Where Have All the Fat Rappers Gone? Or, How Hip-Hop Lost All the Weight.

At the next Celebrate Brooklyn! concert I saw this summer, Theophilus London performed in his signature skinny jeans and designer-hipster getup. The place was packed. Instead of seeing performers in big white “hip-hop T’s” (all right, besides Kanye), we see rappers like Theophilus London, A$AP Rocky, Nas—the list goes on and on—collaborating with upscale designers and sitting front row at New York Fashion Week. Unlike rappers of the past, hip-hop artists today work hand in hand with brands and have become walking brands themselves (“I’m not a businessman/I’m a business, man,” raps Jay Z). Rappers like Jay Z now act as corporate vessels, so in addition to their myriad side projects, they also rake in millions to promote the latest electronic device or alcoholic beverage. Any significant weight gain could result in a financial hit. And if you’re not skinny, like Action Bronson, the chef turned rapper, your weight becomes a self-deprecating way to promote yourself. (Rick Ross is, of course, an exception. But we all knew that already.)

When I saw Action Bronson perform in Bushwick this summer, I left with a ton of respect for the guy and his music, but I wasn’t about to go buy his “fried hard smashed potatoes” from his food truck. People swarmed around him in the hopes of getting an Instagram selfie, but it wasn’t your usual celebrity meet and greet. Fans were touching him unreservedly, asking him if he would pose with their dog and snickering behind his back about how sweaty he was. No one would ever have dared do that with Big Pun or Biggie. There was nothing malicious about the scene, but there was something exploitative about it. There was no give-and-take—he was there purely for everyone’s entertainment.

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