With rappers being responsible for the popularity of throwback jerseys, it is only appropriate that husband and wife Rodney and Knia Bonds have
created ‘rap throwback jerseys.’ Rodney explains, “We had to build a brand from the Rap Throwbacks line. RTB Apparel came out of that. The product basically represents fashion & Hiphop.”
The jerseys feature colors derived from NBA teams, various color schematics from the rapper’s original album artwork and/or early Hiphop fashion. The song titles of the artists appear on the backside of the jersey, while the numbers on the front and back showcases the year the song came onto the music scene. Knia states, “We solidified the marriage of the artists and the jerseys by paying homage to the Old School and Classic Artists, as well as paying them a royalty percentage on each jersey sold. All of those elements came together and it helped lay the foundation for the clothing line.”
The jerseys are broken down into various classifications of rap music. The “True School” segment features the rappers from the early 80’s such as Doug E. Fresh, MC Lyte, Stetsasonic, Big Daddy Kane, and Sweet Tee. “The Classics” offer jerseys from pioneers like Kurtis Blow, Furious Five, Cold Crush Brothers, Soulsonic Force and many more. Future variations of the line will include “Commemorative” jerseys which will honor fallen soldiers such as Jam Master Jay of Run DMC, Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B.I.G., Big Pun, and Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes. There will also be “The Cutmasters” jerseys featuring Afrika Bambaataa, Kool DJ Red Alert, DJ Jazzy Jeff, A.J. Scratch, Chuck Chill Out, and Jazzy Jay.
For more information visit the website at www.rtbapparel.com
