Military Jacket Worn by Professor Griff from Public Enemy

Hip-Hop is one of the musical genres that embodies political and revolutionary thought and fashion into contemporary street wear. Many artists dressed in military style surplus clothing, fatigues, camouflage, and military-style boots. Public Enemy was a group that adopted the military aesthetic early in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Formed in Long Island, New York in 1986, the politically charged group were known for their renegade lyrics and protest songs like “Fight the Power” and “Burn Hollywood Burn.”  The S1Ws - a sub-group of Public Enemy - was known to wear military fatigues and parade on stage like a squad of guerillas. In 1988, the group was pictured wearing a woodland camo pattern during the promotion of their album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold us Back. Public Enemy is considered the first Hip-Hop group to adopt camouflage and the military-style look.

Richard Griffin (b. 1960), better known by his stage name Professor Griff is a rapper and past member of the Hip-Hop group Public Enemy who served as the group's Minister of Information.