Lil Yachty‘s recent comments on his ‘A Safe Place’ podcast have sparked a heated debate about New York City’s fashion. During an episode, Yachty claimed that there’s nothing noteworthy about New York fashion today. This only left him in the news, and that remark called for intense reactions from fashion-conscious New Yorkers and hip-hop icons.
The episode featured Yachty conversing with co-host MitchGoneMad and rising NYC rapper/producer Cash Cobain. When the topic of fashion came up, he didn’t hold back; “I don’t think there’s shit goin’ on when it comes to New York fashion”, he said, calling brands like Purple, Amiri, and Hellstar, in effect, boring.
Cobain responded that there are definite styles in SoHo, at which point Yachty remarked that Queens and the Bronx aren’t taken seriously compared to Manhattan for fashion. Yachty even went as far as to diss his hometown Atlanta’s fashion, although he made an exception by praising his style personally.
New Yorkers did not take Yachty’s comments lightly. In fact, A$AP Nast, the current fashion and hip-hop luminary from the streets of New York, had properly answered Yachty’s comments.
He shared how much New York’s fashion heritage meant to him. He also expressed his frustration on an Instagram post, saying, “I ain’t posting no more fits. I’m deleting the apps off my phone.” His frustration was shared by many New Yorkers, who thought that Yachty had discredited the city in which he was making his fashion peace.
A$AP Nast reacts to Lil Yachty saying New York has no style and Atlanta sets the trends. PIC.TWITTER.COM/B5MWY2FYZH
— XXL Magazine (@XXL) AUGUST 1, 2024
But if those were his intentions, the controversy did not stop there. Yachty expanded on an Instagram Live session, blazing through an explanation of how he respected the historic fashion influence of New York. Still, of course, everybody knew Atlanta led the trends nowadays. This was only after he explained to DJ Vlad that he loved New York legends as much as Wu-Tang Clan and Dipset, though, to which he said, “I would never disrespect New York culture.”
Juelz Santana, another big member of the influential Dipset crew, chimed in on defense. He reminded everybody of the contributions of big style icons like A$AP Rocky, Fabolous, and Jim Jones, stressing that Yachty’s comments undermined what New York has traditionally brought to the table by serving such a fashion statement. The great part is that these artists have been celebrated over the years for their unique and trendsetting styles, which have had very high impacts not only in music but also in the world of fashion.
The debate underlines a broader discussion about regional influences in hip-hop culture, specifically fashion. While Yachty doesn’t deny New York’s importance in developing the hip-hop aesthetic, his claim that Atlanta is currently setting trends largely does not sit right with many in New York’s hip-hop community. All this discussion is good evidence of the dynamic things that are done in cultural influence and pride in the cities.
Of course, this caused quite a controversy, and naturally, Lil Yachty had to respond with a TikTok clarifier. He accepted New York’s historical impact: ” When you go back to a certain time, it’s for sure New York. But, come on, bruh. As of lately, Atlanta.” He described the off-the-cuff comments he made about the Bronx’s sense of style as comments that he, to be honest, did not remember making either. Yachty doesn’t short New York one bit, though, pointing out the city produced many of the “flyest people in the world,” but he wouldn’t back down from holding Atlanta’s banner for what is happening nowadays.
Lil Yachty is known for his eclectic and playful fashion sense, often combining bold colors, oversized silhouettes, and vintage and contemporary styles. His fashion sense, with baggy jeans, oversized shirts, colorful windbreakers, and weird accessories, gives way to a carefree, experimental style. The evolution in Yachty’s style mirrors the growth in his artistic sense and changing tastes, from preppy to even more avant-garde and streetwear fusions. These looks are instigating fans on TikTok to do recreate his signature style lately.
Still, Lil Yachty‘s ascent is compelling merely as a sideline in modern celebrity style. His uniqueness in terms of happiness and wildness and concurrent style help, along with congruent music, to keep him partnered with the likes of Nautica and taking the runway at Adam Salman’s fashion shows in style.
Yachty’s playfully individualistic fashion still has a headline-turning impact, whatever backlash his recent comments have brought about. The argument between Lil Yachty and New York artists like A$AP Nast represents associates’ heated pride in creating cultural and stylistic contributions for their respective cities.