In the world of hip-hop, Rae Sremmurd have established themselves as the rappers unafraid to be themselves. Not every rapper can mix falsetto with the classic trap cadence that’s so popular in hip-hop right now — but the brothers do it flawlessly.
Their infectious tracks are hard to ignore. In fact, their 2016 song “Black Beatles” became a No. 1 hit thanks to the Mannequin Challenge that had everyone — from Michelle Obama at the White House to Ava DuVernay on the set of Wrinkle in Time — freezing in frame. But true hip-hop fans had already fell in love with their flow’s whimsical approach thanks to hits like “No Flex Zone,” “No Type” and “Come Get Her.”
But in a very different world, the world of fashion, the siblings have become known as fearless and authentically themselves. Rae Sremmurd, with their infamously hard to pronounce name, wear sequins, plaids and pasteled strips, even on the digital cover of ESSENCE, in an industry known to force rappers into hyper masculinity.
“My take on fashion is to dress in a way that looks good to you and makes you—and other people—feel good,” Slim Jxmmi tells ESSENCE in the cover story titled, “Fashionably Loud.”
His brother Swae Lee, who was recently named best dressed at the Grammy Awards last month, added: “My style and approach are to do what people aren’t doing.”
ESSENCE’s contributing fashion editor Avon Dorsey, who styled the brothers for the cover shoot, which was shot by photographer Jasmine Jasseiuo Durhal, said he wanted to capture each brother’s “unique sense of style.”
“I wanted to dress them in a way that honored who they are — which is fun and expressive — while adding an element of high-fashion, choosing this season’s brightly-hued neon trend as inspiration for styling the brothers,” he added.
Rae Sremmurd is known to push the fashion envelope. It’s why companies like Puma and Reebok along with fashion designer Philipp Plein want to work with the brothers.
Read ESSENCE’s latest digital cover, “Fashionably Loud,” to discover what musical projects the brothers have in store for 2019 and the advice their mom gave them to succeed.
