Who is popular today?

The London-born New York rapper Slick Rick talks us through the history of rappers’ accessories, and shows off his collection, from gold teeth to diamond eye patchI have been telling stories through my attire and adornments for as long as I’ve been telling them with beats and rhymes. Jewels are my thing and every piece in my collection is attached to a fun story and deserves its own Wikipedia entry.I was born in Mitcham, a neighbourhood in south London with a sizeable Jamaican community, in 1965. Looking back, I can say that Mitcham, and England more generally, had a huge influence on me as a writer and a poet. I absorbed the fact that the country was a monarchy, which is probably one of the reasons why, when I started making records, I often referred to myself as Rick the Ruler or Richard of Nottingham. Britannia also had a huge impact on me, style-wise. The Kangol hats. The king’s crown and regal cape. Continue reading...