RUSSEL: For better or worse, rap, and music in general, would not be what it is without
a bit of materialism.
That of course includes the cars…
RUSSEL: and the clothes…
RUSSEL: ...and lots more luxury and designer names.
But there are a handful of labels that dominated the bars of the 2010s.
RUSSEL: So here are the decade’s top five most popular brands, according to Genius Data.
Starting at no. 5 is Louis Vuitton.
RUSSEL: The French fashion house had over 8,000 mentions in music lyrics this decade.
RUSSEL: In 2017, Louis became more of a hit with rappers than ever before, collaborating
with streetwear staple Supreme – and in 2018, recruiting artistic director Virgil Abloh.
RUSSEL: Prior to joining Louis, Virgil made waves founding Off-White and coming up alongside
the Louis Vuitton Don himself, Kanye West.
Up next at no. 4 is Commes De Garcon.
RUSSEL: With 9,000 lyric mentions, the Japanese label, helmed by Rei Kawakubo is a favorite
with fashion-forward musicians like Pharrell…
RUSSEL: ...and Lil Uzi Vert who riffs on the CDG’s iconic heart-shaped logo.
RUSSEL: Comme des Garçons translates to “like boys” in French, something Tyler plays with on 'IGOR
Next at no. 3 is the only non-luxury brand on the list, Nike.
RUSSEL: From Mac Miller name-checking the
swoosh on his very first mixtape back in 2010, which samples Nas’ “The World Is Yours”
RUSSEL: ...to Travis Scott closing out the decade with one if not the most “hype”
sneakers of 2019…
RUSSEL: ..Nike reigned as the shoe king raking in more than 11,000 mentions.
RUSSEL: With sneaker collaborations at an all-time high, the biggest names in rap were
extremely vocal about whether or not they were team Nike.
They even dragged competitor Adidas into the drama, most notably Kanye West on his Nike
diss-track, “Facts.”
RUSSEL: Drake drew a line in the sand over
his allegiance when he linked up with fellow Nike boy, Travis Scott, on “SICKO MODE.”
RUSSEL: Second place on the list isn’t in the business of shoes or fashion, but cars.
It’s Mercedes-Benz.
RUSSEL: Every year, the German luxury car retailer battles it out with
Rolls-Royce for the most mentioned car brand in lyrics, but the Benz was the most mentioned
car over the decade with over 12 thousand lyrical mentions.
RUSSEL: Closing out 2019, The Weeknd released a commercial for Mercedes’ first fully electric
SUV, doubling as a music video for “Blinding Lights” – and highlighting the German
automaker’s innovation through the years.
RUSSEL: Finally, at the top spot with the most lyrical mentions this decade is luxury
fashion retailer Gucci.
With almost 12.5 thousand lyrical mentions, Gucci just beat out Mercedes by less than
a hundred mentions, making it music’s most mentioned brand of the decade.
RUSSEL: From their embroidered snakes…
RUSSEL: to headwear…
LIL NAS X: That last line was a big flex really.
Even Gucci don’t even have cowboy hats yet, you know.
RUSSEL: Gucci's been very influential with rappers, making it a favorite to flaunt on
the back and on the track, especially now that the brand's partnered with Harlem designer
Dapper Dan.
RUSSEL: Dan began making bespoke Gucci outfits for rappers and celebrities in the 1980s before
the fashion house sued him.
In 2017, the brand and Dan made peace and later collaborated on a joint collection.
RUSSEL: But the brand’s success hasn’t come without other misfires.
In 2019, Gucci released a wool balaclava jumper resembling blackface.
Rappers, many who wore the brand before, began publicly boycotting Gucci.
SOULJA BOY: It's ya boy Soulja Boy and Gucci is canceled. I'm shocked and I'm appalled.
Still, many artists continued to wear the brand.
Later in 2019, Atlanta trap pioneer Gucci Mane finally collabed with the brand he named
himself after – becoming a face of the Gucci Cruise campaign.
One of the photoshoots even became his, ‘Woptober 2’ album cover.
And there’s the list!
Runner-up brands included Rolls-Royce, Hennessy, and Instagram.
Only time will tell if runner-ups like Hennessy or Instagram will knock one of the reigning
brands from their throne.
What brands do you think will rule the 2020s?
Let us know in the comments.
I’m Russel Abad with Genius News bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the
music.