Costume/Props Planning

I'm thinking of using a cigar as they display wealth and authority. The cigar is very fashionable in the Hip-hop world; using it would connote a 'smooth gangster' image. 

Jewellery of any kind definitely has to be included. Jewellery likewise displays wealth but can also be used to show superiority - the more the merrier. A common attribute for all rappers is that in some form or another they will be wearing jewellery. It fits into the gangster stereotype portrayed by rappers perfectly. A trend seems to revolve around jewellery attracting women - which is something rappers are perceived to get a lot of.

A hat of some form is suitable to wear. I think the bucket hat suits the most as when it's worn a shadow is cast over the persons eye line creating a sense of ambiguity and unease which could support the interpretation of  a hustler or thug - a pastime a lot of rappers have in common.

Its important to display wealth in the Hip-hop industry. Having a brand coat will convey this and maybe also infer good taste - a trait rappers like to be associated with.


  An alternative to a coat or jumper or even a t-shirt could be a vest. Unlike (eg.) a coat which displays wealth, a vest displays physique and could portray a raw, appealing image with the right body. On the front cover of Hip-hop magazines, many artists are shown with no shirt on. Not only does it create quite a vain image but also adds to the stereotype of a rapper being muscular and 'hard' (as in rough and strong).

Many rappers before rising to fame indulged in a rocky past life. Just to emphasis a rebellious image and adding to the stereotype  of rappers being quite dangerous, I could use a knuckle duster or another violent weapon.