Kendrick Lamar‘s protracted beef with Drake quickly escalated from venomous studio diss to complete cultural phenom. This sonic hateration has inspired new depths of aspirational petty in listeners, and the latest stop on Lamar’s vindication tour was his Super Bowl LIX Halftime performance. Against a backdrop of seismic red, white and blue symbolism, Lamar not only mentioned Drake by name, he also had a stadium full of his peers sing along to his incendiary “A Minor” lyric. He even brought out Drake’s ex-paramour, Serena Williams, to crip-walk to the soundtrack of Drake’s demise, “Not Like Us.” Heavy day.
But Lamar’s influence isn’t exclusive to rhythmic animus — his fashion prowess is nothing to scoff at. His Halftime performance ushered herds of viewers, mostly women, to Celine’s website in hopes of securing those expertly fitted jeans he wore during his performance.
The form-hugging bell bottoms punctuated the magnitude of his sartorially symbolic performance, tethered by a custom leather Martine Rose varsity jacket and a pair of Nike Air DT Max ’96.
Lamar’s stance as a style maverick has been marked by subtle style selections like couture Chanel, charmed-out hats and an extensive collection of vintage Jordans.
Whether he’s performing at Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring/Summer 2023 show in Paris or co-designing the set for Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2024 Couture presentation, hip-hop is at the center of everything K. Dot does.
But it’s not just that Lamar has extremely good personal style, which he does; it’s also the stories that come with the fits that make Lamar’s self-proclamation as the “best-dressed moving forward” in Hillbillies land as an absolute truth.
His custom Super Bowl LIX Martine Rose varsity jacket spelled out “Gloria” along the front, a parable for his artistry and the complexities of creation. And he’s frequently aligned himself with niche designers like Willy Chavarria and ERL.
Lamar’s clothing, much like his music, represents a movement that’s bigger than rap beefs and designer labels. It’s a reflection of his belief systems that honor the culture while simultaneously molding it in his image.
