Smif N Wessun The All Zip Top Direct
The “All Zip Top”: How Smif-N-Wessun Defined 90s Streetwear with One Bar
By: The Diggin’ In The Crates Crew
Lyrics & Message
- Lyrically focused on street credibility, pride in crew and neighborhood, and assertive MCing.
- Delivery: Harsh, gravelly voices with tight internal rhymes and call-and-response hooks typical of Smif-N-Wessun’s style.
- Notable elements: Repetition of a titular hook (“the all” / “zip top” imagery), slang referencing weapons/defensive posture (metaphorical in many lines), and vivid urban imagery.
Collaborations: Recent capsules like the one with Urbancoolab include luxury-leaning items like the Bucktown 360 drop-shoulder hoodies and lounge pants. smif n wessun the all zip top
The Cultural Significance: Hip-Hop and the Leather Jacket
To dismiss "The All Zip Top" as merely a "lost song" misses the point. Smif-N-Wessun were chroniclers of the material reality of their environment. In the mid-90s, the "all zip top" (as opposed to a button-up car coat or a snap-down windbreaker) represented a specific economic tier. It wasn't luxury (not yet mink or gators), but it was quality. The “All Zip Top”: How Smif-N-Wessun Defined 90s
Tek and Steele themselves have acknowledged the hype. In a 2022 Instagram live, Steele held up a beat-up version of the top and said: "They keep asking me for the All Zip. I don't even have one no more, man. Somebody stole it at a show in DC in '98. If you got it, bring it back." Lyrically focused on street credibility, pride in crew