The Androgyny and Influence of Young Thug

2014-2016 was arguably one of the most intense periods in hip-hop, specifically in the last ten years. This time span saw the release of critically acclaimed and still beloved albums such as Kanye West's "The Life of Pablo”, Rihanna's "Anti", Kendrick Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly" and, of course, "Blonde" by Frank Ocean. Artists that are now considered legends also took these years to make a name for themselves as well as develop a sound that would take over the genre for the years that would follow. These artists include Lil Uzi Vert, 21 Savage, Kodak Black, The Migos and most predominantly-- Young Thug. 

By 2014, the Atlanta rapper was already a fairly well known name especially in the city, but the next two years would send Young Thug into stardom and controversy. Much of Young Thug's fame prior had come from his distinct style of dressing as well as his distinct vocals. His wardrobe consistently included distressed skinny jeans, tight fitting shirts and flannels, loafers and chokers well decorated in gold and diamonds. While this was actually a fairly common style specific to Atlanta, there was one staple in his fashion that puzzled even those around him-- nail polish. 

Nail polish was practically unheard of in hip-hop up until that point with very few exceptions. Another point of controversy around him at the time was his habit of referring to other male rappers as "hubby" or "love." This, along with his more feminine style, started to bring him negative attention and many questioned his sexuality. 

Admittedly hip-hop was never really ready for someone like Young Thug. The genre is well known for its hyper-masculine themes which are at times borderline homophobic. These themes are quite similar to the blues in the earlier days of Bo Diddly and Muddy Waters making Young Thug most comparable to Little Richard, with a mesmerizing androgyny that shattered the mold in their respective genres. 

A year later in 2016, Young Thug doubled down on his now trademark androgyny with the release of the mixtape "No, My Name is Jeffery". The cover features the rapper wrapped unapologetically in a light purple and white dress by Alessandro Tricone. While the nail polish and skinny jeans were certainly bold for the time, the dress was without a doubt revolutionary. Thug joined the likes of Frank Ocean and Kendrick Lamar in the #mycalvins campaign by Calvin Klein, which was a gallery of talented and mesmerizing souls and their connection to style. Young Thug's addition to the campaign was an inspiring and incredibly forward thinking especially for 2016, music aside. He says simply yet powerfully:

"In my world, you can be a gangsta with a dress or you can be a gangsta with baggy pants,” he said. "I feel like there’s no such thing as gender."

When the discussion is started around the male artists who broke or questioned gender roles, Young Thug and his brand of androgyny is very unfairly left out. Although still bold and worthy of credit, breaking gender roles in rock and roll has been a staple of the genre since the years of Little Richard or David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust and has been consistently done through artists like Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain and Harry Styles. Breaking gender roles in hip-hop however? This was practically unheard of until Young Thug or Frank Ocean in the mid-2010s.

Whether or not Young Thug had intended to, his willingness to express himself and do or wear whatever he wanted to would inspire several hip-hop artists for years to come and undoubtedly countless hip-hop fans. In a decade that started off an unstoppable train of social movements around race and sexual liberation, seeing a black male artist express himself in such a way was in itself incredibly inspiring and something that was absolutely needed. 

Since the 2014-2016 period of Young Thug's career, we've seen major artists in the genre like Jaden Smith, Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, Lil Uzi Vert and A$AP Rocky express a similar androgynous fashion through painted nails, bright colors and women's clothing as well as incorporating a sensitivity in their music which was not as commom beforehand.