When he was a college student, Chase Benjamin made one of the most pivotal decisions of his life to pursue a career as a professional DJ.
Despite having less than two semesters left of classes until graduation, the Houston native decided to drop out of Howard University to move to New York for more opportunities in music. Leaving the historically Black college in Washington, D.C., also meant Benjamin had to submit his two-week notice to end his part-time job as a sales associate for the hat retailer Lids at nearby Pentagon City Mall.
“My manager at Lids was actually the first person I told I had to leave Howard because of a problem with financial aid,” Benjamin recalled to Andscape. “She was like, ‘Honestly, pursue your dreams. Do your thing.’ And I basically ended up running away to New York.”
The Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves editions of the Chase B x MLB “Maximal” New Era 59Fifty Collection.
A close-up look at the mismatch crown pattern designed by Chase B.
The hats use a mashup of fabrics and patterns.
The interior of each cap features a satin, galaxy-themed interior lining and Chase B’s name on the tag.
Nearly 15 years later, life has come full circle for the 34-year-old Benjamin — now known as Chase B, the live DJ for superstar rapper Travis Scott — who teamed up with Lids to design his first-ever fitted hats. Inspired by Nike’s iconic “What The” SB Dunk, the Chase B x MLB “Maximal” New Era 59Fifty Collection officially releases today, less than a week after debuting at the same D.C. area Lids storefront where Benjamin once worked in college. Dropping for eight different teams, the hat sold out in 15 minutes.
“This moment means a lot because this is really the first product that I’ve put out into the world,” Benjamin said. “I remember when I worked at Lids I kind of had the idea of making a hat like the ‘What The’ Dunk. It just took 15 years to realize the idea.”
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Conversations originally began in late 2023 surrounding a collaborative partnership between Lids and Chase B, who’s almost always seen onstage and on social media rocking a fitted hat. Before a show in Philadelphia on Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus Tour, Benjamin was introduced to Lawrence Berger, co-founder and chairman of FanzzLids Holdings, which acquired the longtime hat retailer in 2019.
“Lawrence was like, ‘I heard you’re the guy I gotta talk to about hats,’” Benjamin recalled. “I was like, ‘I don’t know who said that, but I do have a good idea.’ I told him it was a whole full-circle thing, because not only did I used to work at Lids, I worked at the store in the D.C. area, where he’s from.”
The origin story of Benjamin’s time in D.C. began with his decision to leave his hometown of Houston to attend Howard University — one of the nation’s most-respected historically Black colleges/universities (HBCUs) — over a predominantly white institution (PWI).
“Going to an HBCU meant everything to me,” Benjamin said. “The cultural differences between an HBCU vs. PWI were vast to me. Going to an HBCU gave me a level of confidence and community that I couldn’t have gotten anywhere else, especially because people come to Howard from so many other places. It’s 90 percent out of state, so I learned a lot from people from the Bay area, to Jamaica, to Atlanta.
Chase B is seen wearing Nike “What The” SB Dunk sneakers, which inspired the design of his hat.
Lids
Chase B went from working at Lids while in college to collaborating with the hat retailer 15 years later.
Lids
“I met so many different Black cultures going to Howard,” Benjamin continued. “And streetwear culture in D.C. is the best to me. Seeing people wear Griffeys and ACG boots gave me a whole sense of individuality that I had never experienced before. Going to Howard taught me everything I needed to know about streetwear.”
Chase B also credits his time on the yard at HU to his passion for fitted hats, which have become a trademark aspect of his style and have remained consistent as he’s risen to prominence in music.
“I used to always wear hats at Howard — like every single day to class,” Benjamin recalled. “I never really took my hats off, to the point people were like, ‘You should just work at Lids.’ So, I took the train up there from the Shaw/Howard Metro stop and applied. I worked there for a good seven, eight months, and it was the best job I ever had — by far. Then, my manager was the first person I told I was going to leave school and take a couple semesters off.”
Though Benjamin never returned to class, falling a semester or two short of completing his major in radio/TV/film and minor in economics, his goal is to earn an HBCU degree one day.
“I’ve got like 17 hours left and wanna finish so bad,” he said.
“This moment means a lot because this is really the first product that I’ve put out into the world,” Chase B said.
Lids
After being introduced to Lids’ top executive in late 2023, Benjamin traveled to the company’s Indianapolis headquarters in early 2024 to initiate the creative process for a series of fitted hats the DJ signed on to design and release.
For his first-ever hat, Chase B drew inspiration from his all-time favorite shoe — the iconic “What The” Nike SB Dunk Low, released only once in October 2007, the year before he went off to college at Howard University. After initially retailing for $120 a pair, the “What The” Dunk has since skyrocketed in hype and value, now considered one of sneaker culture’s most-revered holy grails, with original pairs running up to $40,000 on the resale market.
“I started cooking up the concept and was like, ‘Do y’all know about the ‘What The’ Dunks?’” Benjamin recalled. “A couple of people in the room did, so I said, ‘I’m thinking a ‘What The’ fitted.’ Lids was so receptive to the idea that it was like, ‘This is really about to happen.’
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Similar to the OG “What The” Dunk, which incorporates 31 Nike SB designs, Chase B’s “Maximal” hat delivers a mashup of fabrics and patterns. It features six different head panels, a brown brim and a satin, galaxy-themed interior lining.
“The ‘What The’ Dunk shoe is almost so wild that you can wear it with everything. That’s why I called it the ‘Maximal’ collection, because I’ve always been a fan of Maximalism,” Benjamin said. “People are big fans of Minimalism — the art of breaking everything down to a blank canvas for people’s own imagination. But Maximalism is the opposite. Like, ‘How do I make this complete chaos to the point that it makes sense?’ On a hat, there are panels just like a sneaker. So, I thought it’d be cool to explore a hat with so many different colors.”
Chase B credits his time at Howard University to fitted hats becoming a trademark aspect of his style.
Lids
Last November, Lids sent Benjamin the final version of his debut “Maximal” x New Era 59Fifty, which he broke out at ComplexCon in Las Vegas and has been rocking ever since.
“I was a little nervous because I knew the hat looked good. But I didn’t want it to be too niche, like, ‘Is this only something I would wear? ” Benjamin said. “I wanted to do something that people could put in a case on display. Something that went deeper than just a fashion piece. It’s really a collector’s item, but I’m so excited to see everybody actually wear it.”
Chase B couldn’t have asked for a better person to see sporting his “Maximal” hat publicly for the first time. Ahead of the collaboration’s debut retail release in D.C., Benjamin received a notification on Instagram taking him to a photo of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James walking through the Crypto.com Arena tunnel with the Dodgers edition of the “Maximal” hat on his head. The DJ had personally sent the hat to King James’ home address but had no idea that he’d unveil it ahead of a primetime matchup against the New York Knicks.
“’Bron had just gotten the hat because I was checking the tracking every day to make sure it got there,” Benjamin said. “I’m thinking, even if he does wear it, I’ll get like a behind-the-scenes picture of him eating lunch or something in it. But he got the hat that morning and wore it that night.
“It was like, “Oh s—, ’Bron really wore my hat before a TNT game against the Knicks.”
A decade and a half after working part-time at Lids to help pay for college, Chase B’s long-envisioned, first-ever fitted hat design has finally arrived. This year, the DJ is also expected to release his debut studio album, Be Very Afraid, and his own rendition of the Jumpman Jack, Travis Scott’s signature model with the Jordan Brand.
“Candidly, there’s a Jumpman Jack coming out that I designed around the same time as the ‘Maximal’ collection,” Benjamin said. “I designed a hat to match the shoe. Both will be out later this year, and I just can’t wait.”
Yet, as he’ll tell you himself, Chase B isn’t done cooking yet.
“I actually have two more hats coming out with Lids,” Benjamin said. “This is going to be a long-lasting partnership. Especially after this, everybody’s licking their chops for me to come back to Indianapolis and design the next one. But, this “Maximal” collection, I want to keep it going for as long as I can.”
Aaron Dodson is a sports and culture writer, primarily covering footwear endorsement deals and sneaker culture.
