It was 1998 when Redman told you “Yo, Yo, if you gotta be a monkey, be a gorilla” in his track “I’ll be dat” but Xlarge knew this way before these lyrics.
Seven years before to be exact, Mike D of the Beastie Boys started wearing these t-shirts with the gorilla that made a huge buzz among Beastie Boys fans.
Back then the trio of Newyorkers represented the progression of music related to a “skateboarding influenced” street style like no one else could. While their label mate LL Cool J was walking with a panther in a Kangol and gold rope, the Beastie Boys were ex hardcore punks.
The three of them, under the guidance of the almighty Rick Rubin, made the transition to a new form of hip hop that turned the Beasties into an household name.
It’s easy to understand that in a pre-internet world, with very few names of hip hop artists and brands compared to now, XLarge was seen back then as the ultimate object of desire by skaters and alternative individuals all over the world.
The brand went through ups and downs, fighting against uninspired copycats entities but it’s still here and today I have a few news about it.
While in the past I reviewed XLarge items that came straight from Los Angeles now this legendary brand is available in Italy through RNG Distribution that co-operates with Double Trouble 95 agents. this means that you can make your store connect with them in order to spread the diffusion of this original brand.
Did anybody say original? Elena S and Evelyn V are rocking respectively Old OG Logo and OG Logo, two tees very similar that celebrate this streetwear icon. Wear a gorilla and always remember to fight for your right to be original (and fresh like no others).
Shop online for these items here >
https://xlarge.com/collections/t-shirts-1/products/old-og-logo-ss-tee
https://xlarge.com/collections/t-shirts-1/products/og-logo-ss-tee-1
Photos courtesy of Ema/Nema photo