Kangol Ventair Cap Worn by Grandmaster Flash

Kangol Ventair Cap, circa 1980s, formerly worn by Grandmaster Flash

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 uniquely to express their fashion taste and to influence urban street wear also known as b-boy/b-girl style. The 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 80s 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.

Kangol is a clothing company most famous for its headwear established in England in 1938. Before becoming fashionable among Hip-Hop fans, the hats were typically worn by workers, golfers and members of the British armed forces. The company made hats for British soldiers in WWII and until they changed their iconic design in the 50s. The ventair Kangol hats were a part of Grandmaster Flash’s signature style. However, Rapper LL Cool J has been known for popularizing the Kango bucket hats which helped Kangol to be a popular fashion staple within Hip-Hop fashion wear in the 1980s.

Grandmaster Flash (Joseph Saddler, b. 1958) is one of the founding fathers of hip-hop and known as the originator of scratching and mixing. Born in the Bronx, Grandmaster Flash has been experimenting with vinyl since he was a toddler and grew a serious passion for music and engineering. His knowledge of audio equipment and experimentation led him to revolutionize the way DJs played records where he started using his turntable as an instrument. Grandmaster Flash perfected manipulating vinyl records where he would put his hands on the vinyl and manipulate it in a backward, forward or counterclockwise motion. Through this process, Grandmaster Flash perfected beat looping, and discovered many of the most iconic beats still commonly sampled today. Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2007) and the Grammy Hall of Fame (2012), Grandmaster Flash is acknowledged for pioneering a relationship between DJ and rappers and his innovative techniques of the turntable and mixing equipment.