Lee Denim Jeans Worn by Prince Whipper Whip

Lee was a prominent brand of streetwear jeans that many local B-boys and artists would wear during the early era of Hip-Hop. Denim jeans and jackets also were considered one of the first canvases for Hip-Hop in the ’80s where people would paint names on the side of a person’s jeans. Airbrushed lettering was a major fashion statement and design that represented the vibrant colors of graffiti art and allowed artists to wear designs of their names, groups, self-portraits and cartoons to represent who they were and where they were from. One of the major airbrush painters of the ’80s, during the birth of Hip-Hop, was King Phade, who was painter and co-founder of the Shirt Kings. He grew a fan base with his custom airbrushed t-shirts and sweaters, remixing street culture and street art onto clothing, and became the first to popularize and commercialize graffiti as a Hip-Hop clothing brand.

*Design artist unknown.

Prince Whipper Whip (James Whipper II, b. 1962) is of Puerto Rican descent and an original member of Grand Wizzard Theodore & the Fantastic Five, also known as the Fantastic Freaks or simply Fantastic Five. The Fantastic Five was an old school Hip-Hop group, best known for their 12” single, “Can I Get A Soul Clap” (1980). The group also appeared in the film Wild Style (1982) and recorded a song in 1994 with the Cold Crush Brothers.