New Book Explores How The Lo-Lifes Crew Created A Global Subculture

Source: powerHouse Books / Powerhouse

Brooklyn is still taking it. One of the Lo-Lifes’ founding members has written a new book detailing his life story and how the crew changed fashion forever.

As reported by The Gothamist Rack-Lo is set to has penned his life story in Lo-Life: The Story Of Rack Lo. Born George Billups the New York native co-founded the infamous Lo-Lifes. As the story goes there were two boosting crews in Brooklyn, one from Crown Heights in St. John’s and the other from Brownsville in Marcus Garvey Village. Rack, which is slang for stealing, lived in both areas and seemingly united both factions into one. In 1988 the Lo-Lifes were born.

The collective would specialize in high risk shoplifting missions throughout the city that not only provided them an outlet to make money with reselling but kept them fresh from head to toe. While they didn’t discriminate what stores they pillaged, they quickly gained an affinity for Polo Ralph Lauren due to the brand’s signature color block designs, crests, symbols, and more. So much so the Lo-Lifes became synonymous with the apparel line and would be credited for bringing high fashion to the streets. Over 35 years later there are Lo-Lifes throughout the world that honor the original crew’s tradition of staying fresh but also love and loyalty.

But to hear Rack-Lo tell his life was a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs that included ducking warrants, arrests, rival gang confrontations, bullet wounds and even jail time. Lo-Life: The Story Of Rack Lo will be available April 23.