cultural aesthetic seems to be one of the many social aspects of American society where African-Americans feel they are allowed—though with some opposition—to express themselves culturally. The hip-hop style of dress has very unique qualities which seem to be rooted in a type of oppositional or antagonistic expression. There are many “American” classics or “icons” that African Americans have reformulated and styled to reflect their own cultural values. For instance, consider the American icon: the baseball cap. Introduced in 1954 by the New Era Company, the baseball cap, as a practical solution, was worn with the bill turned forward intending to protect baseball players from the glare of the sun. The cap was far from the American fashion icon that is instantaneously recognized in contemporary popular culture. Within thirty years (the early 1980’s) America’s very on democratic fashion accessory had been adopted on a popular scale to express not only the love for baseball as an American past time, but to also express a national quality of democracy and collectivity. Contemporarily, we see baseball camps on individuals of all ages and ethnicities. More noticeable than any other cultural group, hip-hop or African-American culture has largely adopted the baseball cap as a staple accessory in its style vocabulary. Rather than wear the hat as its American counterparts have, the hip-hop culture has created its own definition of style. As a sort of improvisational gesture, hip hoppers wear their hats turned backwards, and generally leave the bill flattened. This look is distinctly different from the way the baseball cap was intended to be worn or how others had traditionally styled the accessory. More interestingly, hip hop dressers seem to embody the true essence of American-ness by suggesting one of the nation’s most valued principles—capitalism. In styling the baseball cap by leaving the manufacturer tags and stickers on, these individuals seem to be commenting on the idea of authenticity and legitimacy which have been at the core of hip-hop dress and expression since its inception, and which are also concepts that appear significantly American. Yet, the hip hop style of dress seems to have found a way to incorporate inherent American ideas into its aesthetic while at the simultaneously rejecting any substantial ties with mainstream American dress and style, making the national icon a powerful tool in communicating a national cultural identity that seems both contradictory and inclusive.

Through the baseball cap the hip hop culture has exemplified the true characteristic of improvisation and appropriation. These ideas have been beneficial to both American culture and economics. Popular culture, being largely interested in hip-hop dress, has began to adopt not only the hip hop way of wearing the iconic baseball cap, but it has become more inclusive in the idea of who influences American popular culture.