A Brief History of the Best Yves Saint Laurent References in Rap

Celebrate Yves Saint Laurent's birthday with the best moments rappers have referenced him.

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Image via Complex Original
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The proof is in the raps: YSL is hands down a top brand that the fashion-forward swag lords of hip-hop favor. The homie Yves Saint Laurent is easily one of the most frequently name-dropped designers in today's bars by everyone from Kanye to Trina. On today, his 77th birthday, we toast to both the legend and the ever-rewarding intersection of hip-hop and high fashion with the fifteen best references to YSL in recent history. There were definitely enough to choose from. Read A Brief History of Yves Saint Laurent References in Rap and make sure you rock some SLP in the streets tonight to celebrate.

Meek Mill, "Pandemonium"

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"Million ways to get this money, you gon get it/

On the grind twenty-four/seven, I'm with it/

YSL swagger, wrist wear frigid/

Jumping out the Phantom like a motherfucking midget"

Meek's documented love for YSL goes all the way back to his first major look with MMG.

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Jay Z, "All Around the World"

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"Party at Bungalow Eight, when I stay/

pool look like a hundred Beyoncés/

a couple fianceés, I'm the new DeVante/

"Come and talk to me" mami in the ea-sy, Yves Saint/

Laurent, I hope, she ain't too young"

Foreshadowing?

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Nas, "Play on Playa"

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"Throwin carnations at my tombstone/

In my new home, meet Moms in my Yves Saint Laurent suit on/

Then we do a dance/

Like my man Luther Jam, but my verse came first"

So Nas' vision of heaven imagines YSL as the dress code? Sounds about right.

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Tyga, "I'm So Raw"

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"Fly nigga, I don't wear if it's in the mall/

Seen it on the blogs, these muhfuckas cost/

Yves Saint Laurent, you can tell by the fonts"

Pretty sure you can get YSL in some malls too but where Tyga chooses to shop is none of our business.

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Juelz Santana, "Awesome"

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"Looking like a bag of mula, got me thinking bout the jeweler/

Not a ring, but a watch, matching Rollies how I do ya

YSL, Chanel, Celine McQueen

That's a must, none of that Canal street stuff"

Spoken like a true New Yorker.

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Rick Ross, "Take It to the Head"

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"She got all them purses, I say in my verses/

YSL and Hermes and barely scratch the surface"

It's deeper than rap, way deeper, apparently.

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Trina, "Head Turner"

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"In a day, I can get what you get in a month/

Ching, ching, ching, spend that on some Yves Saint Laurent/

Ching, ching, ching, spend that on some Yves Saint Laurent"

Got it.

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Ghostface Killah, "Different Time Zones"

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2 Chainz, "No Lie"

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"YSL belt buckle, y'all niggas sure is looking!"

2 Chainz is the poster boy for dressing to troll.

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Nicki Minaj, "She Likes Me"

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"We was at the Heat game, peeped game, let him see the g-string/

Yves Saint Laurent, size fives, a petite frame"

Thirst-trapping IRL.

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Cam'ron & Vado, "La Bamba"

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"Played the restaurant, in the Yves Saint Laurent/

Patent leather, black and decker, did your girl, played yo aunt"

Cam'rons non sequitur game is too next-level. At least he was fresh to death whilst playing your aunt, though.

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Future, "Turn on the Lights"

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"Is that her in the VIP line?/

With the Vuitton and the Yves Saint Laurent"

Such a classic start to one of the most important romance songs of our generation.

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Kanye West, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone"

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"Close your eyes and imagine, feel the magic/

Vegas on acid/

Seen through Yves Saint Laurent glasses"

Dope opening bars and much lighter than his other notable reference in 808s and Heartbreak's "Pinocchio Story": "There is no YSL that they could sell/To get my heart, out of this hell/And my mind, out of this jail."

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Fabolous, "Albert Pujols"

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"They asking me what I wear, I think YSL is how it spelt/

And I might just let you touch it if you don't go tell 'em how I felt"

Actually YSL is just the acronym not how it's...nevermind.

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A$AP Ferg, "Gotham City"

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"Givenchy my body, Ksubi my colleagues/

Versace my eyelids, but it Yves Saint Laurent me"

Cool, whatever that means.

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Kendrick Lamar, "Power Circle"

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"I might as well put all my killers in YSL"

Wow. If it hadn't changed to SLP that would have to be the brand's new tagline.

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