Rap City: Tha Basement's Greatest Fashion Moments

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Sup? Just beamed down from my space home where time isn’t linear to take you back to “the early 2000’s”. During that period, Rap City: Tha Basement was popular with teenage boys because a.) It kept them off the streets by giving them something gangster to watch while tougher kids were in the streets and b.) It got them hip to hip-hop stylings that deeply worried their parents. I downloaded a fashion memory card to my brain on the trip down and I’m feeling opinion-y. Now shut the fuck up and get in my lunarchopper. I’ll explain on the way.

Rick Morrison is a writer living in North Carolina. Follow him on Twitter here.

1. rapcitylead

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2. Bizarre

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3. The Game

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4. Scarface

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5. Elephant Man

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6. Mack 10 Red Cafe

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7. busta rhymes

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8. Fat Joe

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9. Bow wow

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Bow Wow

This is the most we see of Bow Wow’s outfit because of his height limitations, but this military shirt (with epaulets!) was ahead of its time. In a way, that makes everyone who now owns a military shirt (with epaulets!) want to burn it for being influenced by Bow Wow. But I hear he’s signed to Cash Money Records now? Which makes sense because someonehas to wring the molly water out of Wayne’s TRUKFIT scarves.

10. xzibit

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11. Beanie

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12. Jadakiss

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13. camron

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14. snoop

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Snoop Dogg

This sweatshirt/beanie combo is made from Fresh Prince inside-out sportcoat linings, which makes Snoop a special star in our childhood nostalgia firmament.

15. crime mob

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16. kanye1

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17. kanye2

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18. ghostface

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19. juelz

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20. jd williams

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J.D. Williams

I’m at a loss for what qualifies the guy from The Wire to be in the booth, but that varsity jacket made of camel hair and albino manatee leather has a pointed collar on it so wide I’m more inclined to call it a lapel.

21. sign

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