Hip-hop’s evolution, from New York roots to multimillion-dollar businesses – think Pharrell Williams with Louis Vuitton, anything Gucci

Pharrell Williams is Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director, while Jay-Z has a net worth of US$1.5 billion. They are just two examples of the power of hip-hop

The musical genre, which had its roots in New York’s then poverty-stricken Bronx, has become a worldwide culture and encompasses everything from fashion to food

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Pharrell Williams attends the Louis Vuitton autumn/winter 2023-2024 ready-to-wear collection show in March 2023 in Paris. The signs of hip-hop’s influence are now everywhere, from luxury brands like Louis Vuitton to food and lifestyle products. Photo: AP

Published: 5:15pm, 13 Aug 2023

The signs of hip-hop’s influence are everywhere, from Pharrell Williams becoming Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director to brands like Dr Dre’s Beats headphones and retail mainstays like Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Sean John and Jay-Z’s Rocawear.

It did not start out that way.

The musical genre germinated 50 years ago as an escape from the poverty and violence of New York’s most distressed borough, the Bronx. Out of that blossomed an authentic style of expression, one that connected with the city’s black and Latino teens and young adults, and filtered through to graffiti, dance and fashion.

As hip-hop spread throughout New York, so did a culture.

A subway train adorned with graffiti in 1970s New York. In the five decades since hip-hop emerged out of New York, it has spread around the country and the world. Photo: AP

“Hip-hop goes beyond the music,” says C. Keith Harrison, a professor and founding director for the University of Central Florida’s Business of Hip-Hop Innovation & Creative Industries certificate programme.