Rapper Young Thug Continues to Break the Rules of Hip-Hop Fashion

Young Thug is at it again. Last week, the rapper released his much anticipated album, “No, My Name is JEFFERY”. While the album got high reviews, it was the album cover that sparked so much attention. Jeffery is posed wearing a periwinkle garment designed by Italian designer Alessandro Trincone which he claims are inspired by gender neutral Japanese fashion.  

A photo posted by Sean (@seanm0403) on Aug 31, 2016 at 12:27pm PDT

This isn’t the first time Young Thug was seen wearing and advertising what looks like women’s clothing. Back in early July, he posed for the #myCalvins campaign donning womenswear with the caption, “I disobey in #mycalvins”. Before that, he did an entire spread for Dazed Magazine wearing entirely womenswear. So what gives? Last year, he interviewed with GQ magazine and explained his fashion choices:

“Women’s clothes are slimmer than men’s clothes. The jeans I got on right now, they’re women’s jeans. But they fit how they’re supposed to fit. Like a rock star. The only thing I probably have in men’s is, like, briefs. T-shirts. Ninety percent of my clothes are women’s”.

I disobey in #mycalvins. Rapper @thuggerthugger1 wears a Calvin Klein Collection women’s look in the Fall 2016 global campaign. Photographed by Tyrone Lebon. See more: ck.com/mycalvins

A photo posted by Calvin Klein (@calvinklein) on Jul 11, 2016 at 12:06pm PDT

YOUNG THUG Inside the new autumn issue of Dazed, out now. Interview by #PatrikSandberg, photography @harleyweir, fashion @robbiespencer @thuggerthuggger1 wears @gucci

A photo posted by Dazed (@dazed) on Aug 13, 2015 at 5:15am PDT

The bottom line is, that’s how he chooses to dress and express himself. Conversation over, right? Wrong. Young Thug’s choice of style has caused much controversy in the hip-hop community. Many rappers expressed “outrage” seeing a fellow artist in womenswear, claiming that makes them homosexual, less masculine, and not rock star material. But when has wearing women’s clothing had anything to do with your sexuality?  Many (straight) musicians before Jeffery has rocked questionable fashion choices before including Prince, Andre 3000, Lil B, and CeeLo Green. So whether you’re straight or gay, rapper or a rock star, what you wear may define you, but the one thing that’s constant is that all the stars mentioned here are icons in music and in fashion. In the words of Young Thug, “In my world, you can be a gangsta with a dress or you can be a gangsta with baggy pants. I feel like there’s no such thing as gender”.

CeeLo Green

A photo posted by CeeLo Green (@ceelogreen) on Nov 11, 2015 at 2:41pm PST

André 3000

A photo posted by AHISHA ADJOA. (@ahishaa) on Aug 30, 2016 at 3:00pm PDT

Cam'ron

A photo posted by @mr_camron on Oct 16, 2014 at 5:57pm PDT

Lil B

A photo posted by C.B (@boozer_baby) on Jun 28, 2015 at 10:27am PDT