Instagram/@myfabolouslife
Fabolous’s pointed remarks created additional waves of discussion, deeming this Adidas collaboration look as “Fake Thug.” The Brooklyn-born artist threw shares of the image during New York Fashion Week and got various reactions from lyrical praise to downright abuses of modern style.
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Fabolous posted the teaser with the caption: “Fake Thug.. . No 🖤,” tagging Adidas Thug Club preview and NYFW2025. The post offered so little exposition, thus opening the door for an intrepid debate on whom Fabolous was talking about and what exactly he meant by “Fake Thug.” It was this haze that became the centerpiece of debate among several hundreds of comments quite soon afterward.
Several followers immediately related old-school hip-hop lyrics to the post, interpreting Fabolous’s statement in the spirit of toward the old-school rap code. One user said echoing the famous Nas lyric, “You get the slug, CB4 Gusto, your luck low! I Didn’t know till I was drunk though.” Another irrefutably added, `A thug changes an love changes & best friends become strangers,” citing a familiar bar that addressed the authenticity theme. The section seemed to side with Fabolous and thereafter regarded the “Fake Thug” tag as a plea for real hip-hop culture as opposed to its decline.
Unfortunately, rather than engaging an intangible concept, the bigger chunk of attention went into the disputed subject that the promo picture featured. The model looked avant-garde, to put it mildly, with outrageous facial alterations: that in itself sparked an uproar. A commenter was completely brutal in judgment: “That’s actually not cute or artistic.. actually sad that person had to do that to their mouth just to ‘stand out’ and be ‘cool’ whole generation is FRIED 🚮😩😭 that actually looks disgusting.” This emotive retort is the sign of generational dissonance with some viewers vehemently opposing the art. Others fueled the ambushes, asking, “Who is this Alien bih, I’m confused lol,” thus serving proof that high fashion does not appeal to everybody.
Amidst and between these scandalous crowds, many also reverted to the praise of the timeless style of Fabolous and some requests. “Red Shell toes stoopid!!!! 🤦🏾♂️🔥🔥🔥,” one laments, the perfect salutation to Adidas Superstar kicks that are known to be Fabolous’s trademark. There is some acknowledgment of the colab, while another says, “This is pretty good… I haven’t said that about a colab in a long time.” The calls for making an artist brand remain with some followers chiming with, “It’s time for your own brand / line.”
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As a promotional tool, the post stirred much feverish buzz about the Adidas Thug Club line. Rather than simply generate ostentatious hype over a pair of shoes, Fabolous elevated this moment into a discourse about authenticity and style. That discussion became, in fact, a sort of cultural checkpoint, forcing one-time viewers to place consideration on what “thug” and “cool” currently mean in terms of fashion and hip-hop. The post had everyone talking, be it in praise or in rebuttal, witnessing that a few words still matter from an elder statesman. The discourse surrounding the preview uplifts the age-long tension between commercial fashion and artistic expression on one side and cultural authenticity on the opposing. Fabolous continues to be a prominent figure in New York City’s cultural scene, and his recent activities, including bringing back 2000s swag, highlight his enduring influence.