With fashion videos becoming as common as runway shows, LA-based clothing line DimePiece took it a step further and asked colorful up-and-coming rapper Rye Rye to create her latest music video for the song "Hardcore Girls." The track is by The Count & Sinden with Rye Rye as the featured vocalist. The Baltimore native began working with DJ Blaqstarr at the tender age of 15, attracted the attention of M.I.A. and Diplo and was later signed to M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. Recordings label. Widely seen as M.I.A.'s protégé, Rye Rye brings a unique style of club rap, dance and fashion that are bright, eccentric and purely her own. Plus, she happens to nicely complement M.I.A.'s look and sound.
DimePiece designers and co-founders Ashley Jones and Laura Fama got a hold of the 20-year-old rapper through her stylist and their good friend Hoza, who had used DimePiece clothing to dress Rye Rye for performances. The designers had stunning singer Cassie Ventura model for a previous collection, but this is the first time they've worked on a video with an artist. But the video was not just made for the sake of being cool: Jones said, "The video captures an array of independent women from all walks of life, evoking a wonderful opportunity to share a new way of looking at art, music, and fashion in one singular film." Rye Rye immediately appealed to the designers with her sense of empowered style and attitude. Like a producer with music, stylists improve upon an artist's current look. Heck, Britney might still be bald if it weren't for stylists.
Music is not only aural, but increasingly visual. You can see in the photo above how much Rye Rye herself has changed over the years with the help of stylists. Think: Madonna without her cone bras, ZZ Top without the beards or Lady Gaga with pants. Would we honestly take as much notice as we do? It's only fitting that the people responsible for making artists into shock rockers, high-fashion peacocks and teen heartthrobs should foray into creating music videos. With filming, editing and publishing equipment and programs widely available, this could start a new wave of independent fashion designers and stylists taking an artist's image out of the hands of labels and into their own.
Check out DimePiece and Rye Rye's video for "Hardcore Girls" featuring custom made Paradime and DimePiece clothing. For more info and photos from the video screening party (with a performance from Rye Rye), visit www.dimepiecedesigns.com.
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