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Top Male Musicians - Streetwear Influencers
The top ten male musicians who influence street fashion in the United States include Chris Brown, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Travis Scott, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Pharrell Williams, Gucci Mane, Big Sean, A$AP Rocky, and Lil Wayne. They have launched streetwear brands and/or worked with streetwear brands to launch limited-edition apparel and footwear collections. Every musician mentioned above has at least 10 million followers on Instagram.
1. Chris Brown
- Chris Brown is an “American singer, dancer, actor, and entrepreneur.”
- He has 56.3 million Instagram followers.
- Brown launched a streetwear line called Black Pyramid in 2012.
- Black Pyramid serves as an extension of his “love for dance, sci-fi, streetwear, and promoting positive black culture.”
- Brown has no known endorsement deals with any shoe brands, but it was reported in 2015 that he owned a pair of Adidas Yeezy Boost 350s.
2. Snoop Dogg
- Snoop Dogg is an American rapper.
- He has 35.2 million Instagram followers.
- Dogg first modeled for streetwear brand Bape in 2007.
- In June 2019, he partnered with Duke & Dexter to launch a special footwear collection that included “street-style loafers, mules and trendy slides finished in embroidery, velvet, and Snoop Dogg symbols.”
- In 2017, Dogg starred in one of the TV spots for Adidas Originals’ Original Is Never Finished campaign.
3. Wiz Khalifa
- Wiz Khalifa is an American rapper.
- He has 28.1 million Instagram followers.
- Khalifa was one of the performers for the Bape Heads Show event to celebrate the streetwear brand’s 25th anniversary in 2018.
- In July 2019, he worked with Bape to release a special collaborative capsule collection that included tees and hoodies.
- In 2013, Khalifa partnered with Converse, a subsidiary of Nike, to launch the “Fall 2013 Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Wiz Khalifa” footwear collection.
4. Travis Scott
- Travis Scott is an “American rapper and singer.”
- He has 18.9 million Instagram followers.
- In 2017, Scott collaborated with streetwear brand Ksubi to launch a 10-piece collection that included “bombers, hoodies, distressed jeans,” and others.
- Ksubi CEO Craig King has stated that the company is a fan of Scott’s “edgy street style.”
- From 2017 to present, Scott has partnered with Nike and Jordan, a subsidiary of Nike, to launch several footwear collections.
5. Sean 'Diddy' Combs
- Sean Combs is an American rapper and entrepreneur.
- He has 14.7 million Instagram followers.
- Combs launched Sean John in 1998, which originally focused on streetwear before expanding with “additional clothing lines, accessories, and fragrances.”
- In 2004, he was named Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
- In 2013, Combs starred with then football player Calvin Johnson in a TV spot for Nike Football’s Calvin & Johnson campaign.
6. Pharrell Williams
- Pharrell Williams is an “American rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer.”
- He has 12.2 million Instagram followers.
- In 2005, Williams worked with Japanese designer Nigo to launch streetwear brand Billionaire Boys Club.
- In April 2019, he partnered with Chanel to launch a streetwear-inspired collection that included “robes, tees, sneakers, costume jewelry, and sunglasses.”
- Williams latest collaboration with Adidas, the Adidas Originals’ Now Is Her Time apparel and footwear collection, is expected to be released on August 31, 2019.
7. Gucci Mane
- Gucci Mane is an American rapper.
- He has 11.9 million Instagram followers.
- In 2017, Mane partnered with Todd Moscowitz, Austin Rosen, and Minya Oh to launch streetwear line Delantic.
- In April 2019, he worked with Warner Music Artist Services to launch a limited-edition hoodie that featured an “Evil Genius” motif of himself.
- In 2017, Mane modeled for Reebok Classic to promote its Workout Plus sneaker.
8. Big Sean
- Big Sean is an American rapper.
- He has 11.1 million Instagram followers.
- Sean was also one of the performers for the Bape Heads Show event in 2018.
- From 2012 to 2014, he released three collaborative sneakers with Adidas.
- In 2018, Sean worked with Puma to launch the Big Sean Suede 50 pack which featured a "classic meets street" aesthetic.
9. A$AP Rocky
- A$AP Rocky is an American rapper.
- He has 11.1 million Instagram followers.
- Rocky was one of the stars in an AT&T’s short film released in June 2019 to promote the Harlem street style.
- He first became a spokesman for Under Armour in 2017.
- In 2018, he partnered with the brand to launch the SRLo (Skate, Rave, Lo) sneaker.
10. Lil Wayne
- Lil Wayne is an American rapper and lyricist.
- He has 10.5 million Instagram followers.
- In April 2019, streetwear brand Bape released a Wayne-modeled lookbook for the UGG x BAPE collection.
- In January 2019, he stated that he preferred wearing Nike shoes over Adidas.
- In March 2019, Wayne performed at a launch event for Vans’ ComfyCush Eras shoes.
RESEARCH STRATEGY
To identify the top ten male musicians who influence street fashion in the United States, we first examined the list of musicians provided by articles that talked about streetwear influencers. The articles published by Billboard, Citygear, Highsnobiety, Fashionbean, Pitchfork, Business of Fashion, and Forbes talked about musicians/hip-hop artistes who have launched clothing brands, including streetwear lines, and/or known for popularizing streetwear. Next, we looked for articles that have provided proofs/references that they influence streetwear style by founding, partnering with, or endorsing streetwear brands. Lastly, we checked the number of Instagram followers that they have.
We have defined the top ten streetwear influencers according to the number of Instagram followers. Around 20 American male musicians were examined for this research, and the top ten based on Instagram followers have been provided above. The information for well-known musicians and streetwear influencers such as Jay-Z and Kanye West have not been provided as they do not have an active Instagram account and relatively fewer Instagram followers respectively. Please note that sources older than 24 months were used to provide information such as endorsements or collaborations with major shoe brands if they occurred more than two years ago.