The Intersection of Music and Fashion
Note: This article was originally produced as a video essay found below
The world of music does not live in isolation.
In an age where your art equates to a brand, many musicians have taken advantage of the platforms their work has afforded them and parlayed into other ventures. Among them is ASAP Rocky. A man of many talents Rocky has taken every opportunity to expand his career beyond the depths of rap. Out of everything he’s gone on to accomplish, its perhaps his contributions to fashion that may be looked at as among his greatest achievements. He took the ASAP name to new heights with the release of merchandise, modeled for several high fashion brands and even launched a collaboration line with GUESS. His love of fashion translates back to his music and is evident in many of his accompanying visuals.
In this music video spotlight, I want to focus on how ASAP Rocky’s fashion fascination is showcased through his music. And throughout his entire discography, no track quite embodies this principle like ASAP Mob’s RAF. RAF was the first single off the Mob’s second collaboration album: Cozy Tapes Pt. 2. Featured on the track is Rocky, Playboi Carti, Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert, and Frank Ocean, however Frank and Uzi are notably absent from the video.
The video’s premise is simple: a visual depiction of Raf Simons clothing scored by ASAP Rocky music. Beyond its beautiful presentation, the video is a testament to the respect Rocky holds for his fashion forefathers. In an interview with Time in 2017, Rocky said of the brand:
“I feel like Raf Simons is important for the culture based on the fact that he built a whole new religion around fashion.”
If fashion is the religion, then ASAP Rocky is among its highest priests.
In the video, members of the ASAP crew and the featuring artists model Raf Simmons clothing as if its a photoshoot. The video heavily leans on special FX and editing. Several points of the video are heavily distorted, clips are spliced together, and complete with jump cuts to the beat of the 808s.
I’m harping on the presentation here, but its hard not to be blown away with whats achieved here. Something I value in music above all else is intentionality. I’ve voiced many times before my discontent with the direction rap has headed in, often compromising concepts based lyrics and album structures in favor of simple but catchy rhyme structures. On the surface, RAF seems to embody raps new direction but I view it as a decoy.
Fashion is a common method for many rappers to represent their upward economic mobility and raised social status. But RAF is more than a flex. As mentioned, Rocky is a fashion KILLER. It’s an ode to artistic expression and the intersection of how fashion and music can be powerful creative touchstones that push society forward. Additionally, the track is a juxtaposition between Rocky’s humble beginnings to his superstar status, a common trope in rap lore. But using fashion as a metaphor for how his circle of influence has changed, is a much less overt execution of this trope. This extends to the video, with Rocky removing himself from the center of the video’s attention, often deferring to other members of the Mob to rep the clothing.
With Rocky, RAF is about not only revisiting his journey to success, but spreading wealth to the rest of his people. The video is just as much about the beauty and elegance of RAF Simmons clothing, as it is about raising up the people around him.
The video is poetry in motion, and there are very few better examples of how well music videos can highlight the vision and artistry of one rap’s brightest stars. Go check out the video, and be sure to check out our other music video spotlights. Subscribe to This Slaps for more video deep dives detailing individual songs, music videos, and other places in media that have a strong intersection with music. And don’t forget to check out our podcast feed, linked below:
