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Pop CultureJim Jones

What Is a Teenior Citizen? Welcome to the New Midlife Crisis.

Blurring the lines between Gen X and Gen Z.

By Mr. Wavvy
Jim Jones - teenior citizen
Photo by Mike Stobe/BIG3/Getty Images

There is now, at long last, a term describing 47-year-olds who dress like they’re 17: teenior citizen.

The name gained traction earlier this year, initially as a descriptor for Jim Jones, the Dipset capo, whose wardrobe and swagger read like a salute to the mixtape era of two decades ago.

Jones, 49, looks at the digs on his years with glass-half-full optimism. 

“I'm accepted by the younger generation,” Jones said on The Breakfast Club in February. That mean my music is moving. That mean my music is touching them. That mean my music resonates with them. Do you know how dope that is for me to be in this game this long and be able to make music that the youngsters that wasn’t around when I really was lit still admire and want to know who this guy is?"

From there, the label grew. DJ Akademiks grouped Fabolous in with the teenior citizens, saying the rapper, 48 as of last week, also dresses like someone 30 years his junior. It’s worth noting, though, that Fabolous helped influence an entire generation to wear oversize jerseys and fitted hats, a subject he addresses in a five-year-old Breakfast Club interview that resurfaced last week.

@djenvyofficial

DJ ENVY and Fabolous go way back as he used to freestyle in Envy's mom basement #Foryou #breakfastclub #djenvy #fabolous #iheartradio

♬ original sound - djenvy

Yes, Fab is still holding on to a few 4XL jerseys, though they’re not part of his rotation today. Alongside Jones, Dave East, and Maino, though, Fab last month debuted the Let’s Rap About It podcast, a series that has introduced phrases like “freer” and “goofily ever after” to the lexicon.