Kanye West recently blogged about one of his colleagues, Jay-Z (aka Mr. Beyonce Knowles), who is featured in the current issue of Italian Men's Vogue.
It says a lot about the influence of hip hop culture that L'uomo Vogue chose to write about Mr. Carter. He's not only one of the most talented lyricists in the business (alongside perhaps NaS and Common) and a finger-on-the-pulse producer (see for example Rihanna's smash-hit single "Umbrella"), but since his debut with the album "Reasonable Doubt" in 1996, he has almost single-handedly upped the style ante in the hip hop universe (I will give P. Diddy, designer of the pleasantly surprising Sean John line of clothing, some credit too). Long gone are the baseball caps, gold bling and baggy jeans. Jay-Z has cultivated a much classier image in recent years and the sharp suits he favors nowadays have been adopted by other players in the game. The designer digs are an interesting juxtaposition with rap lyrics which still heavily reference sex, drugs and gang violence.
Photo credits: http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog
