Skip to the content

Skip to main content
Collections Menu
Fearless Sweatsuit Pants Designed by Dapper Dan and Worn by Master O.C.
Fearless Sweatsuit Pants Designed by Dapper Dan and Worn by Master O.C.

Fearless Sweatsuit Pants Designed by Dapper Dan and Worn by Master O.C.

Manufacturer Ennovyd
Performing artist Master O.C.
Designer Dapper Dan
Datec. 1980
Mediumnylon
DimensionsOverall (HWD): 26 3/4 × 39 3/8 × 13 3/8 in. (67.945 × 100.013 × 33.973 cm)
Credit LineMoPOP permanent collection
Object number1999.206.2
Text Entries

This sweatsuit pants was formerly owned by Master O.C. of the Fearless Four, one of the first Hip-Hop crews to gain national prominence in the early 1980s.  Adorned in matching chains, spikes, boots, and yards of red leather, the group soon developed a reputation for flashy costumes and heavy primping. Hip-Hop fashion took on many forms and styles of expression, while the music has always represented creativity, the fashion in Hip-Hop took on that same effort where artists, DJs, dancers, and fans of the culture would dress to express their fashion taste, what people in their community were wearing to influence urban street wear or B-boy style. The street/B-Boy style included jeans, sneakers, tank tops, over-sized clothing, large gold jewelry, velour sweat suits, Cazals glasses, and Kangol hats. The Hip-Hop style of the 1980s were so unique in New York, one could tell the difference of what neighborhoods and boroughs people were from based on their style of dress. 

The pants seen here was designed by famous designer Dapper Dan. New York’s premier designer of custom leather goods, Dapper Dan worked out of his shop on 125th Street in Harlem. Daniel Day (born August 8, 1944), known as Dapper Dan, is an American fashion designer and haberdasher from Harlem, New York. His influential store, Dapper Dan's Boutique, operated from 1982–92 and is most associated with introducing high fashion to the Hip-Hop world, with his clients over the years including Eric B. & Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z.  Dapper Dan tailored to all the city’s top Hip-Hop artists, as well as such celebrities as then-heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson.  

The Fearless Four was made up of four MCs and two DJs, including Master O.C. (Oscar Rodriquez, Jr.), MCs The Great Peso, Devastating Tito, Mighty Mike C and DLB alongside DJs Master O.C. and Krazy Eddie. Their Fearless Four’s two biggest rap hits were “Rockin’ It,” released in 1982, and “Problems of the World Today,” which followed in 1983. It was the first crew to be signed to a major label, Elektra Records. The group only released one studio album, Creepin' up on Ya, which was released in 1994.

Blue nylon pants.
CopyrightThis work is issued under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License. For more information, go to https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
On View
Not on view
Fearless Sweatsuit Jacket Designed by Dapper Dan and Worn by Master O.C.
Ennovyd
Date: c. 1980
Medium: nylon
Object number: 1999.206.1
Gucci Monogram Dapper Dan Jacket Worn by Van Silk
Van Silk
Date: c. 1980-1983
Medium: suede
Object number: 1998.827.84
Gucci Monogram Dapper Dan Trousers Worn by Van Silk
Van Silk
Date: c. 1980-1983
Medium: suede
Object number: 1998.827.85
Black Wool Felt Hat Worn by Jimi Hendrix
Date: c.1967
Medium: felt; nylon; leather
Object number: 1991.2.6
Leather jacket: formerly owned by Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blow
Date: c. 1985
Medium: leather
Object number: 1999.221.1,.2
"Creole" Leather Pants Worn by The Kidd Creole
The Kidd Creole
Date: c. 1984
Medium: leather
Object number: 1998.805.2
Stage pants worn by Professor Griff
Professor Griff
Date: c. 1990
Medium: cotton (textile)
Object number: 1999.158.4
Python suit: formerly worn by Master P
Master P
Date: c.1996
Medium: snakeskin
Object number: 2000.666.1.A,.B
Pris (Priscilla Stratton) Costume from the Film "Blade Runner"
Blade Runner
Date: 1982
Medium: nylon; silk (textile); leather; acrylic paint; metal
Object number: 2023.42.62.A-.K
Blue Leather No Limit Baseball Shirt and Pants Formerly Owned by Silkk the Shocker
Silkk The Shocker
Date: 1991-1995
Medium: leather
Object number: 2000.363.3.A,.B
Leather pants: formerly owned by DJ Tony Tone
Tony Tone
Date: 1975-1985
Medium: leather
Object number: 1999.229.2
Antonio Ansaldi DPG (Dog Pound Gang) "Bullet-Proof" Vest Designed by Antonio Ansaldi
Tha Dogg Pound
Date: c. 1996
Medium: leather
Object number: 1999.545.3
TICKETS