This Dallas Penn interview was originally published on NahRight.com in June, 2013 and is being reposted here in his memory...
Words by Daniel Isenberg
Internets! You knew it wouldn’t be long before we hollered at our man Dallas Penn to collaborate on an official NahRight feature. He’s outchea right now, doing his thing as the charismatic co-host of Complex TV’s The Combat Jack Show. And he continues to make waves in the New York City streets as a well-known sneakerhead, hip-hop fanatic, and Polo Ralph Lauren connoisseur.
Dallas, a Corona, Queens native who attended high school at Brooklyn Tech, traces his interest in Polo back to 1986, when he saw someone on the train wearing a color-blocked Ralph Lauren windbreaker that he had to have. In a botched robbery attempt, dude got away, but his love for the brand stuck. As Dallas puts it, Polo Ralph Lauren was, and still is, “accessible luxury” and “aspirational apparel.” He says, “It’s not about the place you’re in. It’s about the place you want to go, and imagine yourself going. So on a winter day, I want a ski jacket. And I want lift tickets on my ski jacket. That shit is boss.”
Between 1986 and 1989, Dallas watched New York street style transform from the illest cats on the block wearing high-end track suits to rocking Polo Ralph Lauren pieces. He describes Polo during that time period as “dominant” year-round. The brand’s popularity in the streets ultimately led to the formation of the Lo-Lifes, a tight knit collective of young people who rocked, boosted, and sold Polo garments all over New York City. And by 1992, Polo had fully infiltrated hip-hop culture, with pieces popping up in regularly in televised rap videos.
Knowing Dallas’ passion for fashion and hip-hop, we linked up with him to explore the longstanding relationship between hip-hop and Polo Ralph Lauren by taking a look back at his 5 Favorite Polo Pieces Worn in Rap Videos. His list features legendary pieces like Raekwon’s Snow Beach Pullover from the “Can It Be All So Simple” video and the Alpine Rugby that Grand Puba wore on Yo! MTV Raps, as well as a nod to one of the Lo-Life’s leading hip-hop and street figures, rapper Thirstin Howl III.
As for his own Polo pieces, well, when we asked when we’re going to see him break out some rare ‘Lo on The Combat Jack Show, he responded, “These guys gotta give me a wardrobe budget, which they haven’t given me, yet. When that comes through, then it’s gonna get crazy.” We already know.
Check Dallas’ 5 Favorite Polo Pieces Worn in Rap Videos below. Do you have any of these pieces in your closet?
5. Timeless Truth “Wherever We Go”
Standout Polo Piece: Japan “Expedition” Anorak (:55)
Dallas Penn: “The group Timeless Truth are two brothers from Queens who are die-hard hip-hop fans, and love the aesthetic of like Gang Starr, and Brand Nubian. Like, New York in 1992. Let’s call 1992 the most important year in hip-hop and Polo Ralph Lauren, and their connectivity. But don’t think of Timeless Truth as a throwback. They just respect the rhyme to the fullest. Beats, rhymes, life.
“Inside this video, they go through a bunch of different ‘fits, better known as outfits. But the hardest joint that they’re rocking is the Japanorak, 55 seconds in. The Japan ‘Expedition’ Anorak. Hard. Hardware. And they’re both rocking it!
“They go through pieces all through the video. My dude Meyhem is in this video, also. He’s part of the young Lo-Life, Outdoorsmen wave. I met Bronson and Meyhem through Timeless Truth. I knew Timeless Truth before the music.
“You can’t get it. Maybe it will pop up on eBay for $2,000. Timeless got it through their various connections, and cats who travel overseas. But I’ll tell you, Lord & Taylor probably had it when it dropped. Because Lord & Taylor does get really exclusive, high-end pieces. They don’t get a lot of them, but they get them. It was probably $395 or $495. But now, you probably couldn’t get it for less than two racks. Easy.
“In my mind, it came out in 2008. But I’d have to ask Timeless to give me the specifics on that piece. What Ralph Lauren loves to do, and I love to call Polo Ralph Lauren ‘lifestyle,’ because he loves to create pieces that reference an actual narrative. And in Japan, there was an expedition that climbed their highest peak, and the Japan Anorak lists the names of the climbers on the sleeve. Everyone who was part of that expedition, their names are listed, first initial and last name, on a sleeve of the jacket.”
4B. Zhigge “Toss It Up”
Standout Polo Pieces: ‘92 Plates Hoodie, Golfer Swing Graphic Knit Shirt (:28)
“Zhigge is from Uptown and Brooklyn. Salaam Remi’s first full production was for them in 1992. Oh snap, that’s crazy! But he didn’t do this.
“They flash a bunch of ‘92 pieces in this video, but the ‘92 Plates Hoodie is the hardest joint. And the Golfer Swing Graphic Knit Shirt, at 28 seconds in. Whoooo! That is hard. But they got crazy pieces throughout the whole video. They got so much ‘92 work in the video. The P-Wing Sweatshirt, too.
“Like I said, 1992 is this an incredible moment for Polo Ralph Lauren and hip-hop fans. It’s perfectly sporty, and well-made, and represents aspiration to the fullest. This stuff is fashioned after vintage Olympic track & field apparel. Like something Jesse Owens might’ve worn. Jesse Owens would’ve had another number on, but Polo was fond of tagging the year that they released a series of items. You’ll see a 92, 94, or whatever the year it was that it came out. And they do it to this day. You see pieces with 2012 on it. They actually did something with a series this spring that actually doesn’t have the year tag on it, it’s just a random number. I’m trying to figure out what it means. It could be them just being wonderfully random and switching it up.”
4A. Zhigge “Rakin’ in the Dough”
Standout Polo Pieces: Angler’s Vest (:37), Sit-Down Teddy Bear Long Bill Cap (2:20)
“Zhigge didn’t have much more than these two songs. They were really pushing the Ralph Lauren look in their vids, as well as their own individual style. And this was done on purpose. They had some North Face stuff on too, but in terms of Polo Ralph Lauren, they had some good pieces. At 37 seconds in, dude has on a fishing vest. An Angler’s Vest.
“This is part of being official—when you wear something like an Angler’s Vest, and you’ve got bait hooks and flies hanging from your joint. You’re not even going fishing. You’re about to go angling. Meanwhile, in the video at 1:17, you see him on a payphone on the block. He’s not angling. Or maybe that is his angle.
“There’s some regular spell-out sweatshirts going on. At the time, they were just some dope pieces to have. Then, at 2:20, my man that’s sitting down on the couch with the chick, with a red Long Bill Cap. It’s a Teddy Bear Long Bill! The embroidered insignia on the crown is the Sit-Down Teddy Bear. That’s just a sick piece. The Sit-Down Teddy Bear dropped in ‘92. So these dudes, they were on their ‘Lo game heavy in ‘92. And he came up early on that Long Bill Cap. I would love to find that Long Bill Cap. That joint is beautiful.
“This is another kind of mainstay of Ralph Lauren’s designs, the Long Bill Cap. Now, the Long Bill Cap is typically worn by fisherman. The purpose of a long bill is to keep the sun out of your face, sitting on a boat all day. The sun is ripping you, and beating you down. That’s where the cap comes from. But Ralph Lauren made them in Polartec fleece, and cotton. So he made them for all different types of applications. You wouldn’t wear a winter fleece cap in the summer, but it gives you that look.
“Zhigge was killing ‘em. But you see in the video, they’ve got their own leather jackets customized, and sweatshirts. So part of their aspiration apparel made them say, ‘You know what? I’m gonna do my own line.’ And that’s what they were moving in to.”
3. Grand Puba & Mary J.Blige “What’s the 411?” live on Yo! MTV Raps
Standout Polo Piece: Alpine Rugby
“This video is so effing important. Puba is basically rocking late ‘80s street style. The rugby, tucked at the belt loop so you can also flash the Girbaud tag. The classic Fila visor, with Fila socks. And what’s crazy, in the ‘Rakin’ in the Dough’ video, I seen they had these on, and Puba has them on, too. The Air Revaderchi. They’re ACGs. He’s killing it.
“Puba was an effing icon. And this performance is from ‘92, ‘93, so he’s right there in the pocket. Philly, D.C., and Chicago all fucked with Polo. But his presentation of the way he’s layered and showing these brands, that was some real New York street style. This is how kids in Brooklyn looked every day in ‘92. Only thing he’s really missing is a motherfucking Jansport or an Eastsport on his back. That would have made the cypher complete. But he’s still fresh to def right here.
“There was a series of rugbys back then. There was ALPINE, there was CLIMB, and a series of rugbys that had spell-out lettering across the front. But this ALPINE one is the hardest because of the way it’s color-blocked. It’s got red, yellow, green, black, blue. Look at that piece! That shit is fire!
“I pushed this up to number three, because it’s super-influential, and just one of the best representations of how New York street style gets put together. From head to toe. It’s called outfit architecture. He was absolutely a style icon.
“He legitimized Tommy Hilfiger with that one line, ‘Girbauds hanging baggy, Hilfiger on the top.’ Because Tommy was the dun brand of Polo. It wasn’t complete dun status. Like Chaps was the dun brand! Like, ‘Dunion, why you got the Chaps on? Could’ve Had A Polo Shirt.’ They were like the son of Polo, or the little brother.
“But Tommy did have a little run with some fresh shit. He had a Pit Crew short sleeve knit shirt. Plus, Tommy was active with using Scotchlite on pieces. Polo did it, and Tommy OD’d with it a little, but who doesn’t love Scotchlite on a shirt right now? They had a little run, but they had to go back to son status. They didn’t sustain.”
2. Wu-Tang Clan “Can It Be All So Simple”
Standout Polo Piece: Snow Beach Pullover
“Okay, the Snow Beach, which is now called the Raekwon Snow Beach. He gets credit for it. The way the video was constructed, it’s a dark, rainy landscape. But when the spotlight comes on Raekwon to rhyme, he is effing shining with this jacket on. It’s like he’s bringing light to where there’s darkness.
“Back then, it was a hard piece to find, but it was around. I remember that when I finally got ready to cop it, it wasn’t in my size. It was in a size large. And this is way before the video came out. And I was like, ‘Oh well, they’ll be more.’ Now had I known what I know now, I would’ve bought both of the size larges and just kept them on ice. That could’ve been my retirement. That would’ve been my 401K.
“But it was a dope piece. I go back to color-blocking. They way the colors and the materials are laid on top of each other. The real pop on that piece is the red, Polartec fleece on the collar, and the red Gore-Tex patches on the sleeve. That’s the real pop. It’s again part of that wild live shit that Ralph Lauren does to create your aspirations. But I thought to myself, ‘I wonder where the hell a Snow Beach is?’ That was ill to me. Like, snow never stays on sand. Like, you never see a beach covered in snow. A sandy beach? The water goes right into the sand, and it disappears. That’s why people put sand on snow. But that’s what was going through my mind. Like, are you using dune buggies in the snow?
“Then, later on, Wu-Tang comes out with their video, and I was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, that’s that jacket.’ And it becomes legendary. Part of the reason it becomes legendary is because Wu-Tang themselves are now an incredible force inside hip-hop. Their energy, and their ability. So this was one of the things that Wu-Tang touched. And their legend made it legendary.
“By that time, Polo existed in hip-hop to a great degree. So it wasn’t a surprise. I look at old Wu-Tang videos, and someone’s always rocking some Polo. Plus, Wu-Tang had so many Brooklyn connections. And if there was one place that was known for Polo, all day every day, it was Brooklyn.
“But by ‘92, everyone is rocking Polo. Bronx, Queens. My dudes out by Green Acres Mall. By ‘92, ‘93, everyone has a piece in their wardrobe. Now, do you have some ill shit like the Alpine Rugby or the Snow Beach Pullover? Or the Sit-Down Teddy Bear? Or a P-Wing Varsity Jacket? Do you have one of the iller pieces? That was the question. But it was city-wide.
“Raekwon and Ghostface and Wu-Tang, they’re not fashionista rappers. They don’t reference their clothing all the time in their raps. You might hear a line about cream Wallos, or Raekwon had a song called ‘Sneakers.’ But come on, Rae? He said, ‘Same damn ‘Lo sweater/Times is rough and tough like leather.’ So when times are hard, you gotta wear your shit mad days in a row. But you keep wearing it because it’s the freshest thing you got.”
1. Thirstin Howl III “Together Forever (Remix)”
Standout Polo Piece: Too many to name.
“Thirstin Howl is at the very center of Lo-Life. And this is why Lo-Life is still around. You have to have a charismatic person in the center—guiding, leading, and pushing. So because he’s still around making music and influencing guys like Timeless Truth and Meyhem Lauren, he’s still relevant. He’s still important.
“The reason why I go with this as number one is because it represents that street style and aspiration. And how once you get the bug, you start making your own stuff. You see the video opens up with FiLo, and he’s wearing a custom Love & Loyalty t-shirt. That’s their thing that they created so they could unify and have something together.
“In the video, Thirstin’s got his two sons wearing the same shirt he is, and his man Disco. It’s nothing crazy, but they all got it. That’s what made things crazy. Twenty people all rocking the same piece. Meyhem’s in it, and Sadat X, who reps Lo-Life. It’s a roll call for everyone in this Lo-Life collective. All throughout the video. And there’s not another video where someone is wearing more Polo than this. And this shit runs for almost ten minutes! I like my man’s Polo Match Long Sleeve at 2:13 in.
“Thirstin Howl’s music isn’t about Polo. He’ll have a reference here and there, but he doesn’t tell you about the pieces that he’s wearing. For these guys, it’s about their aspirations to look good. To be clean, and to be fresh. And then, their willing to defend it. Even as you watch the video, you’ll see guys wearing Fila, a Coogi t-shirt. The idea of Lo-Life isn’t just wearing Polo. You’ll wear other brands. You’ll wear Gucci, Bally. The idea of Lo-Life is being fresh, and doing what it takes to stay fresh. It’s a statement about how you feel about yourself, and your life. Like, ‘You’re not gonna catch me fucked up, with holes in my shit.’
“For this video, the reason I put it at number one, is that since 1988 these dudes have been putting in the work to rock the freshest look, and they made getting fresh a lifestyle. And here they are, in this video from 2010, and they’re still doing it.”
Long live the one and only Dallas Penn.
Westcheddar 