This look is an extension of hip-hop music, which is a form of storytelling of the everyday events in the African oral tradition. The look had its roots in the South Bronx during the 1970s and was originally known as "old school." Its style was grounded in DJing (spinning and scratching records), breakdancing, early rap music, graffiti, and the need to differentiate from disco and ghettogang life. The clothing, while consisting of basic American jeans, T-shirts, baseball caps, sneakers, and boxer shorts, is transformed when worn in a hip-hop style. Jeans, which are oversized and slung low on the hip, gather in deep folds at the ankles and hang low on the waist to reveal the designer label on the boxer shorts. Designer logo accessories accent the look. Several rappers have successful fashion apparel companies that create hip-hop fashion collections.
Historical Dictionary of the Fashion Industry. Francesca Sterlacci and Joanne Arbuckle.