Tokyo titans RockSmith pay tribute to some of the greats with three new tees at Karmaloop, namely OutKast, Nas and Young MC.
In our humble opinion, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, the debut album from OutKast, is not just one of the Top Ten hip hop albums of all-time... it is possibly one of the Top Ten albums ever made, period. With production all performed in-house by Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown of Organized Noize, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik not only introduced the world to Andre "3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton, but also to Cee-Lo, Big Gipp, Khujo and T-Mo of Goodie Mob. Beneath the graphic on The Playa Muzik Tee is text reading "Most Influential," and RockSmith is definitely "Claimin' True" with that statement.
People are quick to dismiss Young MC as a one-hit wonder following his relatively low success following debut Stone Cold Rhymin' which featured "Bust a Move," but the fact is... okay, we admit it. He was a one-hit wonder. That's not to say Stone Cold Rhymin' wasn't a fun party album back in the day, and the man does deserve credit for penning two classic hits for fellow old-schooler Tone Loc, "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina." RockSmith shows that it certainly believes credit is due in creating The Young MC Tee, applying a twist to Young MC's name ring from a photo circa 1990.
"Everybody's looking for something..." Well, here it is. The Street Dreams Tee, a tribute to the Nas single of the same title from sophomore follow-up It Was Written, is as vivid in color as the classic video with font vaguely reminiscent of graphic artist Keith Haring's later works. Initially labeled a "sophomore slump" album due to a more polished sound and lyrics centered around glamorized street life, Nas was labeled a sell-out and the album was critically panned by reviewers and fans alike. However, the album has undoubtedly stood the test of time, bearing classic joints "If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)," Dr. Dre-produced "Nas is Coming," "Affirmative Action," and "The Message." Expect The Street Dreams Tee to do the same and become the next future classic from RockSmith.
These three tees are just a sample of what RockSmith hit us with, so check out the rest of the line here for more Golden Age of Rap-themed tees, hoodies, denims and jackets.
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