Meet FrstyPreme, a Member of Lids’ Fitted Class

What are you known for in the fitted hat community? Pink Bottoms and Icy Brims. My mom passed away from breast cancer when I was 12 years old. She passed away Dec. 4, which is Jay-Z’s birthday. I grew up on Marcy Avenue [in Brooklyn where Jay-Z is from]. So Marcy, Jay-Z, my mom’s death date.

I made a Yankee hat with a pink bottom on it for my mom, just to give her the ode. And then a couple months passed, and the hat blew up. I dropped Icy just as a counter to that, and then that blew up as well.

How did you get into fitted hats? I had a homie that was managing a store, and I knew that they could do customs, so I basically just asked them to make me a custom hat, and then he made me the custom hat, and that’s how I started.

What makes a great fitted hat? Simplicity. I think the more simple you are, and the better you could tell that story with the simplicity of it, that’s what makes the best ones. And you got to be wearable.

What’s the most valuable hat you have? The first pink bottom ever made. It means so much to me.

Why are fitted hats important to fashion and personal style? They’re just part of hip-hop culture and finishing off your outfit. It's one thing to have a haircut, and it’s one thing to have a nice fitted on with a haircut. I just think it’s so important to just always accentuate how you really feel and add more style to your style. You can always do that with a hat. You can always tell a lot with a hat and tell the story with it.

How have fitteds played a role in hip-hop culture? I think it just comes from just wanting to be fly and just, it’s another piece to my outfit. I got a nice jacket on, but I got an extra one. I got a nice hat on, too. I think it just became a way to flex. I think it was like rep your city kind of thing. You go back to the Nelly era, all these dudes was really repping where they were from.