Kanye West, being the eyewear innovator that he is, began popping up at events with thick black rimmed Malcolm X look-a-like eyeglasses a couple of years ago, but it seems like since Jay-Z turned up in a pair at the Notorious premiere last January and at the inauguration last February with Beyonce, people have been copying the look to mixed results. This look makes sense for Kanye, who refers to himself as a genius, or for Jay-Z attending the inauguration of the first black President, but at last week's BET Hip Hop Awards, everybody had on a pair of thick black rimmed glasses. Don’t they know they can’t be like Jay?
Artists, including Bobby V and Raheem DeVaughn, needed their stylists to have coordinated before-hand because the Malcolm X look was all over the place. All these rappers and singers were trying to stand out but they ended up looking cookie-cutter. Valentino took the look a step further pairing the glasses with a bow-tie; apparently he was influenced by Chris Brown’s appearance on Larry King. The other offenders seemed to throw the glasses on in an attempt to look like “that conscious brother,” but it didn’t go with anything else we know about them to this point.
Do we have to wait to see what Kanye or Jay do next, so we know what we should do?. What ever happened to originality – one of the founding principles of hip-hop? I appreciate a brother getting his intellectual on, but every trend may not be for everybody.
What do you think?
By: Cynthia G. Caban
Since 2005, Singersroom has been the voice of R&B around the world. Connect with us via social media below.
