Media Watch

the so-called jay-z effect.

While Hip-Hop is loved across the globe it still continues, at times, to get treated like a step-child. A recent New York Times article explored an odd phenomenon in crime across the five boroughs of New York City; a noticeable number of criminals are sporting the famous Yankee baseball cap while engaged in criminal activity. One shouldn't be surprised by the odd coincidence. The Yankee fitted is a popular item, worn by a cross-section of individuals from different backgrounds. While reading the Times article, I was shocked to read the thoughts of one criminologist. Frankie Y. Bailey, an associate professor at the University at Albany, described the trend as "the Jay-Z effect."


"The rapper Jay-Z has worn a Yankees cap for years — on his album covers and in his videos — and has helped turn the cap into a ubiquitous fashion accessory for urban youths (“I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can,” he boasts in one song).


Criminals might be wearing Yankees merchandise not because they are fans of the team, but because they are fans of the cocked-hat look popularized by Jay-Z and other rappers..."


Bailey's "theory" is ludicrous to say the least. The fitted cap trend did not start with Jay-Z and criminals wore Yankee caps long before Jay-Z's rap career took off. There is no need to create theories at the expense of a musical genre and cultural phenomenon. It's simply a matter of numbers, the Yankees sell more merchandise than any other baseball team. Go figure.