When Hip Hop Meets High Fashion

Weezy and more of rap's finest strike a pose.

Lil Wayne - Hip hop and fashion have always been inextricably linked, and it’s never more apparent than when rappers land on the covers of our favorite fashion magazines. Keep reading for a look back at some of the hottest hip hop cover stars. By Britt Middleton Young Money’s finest opens up to NYLON Guys about why he’s the “last of a dying breed” in the industry. An artist, he says, who is about making enduring music rather amassing the most followers on Twitter and Instagram. (Photo: Nylon Guys Magazine, January 2015)

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Lil Wayne - Hip hop and fashion have always been inextricably linked, and it’s never more apparent than when rappers land on the covers of our favorite fashion magazines. Keep reading for a look back at some of the hottest hip hop cover stars. By Britt Middleton Young Money’s finest opens up to NYLON Guys about why he’s the “last of a dying breed” in the industry. An artist, he says, who is about making enduring music rather amassing the most followers on Twitter and Instagram. (Photo: Nylon Guys Magazine, January 2015)

Kanye West - Hip hop icon, fashion designer, husband and new dad. Yep, Kanye’s plate is pretty full these days. That didn’t stop him from chatting with the men's fashion bible about new music, the secret to his happiness and why everyone needs some “Kim K. skills in order to win at life.” We never said the man was modest!  (Photo: GQ Magazine, August 2014)

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Kanye West - Hip hop icon, fashion designer, husband and new dad. Yep, Kanye’s plate is pretty full these days. That didn’t stop him from chatting with the men's fashion bible about new music, the secret to his happiness and why everyone needs some “Kim K. skills in order to win at life.” We never said the man was modest! (Photo: GQ Magazine, August 2014)

Pharrell Williams - It was an impressive year for Pharrell — an Oscar nod, Grammy wins and the launching of a charity auction based solely on one item: his hat. Skateboard P graced the April 2014 GQ style-bible issue. (Photo: GQ Magazine, April 2014)

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Pharrell Williams - Skateboard P coasts onto the April 2014 cover of GQ, where he opens up about race, his Oscars snub and explains the backstory behind his ubiquitous Vivienne Westwood hat.  (Photo: GQ Magazine, April 2014)

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Jay Z - Talk about a blast from the past! A 20-something Hov covers New York Magazine’s annual Yesteryear Issue, one of eight special covers recognizing original movers and shakers in NYC’s music scene. Other cover stars include Notorious B.I.G., Billie Holiday and Madonna. (Photo: New York Magazine via Twitter)

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A$AP Rocky - The Harlem-born entertainer does know a thing or two about fashion. For the April 2013 issue of Interview, Rocky is interviewed by fashion designer Alexander Wang, who also tapped the rapper for his brand's spring campaign. (Photo: Interview Magazine, April 2013)

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Time to Switch Things Up - April 2013 - Ditching the pink wigs and the playful frocks, Minaj flaunted a fresh new look on the April 2013 issue of Elle magazine. Taking the world by surprise, the rapper rocked a clean face, wet hair, and a leather jacket.(Photo: Elle Magazine, April 2013)

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Nicki Minaj - The Young Money MC swaps her signature bright pink lips and colorful wigs for a more subtle, fresh-faced look for her April 2013 Elle cover shoot. It’s the second time she’s been featured on the front of the mag, having also made an appearance in April 2011. (Photo: Elle Magazine, April 2013)

Kanye West Loves Him Some Kim Kardashian - Just when you thought that you had seen everything that was related to Kanye West's and Kim Kardashian's romance, they graced this magazine cover. In a beautiful photo, Kanye wraps his arms around his girlfriend and mommy-to-be Kim for the cover of the French magazine L'Official Hommes.  Their romance may seem over the top, but hey, it's KimYe, so that's what you expect.   (Photo: L'Officiel Hommes Magazine)

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Kanye West - Kanye and Kim are no strangers to high fashion, but fans were still speechless over Yeezy's steamy photo shoot with his lady love for the April 2013 cover of the French fashion magazine, L’Officiel Hommes. (Photo:  L'Officiel Hommes Magazine, April 2013)

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Drake - Started from the bottom, now he's here. A beaming Drizzy graces the July 2013 cover of GQ in a slick silver button-down and crisp white slacks. (Photo: Mario Sorrenti/GQ July 2013)

Photo By Photo: GQ Magazine

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Jay Z - Hov reminds us how good he looks in a suit on the November 2013 issue of Vanity Fair and comes clean about his rocky past, including how he sold drugs as a teenager to make ends meet and why daughter Blue Ivy is his biggest fan. (Photo: Vanity Fair Magazine, November 2013)

T.I.  - The Atlanta-born rapper cuts a fine form in a gray suit with satin lapels for YRB magazine’s September 2010 fall fashion issue.  (Photo: YRB Magazine, September 2010)

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T.I. - The Atlanta-born rapper cuts a fine form in a gray suit with satin lapels for YRB magazine’s September 2010 fall fashion issue. (Photo: YRB Magazine, September 2010)

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Pharrell Williams  - Gracing the covers of countless fashion magazines such as GQ, Details, Nylon Guys and more — it’s not just the music industry that’s calling for Williams, the fashion world is also after the mega producer.    (Photo: Nylon Magazine, March 2009)

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Pharrell Williams - Gracing the covers of countless fashion magazines such as GQ, Details, Nylon Guys and more — it’s not just the music industry that’s calling for Williams, the fashion world is also after the mega producer.   (Photo: Nylon Magazine, March 2009)

Diddy  - Looking like he stepped straight out of The Godfather movies, a debonair Diddy cements his boss status on the October 2008 issue of L'Uomo Vogue.  (Photo: L'Uomo Vogue Magazine, October 2008)

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Diddy - Looking like he stepped straight out of The Godfather movies, a debonair Diddy cements his boss status on the October 2008 issue of L'Uomo Vogue. (Photo: L'Uomo Vogue Magazine, October 2008)

Will Smith  - Promoting his blockbuster movie, I Am Legend, this former Fresh Prince is sophisticated fly in a wool overcoat on the December 2007 cover of Men’s Vogue.  (Photo: Vogue Men's Magazine, December 2007)

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Will Smith - Promoting his blockbuster movie, I Am Legend, this former Fresh Prince is sophisticated fly in a wool overcoat on the December 2007 cover of Men’s Vogue. (Photo: Vogue Men's Magazine, December 2007)

50 Cent - 50 Cent made his GQ Men of the Year debut in December 2005, the same year his second studio album, The Massacre, sold more than 1.14 million units in its first week and his semi-autobiographical film, Get Rich or Die Tryin', was released. (Photo: GQ Magazine, December 2005)

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50 Cent - A muscle-baring 50 Cent dresses confidently on GQ’s Men of the Year issue for December 2005. (Photo: GQ Magazine, December 2005)