X-21 Roffa Seal T-shirt

As X21 doesn’t have any native roots at all we still wanted to create a tee with a native print without making it seem like cultural appropriation.
So I brainstormed for a bit and thought of making use of the collaborative Hip-Hop group the Native Tongues and used them as a reference.

The Native Tongues were a collective of late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop artists known for their positive-minded, good-natured Afrocentric lyrics, and for pioneering the use of eclectic sampling and jazz-influenced beats. Its principal members were the Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Monie Love, and Queen Latifah. The collective was also closely tied to the Universal Zulu Nation. Rolling Stone cites the track “Doin’ Our Own Dang” as “the definitive Native Tongues posse cut”

Core members

• Jungle Brothers (Mike Gee, Sammy B, Afrika Baby Bam)
• A Tribe Called Quest (Q-Tip, Phife Dawg, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White)
• De La Soul (Posdnuos, Trugoy, and Maseo)
• Lucien Revolucien
• Monie Love
• Queen Latifah
• Black Sheep (Dres and Mista Lawnge)
• Chi-Ali
• Fu-Schnickens† (Chip Fu, Moc Fu and Poc Fu)

Peripheral members

• The Beatnuts (Psycho Les, JuJu and Fashion)
• Brand Nubian (Grand Puba, Sadat X, Lord Jamar, DJ Alamo & DJ Sincere) (*more affiliated with DITC).
• Shortie No Mass†
• Prince Paul
• J Dilla (as a member of The Ummah with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad)
• Leaders of the New School (Busta Rhymes, Charlie Brown, Dinco D, Milo)
• Mos Def†,Yasiin Bey
• Truth Enola†
• DJ S.T.R.E.S.S.
• Da Bush Babees (Lord Khaliyl, Lee Majors and Light)
• Common
• Vinia Mojica
• Black Star (rap duo)

For the front, I used the names of albums of different members of the group to create a short story and for the back the X21 logo embellished with a native print.