What happens when rap royalty teams up with a streetwear staple? Vanity unfair.
On Thursday morning, New York-based clothing company Supreme did what they do every week.
Like clockwork, the brand brought out an array of items — selling out of photo-stamped tees tied to Harmony Korine’s Gummo alongside co-branded Ebisu Diamond Levels. While the latter will likely live without function for a fanbase that’s more moved by Tyler, the Creator than Tim the Tool Man, the flippable fashion of anything and everything Supreme has collectors coughing up cash on a weekly basis, either to rapidly resell or simply stunt.
However, one item this week had even the biggest ballers sparring outside of their weight class.
Coming in at a cool $16,000, the Supreme x Meissen Porcelain Mirror is only for the ostentatious. Made and painted by hand in Germany, the decadent display piece has the gravity to wear a whole house, bringing boutique culture to that of a castle. In order to introduce this statement product for a brand built off blunt box logos, city street culture, and aspirational luxury, only one artist could truly reflect the regal royalty of this vanity piece.
His name? Slick Rick.
“Fashion is what drives me creatively,” Slick Rick told Boardroom. “It’s the makeup of my DNA.”
Since The Ruler arrived as a fixture of hip-hop, art, and fashion in 1984, the man of much jewelry has never paid much mind to time. Despite wearing watches big enough to serve sorbet, Rick has moved in and out of the limelight organically with no need for attention nor calendar chasing clout.
Cutting edge in authenticity, and abundant in flamboyance, Rick releases his various forms of art with the eye of an atelier. The proof of concept is not just in his blood, but rather his catalog.
Dropping songs sporadically from the days of vinyl to the surge of streaming, Rick’s range of records are nonlinear in launch date yet timeless in tense. Guest verses come without warning or rust, stealing the show on cassette-era OutKast singles while still proving sharp enough to match wits with Westside Gunn and IDK.
So when Supreme called Rick to appear in the video unveiling of their porcelain project with Meissen, it wasn’t about an album rollout or marketing merch. Simply, it was because the Matisse emcee equivalent was the sole painter fit for the project.
“The only one to match that energy is the the one and only Slick Rick The Ruler,” said Ben Solomon, who directed the shoot. “The originator of fly and classy. Hip-hop’s greatest storyteller.”
Having shot Supreme campaigns ranging from Rolex to the Muppets, Solomon speaks from experience when selecting the proper icon to illustrate such a collaboration.
Notably, the Kangol Crew co-founder has always operated with an audacity that defies trends and sneers at selling out. Simply put, Rick is a real one-of-one. This unusual ilk is hard to fathom even for those that fever over the rarest of the rare.
Case in point, the comment section of Supreme’s 13.3 million Instagram followers. Expectedly, fans clamored for a Slick Rick photo tee similar to collaborations done with the likes of Raekwon, Mobb Deep, and Dipset. While those artists may be peers in profession and city, the haughtiness and nobility of Slick Rick’s place in fashion could only be reflected by a mirror of this magnitude.
The pompous poet who prefers humbling haters as peasants or cornballs as crumbs carries an unwavering ability to remain renaissance. His paintbrush of a pen appeals to powdered-wig wearers to those that pushed powder — making him the only artist that can bridge the toughness of Supreme with the decadence of Meissen.
“Supreme is an iconic brand that allows people to see themselves in art and fashion,” said Slick Rick. “Those are the same factors and passion that I have valued all my career.”
In recent years, Rick’s resume is well-rounded when it comes to merging modern fashion with his own organic flair. Campaigns with Clark’s Originals speak to his multicultural marriage of Jamaican gentlemen with Bronx braggadocio while purple pairs put out by Puma would never wear right with a dad hat — only a crown.
These days, The Ruler remains in a position of power, anointing Alicia Keys with his own regalia in her “City of Gods II” visual while leading the young world through philanthropic efforts like the YouTube Creator Mentorship Program. When Rick decides to release his first full-length album since 1999 is anyone’s guess, but always on his own accord.
They say time is money, but Rick’s output has always been worth the wait. Until then, he’ll have a $16,000 piece of Porcelain to smile at as he decides what piece of gold to put on first and what gem to drop next.
Get on our list for weekly sports business, industry trends, interviews, and more.
