Your Favorite Rappers, Favorite Ballet Flats 

Red ballet flats: a small bow, slightly heeled, leather insole, perhaps a trim around the edges. For most women, it is just a shoe. To rappers, it is a disruptive cultural statement. Men wearing ballet flats have become the internet's newest obsession, and A$AP Rocky sparked this conversation with a recent paparazzi stunt. A$AP Rocky is arguably one of the biggest names in rap right now, standing as a figurehead of rap fashion. Social media platforms buzzed as users could not get enough of his rebellion against traditional gendered clothing, going against conventional  rap and hip-hop fashion culture. This styling choice embodies the transition that fashion itself is undergoing, as it gears towards a gender-fluid, unisex aesthetic, amidst a turning point for hip-hop and rap as we know it. 

Hip hop and rap culture have become synonymous with streetwear, where rap as a genre directly influences its popularity and trends. Streetwear once symbolized authority: early rap fashion served as a necessary accessory to the success and credibility of a rapper's career. Oversized silhouettes, sneakers, and chains projected an image of toughness, making hypermasculinity key in both social normalities and industry marketing. To be a rapper was to be tough, and being tough used to mean being masculine. 

Think Biggie Smalls, often considered one of the greatest rappers of all time, is a poignant symbol of rap culture. Biggie was known for his oversized style ensembles, overstated jewelry, and especially sneakers. All these intricacies—the lack of feminine, form-fitting attire, the loud jewelry that draws attention, and the casual sneakers together—allowed Biggie to appear powerful and tough, playing into stereotypes of masculinity. Along with masculinity, sneakers shaped rap’s relationship with streetwear, becoming a defining characteristic of rap culture. Ironically, footwear is also the entry point for today’s fluid fashion. Ballet flats and other “soft” shoes mark a visual shift that acts as a biting symbol for how rap has expanded beyond the hypermasculine themes that once confined it. We are now seeing a variety of rappers like A$AP Rocky, Bad Bunny, Lil Uzi Vert, and more wear them on the red carpet and in everyday life. 

The current shift towards fluid expression in collaborations between brands and artists is a product of interdisciplinary fashion. A$AP Rocky’s collaboration with Under Armor, releasing a skate shoe, is a poignant Y2K revival. Bad-Bunny and Adidas released sneakers in various “soft” colorways, leaning into a more feminine narrative. Tyler The Creator and Converse released various vibrant colorways and designs. All these shoes embody an avant-garde style that transforms and breaks previous streetwear stereotypes 

Today, rappers and hip-hop artists who embrace more feminine aesthetics are not punished for going against mainstream fashion; instead, they are celebrated as innovators. Fluidity has become a marker of artistic ingenuity, as hip-hop artists respond to Gen Z’s demand for authenticity. This authenticity is reflected in the music these rappers produce, revealing their true character rather than what is expected of them. Take Playboi Carti's song “Rather Lie”, for example, exploring the internal conflicts that arise when one feels love for another person.  Rocky’s song “Taylor Swift”takes a vulnerable approach, discussing his personal experiences with wealth and poverty, and juxtaposing his internal struggles with his persona. 

While this transition embodied a lyrical and genre shift within rap, it is also an analytical business move. Rappers and hip-hop artists making such creative changes to their typical ensembles creates a jarring reaction in mainstream media. A$AP Rocky recently wore red ballet flats and “broke the internet”. MyMixTapes, a well-known verified platform for all things music, tweeted that “A$AP Rocky [went] viral after he was spotted wearing high heels with his fit”, reaching 2.6 million views online (MyMixTapez). Hype Fresh also touches on some fans' reactions, “Online reactions have been explosive. One fan on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, ‘Rocky Can Pull Off Literally Anything. Confidence is everything.’ Another commented, ‘Not Sure I’m Ready For Men In Heels, But He’s Making A Statement’(Jony)”. If breaking the norm means gaining this much publicity, it becomes the obvious choice for artists to move towards fluid aesthetics. An artist's primary goal is engagement, and if a style transformation is all it takes, it is a clear decision that most artists make, ultimately generating more cultural capital. Thus forcing the audience to question the integrity of an artist's style identity, is the artist’s aesthetic a pure expression of themselves, or a facade used as a marketing tool? 

Rappers and hip hop artists can also crossover into everyday fashion. By generating such cultural capital, these artists are starting trends and fads. By observing influential figures like musicians, we notice the start of new trends, ultimately solidifying the adoption of fluid clothing and creating a mainstream aesthetic. Rappers have an incentive to innovate their fashion aesthetics because they can propel trends, collaborate with brands, star in campaigns, and more. So bring on the ballet flats, as A$AP Rocky’s cultural statement is the first of many to come.