Despite only intermittently releasing music in recent years, A$AP Rocky has consistently been one of the industry’s most frequent collaborators. With the new album, the Rocky brand has shifted into overdrive. (Sansho Scott/BFA.com)Of course, fashion industry partnerships are not what define a hip-hop artist’s relevance or influence across culture at large. Long before he was a global fashion ambassador, Rocky cemented his status as a fashion icon who reinterpreted the swagger of Harlem legends like Cam’ron—style pioneers within the genre who didn’t receive the mainstream fashion credit they deserved. What distinguishes emerging hip-hop fashion icons more than Billboard numbers or RIAA certifications, according to Ghetto Runway’s Dane, is how confident the artist is in expressing their own personal style — even if that means hiring a stylist to bring that out.