One year into his tenure as Ray-Ban’s first-ever Creative Director, A$AP Rocky is moving away from the “puffer” gimmicks and back to the asphalt. To celebrate the anniversary, he’s performed a forensic exhumation of the late-90s minimalist grit, enlisting Nas to bridge the era of Belly (1998) with the high-fidelity landscape of 2026. Make no mistake, this isn’t just another celebrity campaign; it’s a stylistic passing of the torch in a late-night New York diner. It’s the sound of wire-rims hitting a Formica tabletop. Rocky, fresh off the No. 1 debut of his album Don’t Be Dumb and his acclaimed turn in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, is leaning into his role as a visual architect.
By filming the campaign in a gritty, blue-tinted diner setting—an overt nod to the nocturnal energy of Hype Williams’ 1998 masterpiece—he is anchoring the brand back into the high-stakes, cinematic DNA of the Golden Era. Nas isn’t just a guest star; he’s the “Senior Historian” of the minimalist NY look.
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The “New Metal” Lineage
The “New Metal” collection marks Rocky’s first official foray into optical frames, but the DNA is pure archive. While the last few years of eyewear have been defined by oversized acetate and “Fast Fashion” plastics, Rocky and Nas are pivoting back to the material restraint of the mid-90s:
- The Silhouette: The drop centers on slim, narrow rectangular frames and soft oval curves. It’s a study in rimless fidelity—the kind of eyewear that doesn’t hide the face but sharpens it.
- Optical Evolution: This release reinterprets Ray-Ban’s legacy codes through a contemporary, fashion-forward lens, introducing Rocky’s first-ever prescription designs alongside the sun frames.
- The Rare Spec: For the collectors, the standout is the 0RB3930 001/Y7. It’s a gold-wire double-bridge wraparound that won’t be found online—it’s an in-store exclusive designed for those who value the hunt over the “Add to Cart” button.
The “Decked Out Verdict”
Rocky is proving that his most effective tool at Ray-Ban isn’t “hype”—it’s memory. By stripping away the bulk and returning to the brushed gold and steel of the 90s, he’s reclaiming a version of “cool” that relied on precision rather than volume.
The collection ranges from $202 to $249, but the value lies in the lineage. In a sea of disposable trends, Rocky and Nas are making a case for the permanence of metal.
You can check it out here.
Photo: Ray-Ban; Freepik
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Author Bio
Jael Rucker is the founder of Decked Out Magazine. She has previously worked as the Associate Commerce Editor at PureWow, focusing on analytics and trends to pitch stories and optimize articles that build and engage their audience. Her work has also been seen in Footwear News and WWD. Prior to 2024, she was the style and pop culture editor at ONE37pm for over three years, contributing numerous product reviews, brand profiles and fashion trend reports, which included interviewing Steph Curry, Snoop Dogg and more.
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