WHY THE GLOBAL FASHION WORLD NEEDS TO TUNE INTO INDIA'S HIP-HOP WAVE

From Karan Aujla and King, to Badshah and Raja Kumari, India's hip-hop artists are shaping style, identity, and consumer trends in a way that can no longer be ignored.

- By Shamani Joshi

Kendrick Lamar's 2025 Super Bowl performance gripped the world's attention for one of two reasons: a scathing diss track against Drake, performed with the cheekiest grin, and singlehandedly resurrecting bootcut jeans from their Y2K grave. The Grammy award-winning rapper's choice to throw on a pair of Celine flared jeans quickly became a cultural talking point: Google searches for "flared jeans" spiked 5,000 per cent after the show, Celine's SoHo store reportedly sold out of the exact pair he wore, and media coverage of the outfit racked up to over $2 million in exposure for the brand.

Hip-hop and fashion have long been inextricably linked, with the genre consistently demonstrating its ability to drive cultural credibility and commercial growth. In the 1980s, New York rap trio Run-D.M.C. flipped sneaker marketing on its head after their hit track “My Adidas” landed them the first-ever endorsement deal between a hip-hop act and a major sportswear brand. Reportedly worth over $1 million, the deal marked a turning point, proving that hip-hop artists could shape style and move products just as effectively as athletes.