In what is being billed as a day of recognition of Hip-Hop fashion, The Mighty Shirt Kings are being honored by The Mizell & Monique Takeover on November 12 at The Jamaica Colosseum Mall from 3-6 pm. The event is hosted by Video Music Box creator Ralph McDaniels and co hosted by Lioness Roars. DJs Large Professor of Main Source, Big Bad Sho, Scratchmasta Jazzy G, Cut King and DJ Ace,The Cut Lt. will be spinning.

The Shirt Kings - King Kasheme, Mighty Nike, and Phade formed in 1986 and set up shop in the Jamaica Colosseum Mall and forever changed Hip-Hop street fashion. The original artwork of the Shirt Kings graced several album covers and was worn by a great number of pioneering golden era Hip-Hop personalities from Kool DJ Red Alert to The Audio 2. Cool kids, drug dealers and rap stars complemented their outfits with the airbrushed, personalized graffiti-styled artwork of the Shirt Kings.

Nike remembers the customer who put them on the map.

"Biz Markie was the first rapper we did a shirt for," he remembered. "He spotted us, looked around, saw some things he liked, chatted with us, beatboxed for us. Next thing you know, he said, 'Make me a shirt. I'll wear it. I'll put it in a magazine.' I was the best with portraits, so I did the shirt and he wore it in Black Beat magazine. He put Shirt Kings on the map and all the other rappers came behind him and wanted something. Run DMC’s Jam Master Jay, Big Daddy Kane, Salt-N-Pepa Heavy D all became customers. For Hip-Hop, there were really only two games in town: Dapper Dan and Shirt Kings. Dap’s outpost on Harlem’s 125th street and Shirt Kings in Queens."

The recognition ceremony is free to the public but by ticketed admission only. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.