Gucci Turns 90: The Highs & Lows of An Icon(PHOTOS)

The Daily Grind Video

What do you for someone who turns 90? Well if you are the Gucci brand you keep on doing what you’re doing.

The legendary fashion house, which was founded in 1921 as a leather goods manufacturer and as the House of Gucci by Guccio Gucci in Florence, Italy, is celebrating its 90th birthday this week. To celebrate this momentous occasion GlobalGrind looked back at the brand’s influence and reference in Hip-Hop culture.

What do you for someone who turns 90? Well if you are the Gucci brand you keep on doing what you’re doing.

Viewed as the ultimate status symbol in the 80s (thanks to weekly soap operas like ‘Dynasty’ and ‘Falcon Crest’) owning a Gucci anything signified status and respect in poverty stricken hoods across America. Nowadays, the brand is still the duke of icons, having been appropriated by the likes of Gucci Mane and style obsessed fans who go as far as getting the brand tattoed on their bodies.

We know we missed some stuff but take a look what what we found in the lyrics of the Notorious Big, Schooly D, and Gucci Mane, to name a few.

Happy Birthday, Gucci!

(Chanel Iman in Gucci during Milan Fashion Week).

What do you get for someone who turns 90? Well if you are the Gucci brand you keep on doing what you do.

It was impossible to cover it all, but take a look at what we found in the lyrics of the Notorious Big, Schooly D, and Gucci Mane, to name a few.

Happy Birthday, Gucci!

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Gucci’s Fall 2011 presentation during Milan Fashion Week.

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Gucci Fall 2011 at Milan Fashion Week.

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Guccio Gucci in front of the original Gucci store in 1921, Florence Italy.

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Detail of a vintage, screen printed Gucci T-Shirt found on ebay. $145.00.

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A vintage, screen printed Gucci t-shirt from the late 80s-early 1990s found on eBay.

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Hip-Hop duo Eric B and Rakim wore Dapper Dan suits on the cover of their ‘Follow The Leader’ album in 1988.

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On the cover of Eric B and Rakim’s ‘Paid In Full’ Gucci is prominently displayed.

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Rapper Schooly D released the single ‘Gucci Time’ in 1986 on Jive Records. The single was from his self-titled debut and the lyrics read in part: ‘Lookin’ at my Gucci, it’s about that timeFor MC Schoolly D to start hummin’ a rhyme..’

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On the song ‘La-Di-Da-Di,’ off his album The Art of Storytelling, British Rapper Slick Rick rhymes ‘I put the bubbles in the tub so I could take a bubble bath/Clean, dry, was my, body and hair/I threw on my brand new Gucci underwear.’

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Radric Davis aka Gucci Mane releases ‘Trap House’ in 2005 after the successful single ‘Icy.’

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