The Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feingen pointed out earlier today that Houston’s Ron Artest is now the 5th member of the Rockets to have signed a Chinese sneaker deal (Yao Ming remains in the Nike fold). As such, it seemed like an appropriate time to review some new fashion thoughts Artest shared with Slam Online’s Myles Brown.

SLAM: So I saw that post about tight pants on your blog. If you had to choose between a 30 game suspension or 15 games of wearing tight pants, which one would you go with?

RA: Well it™s not necessarily that. What it is, is people in the media”like I™m from a neighborhood where we wear things baggy. And you™ve got a lot of people who started out how I started out, but then they switched up and now they™ve got all these people following them and the wrong message is being sent out there. I just think the wrong message is being sent out there and people are doing things”I don™t have anything against gay people”but there™s subliminal messages like that, like that™s how you should be.

SLAM: So you think the tight pants are a gay thing?

RA: No. No. There™s many other things that™s happening too within the hip hop community and it™s been talked about a lot. People can™t really pinpoint it, but it™s just like hip hop was just so different back in the days and now they™re trying to add all this other stuff that™s not really”at least I don™t think”the truth. I can™t even go on the radio and hear a Styles P or a Jadakiss. I don™t even hear it no more. And I can™t go on MTV and see anybody hood, dressed like where the music really came from. So it™s always frustrating and it bothers me a lot, especially since I™m doing music. So I™m hoping”I™m praying”we get another Biggie. Jay Z, he™s getting older, so I™m praying we just get another Biggie so we can be on top again.