According to Fremont Beck, Professor of Hip Hop Studies at Northwestern University, "The rise of hip hop - celebrating rebellion and freedom - is clearly perceived as a threat by the dominant white culture. Law enforcement has infiltrated hip hop culture in response. And what better way than through fashion?"
"I can't believe these kids would commit these fashion faux pas on their own. I mean, who is easier to chase down the street than a kid with baggy, saggy pants belted at the knee and wearing hefty hiking boots with no laces? Why does one hip hop star promote those clunky Timberlands, while none promote track shoes?"
"And the tattoos? These kids are having their area codes,neighborhoods, affiliations, even girlfriends' names tattooed on their backs."
"The only explanation is that these young people are being duped by the police into tagging themselves. They may as well be writing the word "suspect" on their foreheads along with their address and social security number."
Beck adds "This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "fashion police."
