LOUIS PHARRELL?!

I. REGIME CHANGE!

Rumor has it that Pharrell is set to become the new Menswear Designer of Louis Vuitton, following a successful run by the late Virgil Abloh.

Recently, KidSuper, the unorthodox Brooklyn creative, guest designed for Louis Vuitton during Paris Fashion Week this year.

I personally enjoyed his designs very much and thought he would be a perfect candidate to take over the mantel.

Others in strong consideration included, Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose.

Martine Rose, was amongst the crowd favorite to take over at Louis Vuitton.

Martine Rose, founder of her namesake label, which was established in 2007. Her menswear label found its footing in the late 2010s and have since collaborated with brands, such as Nike and Tommy Jeans.

As a designer by trade, Martine Rose, held the education credentials and the popularity, that would make her a front runner to take over as the menswear designer for Louis Vuitton.

So why Pharrell over everyone.

II.WHY PHARRELL OVER EVERYONE?

Pharrell, legendary producer and musician, has strong footprints in fashion. He his undoubtedly an influencer, even his sole existence helped Tyler The Creator find his footing, and he actually demonstrated success in fashion with Billionaire Boys Club/IceCream - co-founded with Japanese mogul NIGO®, CHANELPHARRELL - limited partnership w/ Chanel during Karl Lagerfeld’s run, and his ongoing Adidas Human Race partnership to say the least.

But we have to address the elephant in the room..

*Louis Vuitton by Marc Jacobs x Pharrell x NIGO*

Why Pharrell over “actual” designers? Is he actually ready to head a fashion house on his own? Will he rely too much on assistance from NIGO?

These are the questions that makes people doubt P’s capability to produce high quality collections, season after season.

Pharrell is no stranger to working with Louis Vuitton as he worked with the brand previously when Marc Jacobs held the reigns at the brand.

However it seems Louis Vuitton may be relying too heavy on star power and polarization than actual designing.

As much as we love Pharrell, I don’t think anyone actually saw this coming. I for one thought KidSuper had it in a bag. His designs felt like a direct sequel to the Virgil regime, keeping the similar aesthetics while still incorporating his distinct design features.

tumblr_a1e50407e100d19fc582b6bd0ee7d7d1_cc89722a_540.jpeg

tumblr_ce97626da955a0f025bac911ec7fe2aa_d83087f9_540.jpeg

tumblr_b6a64027662c73eefb0fd7412811d5ec_5e61c71b_540.jpeg

tumblr_27a31ef7184f548096d7d3371425e682_22b58777_540.jpeg

But if I learned anything, it’s don’t knock someone before they even get the chance to showcase their capabilities.

Where Pharrell lacks technically, I’m sure his passion and resourcefulness will overcome his weaknesses and allow him to produce collections true to him and profitable for the brand.

He would have to produce extremely horrible collections for this to be a failure because the power of LV’s heritage + P’s personal brand, whatever is made will be purchased regardless but whatever is made will be purchased regardless.

However, him and Louis Vuitton has to be ready for the automatic backlash/pre-conceived criticism that is sure to come to this partnership.

III. EMBRACING THE CHANGE

As much as we revere Virgil, his run at LV wasn’t met with rainbows and sunshine all the time either, the internet surely gave their (uncalled for) opinions and called him out multiple times,

Including when people were upset that the LV sneakers were nothing but AVIA sneakers with LV branding.

So, if this rumor holds true P definitely has an uphill battle against him but as one of our heroes in the culture,

We should root for his success no matter what and give him a chance first before launching the rocks of criticism at his face.

🖖🏾

Visit gettothecorner.com

Follow me on twitter.com/onlyonejaevonn

"POP WAS THE KING OF NEW YORK, NOW I'M THE ONE IN CHARGE"

February 18, 2022

The King of New York is one of the most controversial titles in hip hop. Even Nas once said “There's more shit than wanting to be this King of New York shit”. However its still one of the most coveted titles in hip hop because New York was once the mecca of hip hop (which we all know is Atlanta now). There has been many kings of NY, including but not limited to: B.I.G., Hov, 50, just to name a few but for a while that title went void and almost became meaningless. With Atlanta currently having their foot, hand, and Draco on the rap game’s neck, New York didn’t have a true hometown hero they could rally behind for the masses because most NY artists had to keep up with the modern sound to stay relevant.

I.YOU CANNOT SAY POP AND FORGET THE SMOKE!

Then came along the Canarsie MC, POP SMOKE. Pop had all the makings of a superstar and was clearly getting ready to be the undisputed king of NY Hip Hop due to being a pioneer of Brooklyn Drill + His aura that was reminiscent of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ 50. When Pop met his untimely demise it felt like once again the King of NY seat would be empty for a while. Lil TJay snuck in some hits, Kay Flock is leading the charge in the Bronx, but are they King of NY material? Who knows beloved. But there is one name that had the potential to take the throne and that is frequent Pop Smoke collaborator and fellow Brooklynite, Fivio Foreign.

II.VIRAL

Fivio may have seem like another notch on the belt which is drill rap but then he got the biggest feature on the critically acclaimed, DONDA album by Kanye West. The track “Off the Grid” which also features Playboi Carti, gives Fivio Foreign the most blatant headstart for a musical run, since 2chainz on “Mercy”. Once the beat switches to the signature Drill slider synth, Fivi goes off for probably 32+ bars of simple but effective lyrics.

That Fivi verse on Off the Grid put him on a whole new radar, next thing you know features everywhere! Also, most of the songs are being tailored to him so he can give that same crushing flow from ”Off the Grid”. Once he dropped “City of Gods” w/ Alicia Keys & Ye, he officially made his claim for the throne,

“Pop was the king of New York, Now I’m the n***** in charge”.

Ok! we all know you have to say it first before we believe it right?! So once he said that he officially placed himself under extreme scrutiny. At this point, we know Fivi is the best doing drill rap right now but what would he have to do to take that King of NY title? A Lot!! He has to have people wanna emulate him, his presence has to be everywhere, but most imporantly that first album has to be a classic!!!

Beyond this point is where I acquired new info for the article after its original written date.

III.B.I.B.L.E. TALK

Fivio Foreign dropped his debut studio album, B.I.B.L.E., April 8, 2022. Let me be the first to say the album is……NOT a classic. It starts off cool and he tries to step out on certain songs but it just don’t capture you like it should. Its definitely a strong debut I would say because he can only go up from here but now we have to ask, can he go up from here? Was “Off the Grid” just a moment? B.I.B.L.E. was apparently executive produced by Kanye but is it or me is it hard to see his(Ye) input on this? With all the hype around the album it felt like we should’ve been given way more.

While Fivi’s debut wasn’t bad its not a undisputed instant classic that it should’ve been for a person who claims to be “King of New York”. The throne is still up for grabs in my humble opinion. Who is worthy of it though? Will it be another new young up and comer or will Fivi make me eat my words and take the necessary steps to become the king he wants to be?

Follow me on twitter @onlyonejaevonn

Visit gettothecorner.com