2013 has been a big year for Rome Fortune. Coming out the Atlanta scene he’s built up significant buzz with his ‘Beautiful Pimp’ mixtape. Frequent collaborators C4 and Childish Major have been lacing him with experimental instrumentals that compliment his effortless laid-back delivery. He was a feature on the recent Gucci Mane joint ‘Stripes’ and just ripped a set alongside PTP family Gila Monster at 285 Kent in Brooklyn.
Outside of his music prowess, Rome is someone you’ll always see expressing his personal style through his clothing choices. When we first met, he told me that he had been a fan of Third Looks for some time, so it’s nice to bring things full circle with this feature. Rome and I had a conversation that touches on hip-hop style, girls and world rap domination.
Be sure to check the brand video for his single ‘Get the Guap” HERE and click through to read the interview.
What is the style like in Atlanta in terms of fashion but also hip-hop style in Atlanta?
I mean Atlanta isn’t too far behind, but it’s still a little behind in terms as far as style choices. Alot of the rappers are trying to turn to high fashion with Balmain and shit like that, but that’s just not my thing.
How did you dress in the past?
Years ago, it was BAPE, Ice Cream/BBC everything. I just started fucking with Adidas and alot of simple shit. I dont gotta be seen all the way down the street with everyone thinking ‘He’s a super fresh dude’. I just do simple shit, kinda how I am as a person.
What kinda stuff are you transitioning into now?
Shit I always liked Visvim and White Mountaineering and Yohji. I wanna do that since my budget is gonna grow.
You like buying stuff from designer brands but also streetwear?
I like being comfortable. That’s the best about having a personal style is being comfortable. It’s in sportswear and shit, it’s just the most comfortable stuff to wear. It’s durable too, I don’t like shit that falls apart.
I’ve seen you wearing alot of Adidas.
There’s something about those three stripes that I always liked. It’s just something aeshetically that I just like and it’s always been like that.
What about shoe wise, sneaker wise? Did you go through a collecting period?
I went through that whole period. I sold all of my shoes in 2011 and started from scratch. Now it’s more like if it’s a Jordan or something like that, I like the IVs and IIIs. Always my white shelltoes. I got a couple pair of Cole Hann desert boots. Just keep it simple.
Any rappers you think are really killing it right now style wise?
It seems like everybody these days is a clone of something. All these dudes have stylists and stuff so it’s not really their style. So .. not really.
Would you like to be more involved in fashion?
Y-3 or Adidas would be the most ideal for me. I’m more interested in style and how person is connected with their style more-so than fashion.
Do you care how girls dress?
Yeah , hell yeah. A girls gotta look nice. She just has to be comfortable, and the confidence. If it’s a cool style and it works on her and she’s confident enough, I fuck with her.
Anywhere you want to travel and or anything in particular you wanna see?
I wanna see what these hipster girls in Williamsburg are like (laughs). That’s what I’ve been hearing about and thats what I wanna see. We don’t get the authentic ones back in Atlanta. We get the tumblr copy and paste girls.
How important is how you dress to an artist and how you’re portrayed?
It should be one of your instant thoughts. The generation today is just so visual. If you don’t look cool, they’re probably not gonna listen to it.
You can’t really hide anymore. People used to buy records and not even know what the artist looked like..
Exactly.
What’s next? What would you like to see happen career-wise?
I just want to be the biggest fuckin rapper ever.
You wanna be doing stadium shows?
Stadium shows for sure. I know it’s gonna take awhile to get to that level.
You just wanna pimp on another level?
Pimp for tickets and merch (laughs).
Photos by Rocky Li
