Hip-hop fashion economy explodes — Rocawear, Sean John top $500M each

The launch of Rocawear by Jay-Z in 1999 and Sean John by Sean Combs in 1998 transformed hip-hop's cultural capital into billion-dollar fashion enterprises. Both brands crossed $500 million in annual sales, proving that Black artists could build major fashion houses — not just endorse them — and permanently changing the relationship between Black cultural production and American commerce.