The Untold Fashion Legacy of Belly

When Belly dropped in 1998, it wasn’t just a movie.

It was a movement.

Directed by music video legend Hype Williams and starring:

• Nas
• DMX
• And Method Man

Belly brought street life to the big screen with a style that hit harder than a mixtape drop.

• It was raw.
• It was flashy.
• It was poetic.

But most of all, it was iconic for how it looked – and that look changed urban fashion forever.

Let’s break down how Belly became the blueprint for rap visuals, streetwear style, and cultural energy.

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1. The Movie That Looked Like a Music Video

Before Belly, no one had seen a hood film shot like that.

The opening scene in the nightclub?

• Blue lights.
• Silhouettes.
• All black fits.

It was like watching gods float through the dark.

That was all Hype Williams.

He brought his signature music video flair:

• Wide angles
• Slow motion
• High contrast

and injected it straight into cinema.

The result?

Belly didn’t just tell a story.

It styled it.

Rappers and fans alike started seeing themselves in a new light.

You could be grimy and cinematic.

Gritty and godlike.

Streetwear brands took notes.

Photographers started copying the color palettes.

Music videos leveled up.

Belly made the trap look beautiful – and brands followed suit.

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2. Black Suits, Bandanas, and Blunt Cuts

Let’s talk outfits.

From the all-black gear in the club scene to the cream leather fits in Jamaica, the styling in Belly had range.

DMX rocked:

• Bandanas
• Fitteds
• Baggy jeans
• And Timbs

the street staple combo.

Nas kept it cool with:

• Clean cuts
• Sweaters
• And long coats

bringing a calmer energy to the chaos.

But it wasn’t just what they wore – it was how they wore it.

• Confident.
• Cold.
• Clean.

No over-explaining.

Just presence.

You see it today in how rappers style themselves in videos.

All black for mystique.

Leather for edge.

• Fitted caps
• Designer shades
• Clean sneakers.

Belly was the reference before styling credits were even a thing.

It paved the way for brands like:

• Supreme
• Rocawear
• And later Trapstar

to lean into street elegance.

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3. The Evisu Effect: Trap Royalty in Denim and Leather

Belly didn’t just shape how movies looked – it launched an era of fashion influence, and at the center of it all was Evisu.

At the time, Evisu was a premium Japanese denim brand known for hand-painted logos and elite cuts.

But once Belly hit the streets, it became a status symbol in rap culture.

• DMX rocked classic Evisu jeans – baggy, raw, and stamped with the iconic seagull logo on the pockets.

• But the real jaw-dropper? Nas in the Evisu leather suit.

That Jamaica scene.

The slow walk.

The clean lines.

The sun bouncing off that leather like armor.

Nas didn’t say much – but that suit screamed.

It said:

I’ve leveled up.

It was streetwear turned high fashion.

Hood royalty dressed like global icons.

And just like that, Evisu became the flex.

Soon, Dipset had it.

Southern rappers made it part of the uniform.

Even today, wearing Evisu signals throwback elite taste.

It’s not just a brand – it’s history.

And it all started with one slow-motion scene that made the world pause.

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4. Avirex: The Jacket That Meant You Were Somebody

You couldn’t watch Belly without clocking the Avirex jackets.

• That buttery leather.
• The bold logos.
• The weight of it.

It wasn’t just outerwear – it was a statement piece for street kings.

In the ‘90s, Avirex was the flex if you had money and motion.

A $700 leather jacket with attitude.

Worn by DMX and Method Man in Belly like armor.

These weren’t background pieces.

They were power symbols.

You threw on Avirex when you wanted the whole room to know you weren’t average.

Hype Williams knew exactly what he was doing.

Every frame in Belly was styled like a myth.

And that Avirex presence?

It embedded the brand into hip-hop’s bloodstream.

After the film, Avirex exploded in the U.S.

Rappers wore it.

Hustlers wore it.

It became the official jacket of the streets – loud, heavy, built for the cold, and built to stunt.

You see its DNA in everything from Pelle Pelle to Off-White varsity leathers.

But nothing hit like that original Belly-era Avirex.

It wasn’t just fashion – it was a uniform for made men.

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5. The Blueprint for Modern Trap Aesthetics

You know that mix of luxury and menace?

The vibe that says:

“I’m rich, but I came from the dark”?

That came straight from Belly.

Before Rick Ross had silk shirts in trap mansions…

before Future wore Chrome Hearts in the club…

before Gunna rocked monochrome designer fits…

there was Belly.

The shots of:

• Slow money counting
• Backroom meetings
• Pool scenes
• And drug deals in penthouses

it all planted the seeds for how trap visuals are shot today.

• The color grading.
• The tension.
• The balance of beauty and danger.

Belly wasn’t just a film – it was a moodboard for the culture.

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6. Style as a Power Signal

In Belly, clothes weren’t just clothes.

They were status.

Tommy (DMX) walked into every room like a king.

• The way he wore his jewelry.
• The coats.
• The car he drove.

Even when he was getting locked up, he looked unfazed.

Sincere (Nas) had that quiet confidence.

The minimalist style.

The stillness.

They were two energies – but both high status in their own ways.

That duality – loud and flashy vs calm and crisp – mirrors the two main archetypes in streetwear today.

You’re either showing off your stripes or moving like a silent boss.

Either way, Belly showed that your style should reflect your energy – and the streets ran with it.

And it’s no coincidence that both archetypes were dripped in Evisu.

That was the unspoken message:

If you knew, you knew.

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7. From Hood Film to High Fashion Influence

When you look at brands like:

• Fear of God
• Trapstar
• Or even high-end lines like Balenciaga’s streetwear drops

you’re seeing Belly’s influence.

Why?

Because the movie taught us that the hood has taste.

That you can come from struggle but still carry yourself with flair.

That streetwear isn’t just clothes – it’s identity armor.

When Tommy wore all black, it wasn’t just for stealth.

It was a statement:

“I’m untouchable.”

When Sincere wore soft tones, it said:

“I’ve evolved past the drama.”

That duality lives in today’s best streetwear.

Rough materials with luxury cuts.

Minimalism with edge.

Form meets feeling.

Belly created the blueprint.

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8. Legacy in the Culture

Ask any rapper born after ’85 if they’ve seen Belly – they’ll say yes.

It’s a rite of passage.

It’s the movie you watch before your first real music video.

It’s the vibe you try to channel when you walk into the club in full drip.

Even the soundtrack was iconic.

The visuals matched the music.

Nas and DMX didn’t just act – they embodied the energy.

Every frame was soaked in aura.

To this day, streetwear shoots copy Belly’s:

• Lighting
• Angles
• And tone.

It’s why a product photo with shadows and neon hits harder than a flat white backdrop.

It’s why:

• Motion blur
• VHS grain
• And dark nightclub vibes

still dominate.

And it’s why many brands even exist – to keep the spirit alive.

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Conclusion: Why Belly Still Matters

Movies come and go.

But style sticks.

Belly didn’t just give us a story – it gave us a standard.

It told rappers:

Dress like you mean it.

It told streetwear heads:

Match your mood.

It told directors:

Every frame counts.

Without Belly, we wouldn’t have the same visual language we use today in hip-hop.

• The fashion.
• The lighting.
• The posture.
• The presence.

It’s more than nostalgia. It’s DNA.