Chicago’s Hip-Hop Culture + Michael Jordan vs. LaVine Chicago Bulls Jerseys

I scored myself two of my favourite jerseys to date — a vintage 1996 Michael Jordan Bulls jersey and a 2018 Zach LaVine Bulls City Edition both by Nike. These jerseys are stunning and the contrasting difference in designs between the two is amazing.

The jerseys represent fascinating differences in the fortunes of the Bulls franchise – by the end of the 1996-97 season the Bulls had won five championships in seven years. As of 2018 the Bulls are on a 21-year title drought.

The difference in eras spans 22 years and the two jerseys reflect different fortunes and different times for the Bulls. The 2017-18 Bulls went 27-55, a world away from the 72-10 run of the 1995-96 team.

It isn’t just the city’s NBA team that has changed dramatically – so too has the hip-hop scene in Chi-town. In the 90’s Chicago hip-hop was emerging as an underdog to the dominant East & West Coast scenes.

Into the 2010s and Chicago is on the map and is responsible for its own styles of hip-hop such as drill music – originating in South Side Chicago. Here’s a slideshow of the progression of hip-hop through home town artists from the 90’s and 2010s:

You can see the rest of the slideshow by clicking here. Originally posted on my Wolf Gang Sports blog, I hustle jerseys and produce content about players and their journeys with a bit of smack talk along the way. Check out the full blog and I appreciate ya for any comments.