FUBU

Hip-hop relevance

FUBU ('For Us, By Us') was founded in Hollis, Queens by Daymond John, J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin and Carlton Brown. It became one of the first nationally-distributed Black-owned hip-hop apparel brands, with early visibility tied to LL Cool J wearing FUBU caps in commercials and music videos. The line crossed $350M in annual sales at its late-1990s peak and helped establish the streetwear-as-rap-business template that Rocawear, Sean John, Phat Farm and others followed.