by A Kyles

Created on: October 29, 2009   Last Updated: October 31, 2009

Clothes are a major part of any society's culture. A person's right to wear sagging pants for some people is like losing one button that keeps their pants together. A person losing the right to "sag" beckons the question: Is "sagging" pants that iconic to destroy hip hop?

How do we define hip hop culture? The easiest response to define hip hop is simply music. However, that is like suggesting that pants only need one button to stay closed when it is typically designed with a zipper, more buttons, or either a elastic waist band to be worn. Hip hop culture is more complex than just the music, it involves a community of people, persons' behavior and emotions. It is a culture heavily influenced by trends that are started and ended by purchasing power and social influences. The community that fosters a culture can start and end its own culture by eliminating the trend that catapulted it from the fringes of society into mainstream.

Consider what would happen if the "sag" was replaced by "skinnies"? Rockers are historically tethered to slender, fitted jeans. The punk rocker, the soft rocker, and the indie rocker have continuously recycled a trend wearing "skinnies". If the skinny jean was not recycled over and over again then the sincerity of the rock enthusiast's commitment to rock culture may actually be called into questioned by other members of the rock community. Rockers young and old have all worn a pair of "skinnies." Every generation since the 1950s has supported wearing "skinnies" as a personal homage to the rock culture.

Now consider the hip hop enthusiast. His commitment to hip hop culture is questioned by his cultural group because he no longer"sags" but rather rocks the "skinnies". If one hip hop artist was to stop wearing "sagging" pants due to the "sagging" pants ban then that may mean one lost music fan. A hip hop artist who wears "skinnies" has fans who have supported him over the past several years and albums may not still support him due to his clothing style change. In addition, the authenticity of music this artist performs may be questioned . One botched fashion style can end an artist's music career due to scrutiny of change of his personal style. Changing an artist's personal style may invite the artist to be labeled not a hip hop artist but a popular artist (e.g., pop music).

Hip culture has less to do about music and more regarding identity when collectively teenagers, young adults, "gangstas," and somebody's grandma has enough purchasing power and social mantra to halt the support of a specific genre of music produced in the music industry. If the "buyer" or "believer" of hip hop culture no longer relates to the hip hop artist in a physical, behavioral, and emotional manner like clothing style (i.e.,"sagging"), then hip hop is dead.

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