Jim Jones and Kanye West were both heavily involved in the Roc-A-Fella camp in the early to mid-2000s. Both were influential figures in rap in their own right, especially in the realm of swag and fashion, although the direction of each emcee’s career took different paths. 

Kanye, of course, went to build his prolific career in the fashion industry, founding his high fashion and sneaker brand Yeezy eventually to the point of a billion-dollar empire. 

Meanwhile, Jim Jones’ Vampire Life Clothing company enjoyed success among a smaller demographic. According to the Dipest emcee, his status as a fashion trendsetter is on par with Ye, claiming while Kanye is a fashion icon, he’s the pioneer of drip culture. 

“It’s a big difference between splashin’ and fashion,” he said during a recent visit to Hot 97. “I’m on the splashin’ side, that’s what I do; I drip. Kanye’s more on the fashion side. I might not wear 90 percent of the shit that Kanye wears because it’s fashion, I don’t understand that.

“He might not get into 90 percent of the things I do, but we both compliment each other for what we set. The trends that we did set moving forward and what we did for fashion was like an equal thing.”

However, Jim Jones suggests there’s another “big difference” between his and Kanye’s fashion footprints, and you just have to look at the bottom line to find it.

“But he done took it to a whole ‘nother level ’cause he figured out how to monetize it and make billions of dollars off the shit,” he added. “I look at him as a evil genius. A lot of times, I make fun of Kanye, but I’m just a little bit pissed off at myself that I’m not as dope as he is.”

Jim Jones reminisced on his and Kanye’s history, telling the story of when Ye’s close friend and collaborator, Doc C, booked him and Cam’Ron for one of their first shows back in 1997. 

Do you think Jim Jones is as influential in the fashion world as Ye? Tell us what you think, and stay tuned for more hip-hop news