Founding FUBU

Do you remember the wild ride that was the '90s? With the decade that brought so many landmark cultural moments came the explosion of hip-hop. No one could have foreseen that when this disruptive and transcendent music drew in a young boy from Hollis, Queens, the fashion world would be forever changed.

As a teen, Daymond John immersed himself in the burgeoning rap scene and quickly started to recognize that the people in the hip-hop community were being ignored and even looked down upon by major players in the fashion industry. Frustrated with this disconnect and passionate about the hip-hop community and culture, John and three of his best childhood friends started the iconic fashion label FUBU (For Us By Us) in John’s mother’s home in Queens. Trained in the school of New York City street life, these young men would experience a meteoric rise, eventually growing FUBU into a six-billion-dollar brand that dressed everyone from LL Cool J to NSYNC. More importantly, FUBU became an unstoppable cultural movement and a symbol of empowerment for entrepreneurs that endures today.

Steeped in '90s nostalgia, this memoir takes you through John’s childhood to the making of his moguldom, without neglecting the missteps that the founders took along the way. For the first time, John shares epic, behind-the-scenes tales from the FUBU empire, featuring shocking stories of organized crime, wild nights with public figures, and heartfelt testimonials from Rev Run, Ice T, Steve Harvey, Tiffany Haddish, and Joey Fatone about FUBU’s enduring power and what it means to them. The original score from award-winning composer Gary Gunn will transport you back to an era whose music forever changed our culture.

Founding FUBU is an utterly American dream come to life on the streets of New York.