Why Kanye West, Drake, Future, and Lil Uzi Vert Brag That They Have “No Stylist”

As Lil Uzi Vert set about claiming world ‘fit dominance on Instagram, unspooling detailed carousels of what he’s wearing, he’s done it with an unmissable disclaimer. Above the lurid slideshows that painstakingly tally up all the reasons his outfit is undeniably the best outfit is a straightforward fact that doubles as a declarative brag: “NO STYLIST.” This comes almost a year after French Montana released a whole-ass single titled “No Stylist,” the subject of which you can probably guess. Dave East, a month before that, released a song under the same name. That is merely the tip of the iceberg, the cherry on top of the sundae, the little Thom Browne pouch completing the outfit. According to Genius, since 2007, the exact phrase “no stylist” has appeared in 173 songs. This number doesn’t include the dozens of variations like “Fuck a stylist, Sizzle wildin’ / Sizzle geekin’” (Waka Flocka Flame); “I’m my own stylist, I’m dressing me” (Gucci Mane); “I’m swagged the fuck out, I don’t need a stylist” (Young Thug). A large bulk of them—107 of the 173—have appeared in the aftermath of French Montana’s 2018 single.

Buying and wearing the best and most expensive clothing for yourself wasn’t good enough at one point. In the ‘90s and early 2000s, for rappers like Jay-Z and Diddy, true luxury was never having to go to the store. Even coordinating an outfit was a task below their enormous stature. Making it meant paying a person, or a whole team of people, to lay the foundation of great style brick by brick. In 2008, Nelly rapped about rare retro Jordans on “Stepped on My J’z”: “I had to order these, you can’t find them in the store (nope) / Called up my stylist like, ‘Shorty, send more.’” This was Peak Rap Stylist.

But as rap evolved, alongside fashion’s myth- and image-making power, the brags have swiveled 180°. Kicking the help to the curb and declaring “no stylist” in a song is currently rap’s biggest flex. What changed?

It was the summer of 2007: hope and change was in and stylists, suddenly, were out. The first utterance of “no stylist,” according to Genius, came from a little-known artist named Nicki Minaj, who had just put out her debut mixtape Playtime Is Over. On its titular track she raps: “I’m a bad bitch, I don’t need no stylist.” But Nicki Minaj wasn’t Nicki Minaj in 2007, so I mean no disrespect to Onika when I suggest that the ground-quaking moment likely came a few months later. As with most things fashion and rap, Kanye West was prominently involved. Remember a song called “Champion”? On it, Kanye rapped, “I don’t see why I need a stylist / When I shop so much I can speak It-al-ia-n.”

Suddenly, others rappers started to loudly and publicly agree. If Kanye didn’t need a stylist, why in the world did they? “It shifted with Kanye West,” says Bobby Williams, who styles Future, who has rapped about not working with a stylist seven times. (One more than the closest competitor, Gucci Mane.) “He was one of the first artists who we all love because we were like, ‘Wow, this dude can rap, he produced, and he can dress himself.” In the years since, Drake, Future, 2 Chainz, Gucci Mane, Kodak Black, Gunna, 21 Savage, both Offset and Quavo from the Migos, Chief Keef, Soulja Boy, Young Thug, and Playboi Carti all caught the bug. (French Montana, Soulja Boy, Dave East, and Lil Uzi Vert did not respond to a request for comment; the Migos declined)