Fitted in Black is a fresh new documentary-short, celebrating the beautiful relationship between baseball and hip-hop culture, connected through the classic Chicago White Sox hat.
When you wear the Chicago White Sox Baseball hat, what sits atop your head is much more than just a fashion statement. Initially, it represents fandom for a baseball team, but when you look much further into what it means, the history and culture that stands on the brim of that hat, you soon discover you are wearing a heavy crown. I am talking about the classic all-black Chicago White Sox cap, with the Old English lettering on the front, made famous on the field and even more from 1990’s hip-hop culture. That fame is perfectly articulated in Fitted in Black, a spectacular new documentary-short, in collaboration with the Chicago White Sox, SoxTV, and New Era Cap, celebrating 50 years of hip-hop music. To wear that Sox hat is not just a declaration of style but a statement of life.
You might not believe that a movement could begin with a single baseball hat, but in 1990, when the Chicago White Sox officially rebranded their uniforms, it turned the Sox hat into a statement. Previously, it was apparel that never truly represented the team. In fact, they were all over the place, with reds, navy blues, SOX across the chest in bold letters, sharp lapel collars, and even shorts. You read that right — shorts! But in the 1990s, the White Sox were a winning team with names like Frank Thomas, Tim Raines, and Bo Jackson. There was a swagger on the field to go with what they were wearing. It was a classic look, a white jersey with black pinstripes and pants, topped off with a black hat with the step-down logo on the front. But what transcended the uniform was when hip-hop artists Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Common, and Ice Cube would wear the classic hat in rap videos and changed the culture surrounding White Sox baseball forever.
From a technical standpoint, Fitted in Black is a top-notch production. Using the talking head-style, featuring interviews with Vic Mensa, Frank Thomas, and Ice Cube, all giving their takes on what the headwear means to them. What director Brian Gailey has wonderfully done is include various members of the Chicago hip-hop scene and Black community to discuss the true impact in the city. Names like Carrico “Kingdom Rock” Sanders, Chicago historian Shermann Dilla Thomas, and local designer Don C show a wide range of people who live at the intersections of hip-hop, fashion and culture. It is easy for us to hear the rappers or ballplayers that made it popular, it is another to hear those who truly embraced wearing a Sox hat as an extension of their existence.
What is even more impressive about Fitted in Black is how it bridges the generations of White Sox fans or someone who never watches baseball at all. No matter what your interests or the team you rooted for in Chicago- Cubs, Bulls, Bears, or Blackhawks- it is all but cemented that the White Sox have an iconic look. This documentary shows the transcendent embrace by every neighborhood or social class of Chicago. A merging of sports with culture, art, music, and creativity. The businessperson leaving the Board of Trade, the gas station attendant in Bridgeport, the young rapper trying to sell a demo at the Red Line, and the hot dog vendor at Guaranteed Rate Field. What you learn is that the White Sox hat is not just a local phenomenon but elevated far beyond 35th and Shields.
The White Sox hat is not just a hat. It is a symbol of fashion, a symbol of pride, and a great representation of the city of Chicago. Fitted in Black encapsulates all of that into a crisp nineteen minutes and displays that the Chicago White Sox organization understands that this style is a part of who they are. From Ice Cube to Luis Robert Jr., from Hyde Park to Lincoln Park, and from ages 10 to 200. The White Sox hat is a perfect fit and Fitted in Black is essential viewing for all Chicagoans.
FITTED IN BLACK IS AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE, NBC SPORTS CHICAGO, AND WHITESOX.COM.
Written by: Leo Brady
Twitter: @LeosAMovieGuy
Instagram: @AMovieGuy
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Fitted in Black was originally published in Inside the White Sox on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.