Rappers have taken over Bloke Core

On Saturday, June 29, 21 Savage opened Tedua's concert in Milan in front of a silent audience, not because they were enthralled but because they were disinterested in an artist who is globally recognized but uninteresting to the eyes of those present who were there for the performance of the Ligurian rapper. The event went unnoticed: what stood out more was 21 Savage's outfit, as he took the stage wearing a 2003/04 Juventus jersey of Alessandro Del Piero. Is this news shocking? Not at all, considering that 21 Savage is just the latest in a long line of rappers to wear a Juventus match shirt, and just one of many football-fan rappers who, thanks to a loyal fanbase, manage to convey the intrinsic meaning of a trend - that of Bloke Core - that has reached an enormous dimension.

The Birth and Evolution of Bloke Core

Bloke Core is one of the many trends born on TikTok. In our 2022 article, we even called it the best thing born from the minds of TikTok users. But more than two years later, it’s fair to wonder what has happened to Bloke Core and how time has shaped it to its liking. A peculiarity that roughly unites most trends is temporariness - nothing new there - but this aspect has become decidedly more serious in the case of Bloke Core. First of all, we’ll credit the term to Brandon Huntly, a content creator who from the very beginning made us understand what Bloke Core was and especially what type of person was more "real" in representing this type of clothing - thus, even before it turned into fashion: denim, sneakers (almost always) adidas, and football jerseys. A sort of Liam Gallagher wannabe. Anyone who seemed like an adoptive child of Britpop was initially thought to be predisposed to be a representative of Bloke Core. In short, it was thought that this trend was characterized by a certain genuineness, in total contrast to other trends.

From Niche, to Trend, to Parody

Bloke Core has undergone a real evolution. Before becoming a trend, it was the domain of a niche of young Brits who attended music festivals wearing a jersey of the national team or their favorite club. This demonstrates that sentimentality can play an important role even in a simple trend. Football is a sport filled with sacredness and "playing with emotions" can be highly risky: this is also why when we see a jersey of our favorite club worn in an apparently random way by the celebrity of the moment, we don’t always take it well. Just think of the Juventus jerseys worn in recent years by Drake, Rihanna, Lil Peep, Gunna, Pusha T, Pharrell Williams, Flo Rida, Tyler, The Creator, Drake, Joe Jonas, and now 21 Savage. This is how Bloke Core, from being a distinctive sign of a niche group, not only spills into the mainstream but risks becoming almost parodic, grotesque, theatrical, a real costume. It remains a fact that there is nothing scandalous in the choice of artists to wear a jersey, it is only the "fault" of a sport that can hardly smooth out its conservative and sentimental roots aimed solely at spectacle.

At the same time, the general appreciation of all these artists belonging to the rap scene and beyond for Juventus highlights how there really is a difference in perception towards Juventus branding between Italy and Europe and America, a continent where the Turin club seems to be considered a cool club. Additionally, it is clear that interest in European football is growing in the United States: let’s not be surprised when we see Supreme New York once again creating football jerseys inspired by the aesthetics of major Italian clubs.

Americanization of Merchandising and Sportswear

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Un post condiviso da nss sports (@nsssports)

Football is certainly not the first sport to enter the mainstream so completely - in fact, it might be the last if we consider basketball, baseball, and hockey. Regarding basketball and baseball, a greater cultural openness of American supporters towards symbols and all iconography has favored the Americanization of merchandising and sportswear, starting from baseball caps with the New York Yankees logo, through the jerseys of the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, or the jerseys of any hockey team. American-rooted sports have rarely encountered the whims of fans and a demanding audience in this regard; for this reason, in Europe, historically, people have been less reluctant to the idea of wearing a basketball jersey to go to the beach or to a club with their friends.

Bloke Core can still be saved, recovering part of its reputation. But how? Finding a way to refine itself, elevate from the masses, and acquire a definitive but above all lasting coolness: it will be up to, first and foremost, designers and brands like Guillermo Andrade of 424 or Héctor Bellerín, who recently launched Gospel Estudios, to create items that originate from football aesthetics but are much more refined than a simple football jersey, which today has become little more than a carnival costume.