![]() ![]() The latter is the current owner of the most expensive grills in the hip-hop world: the rapper’s teeth ice set him back $150,000.Īnd speaking of Kanye, he spoke to Ellen Degeneres in 2010 about how he’d had most of his bottom teeth removed in order to have a set of diamond grills fitted. Nelly and Paul Wall further pioneered the trend, and by the 2000s, grills were part of the hip-hop uniform, with teeth ice being sported by stars from Kanye West to Lil Wayne. ![]() ![]() In the 1990s, the Wu-Tang Clan members were renowned for commissioning unique styles of teeth bling, such as the fang style, which was first seen on RZA. ![]() Attention-Grabbing GrillsĪlmost unique to the hip-hop genre is the love of grills shared by many of its stars. Unfortunately for Uzi (and his insurance provider), the diamond got pulled out by fans at a concert. Four-finger rings were popularized by rapper LL Cool J in the 1990s – fast forward to 2013, and the rings are just as impressive, with A$AP Rocky pictured for a magazine wearing a huge square-cut topaz and diamond ring.Īs well as bracelets, grills (more on these below), and diamond earrings, many hip-hop stars have taken jewelry to the next level: in 2021, Lil Uzi Vert made the decision to get a natural pink diamond worth $24 million embedded in his forehead. Hip-hop cultures embrace a range of other blingtastic accessories, too. It’s not just about solid gold chains and diamond-encrusted watches. We’re willing to be he doesn’t wear that to the soft play with the kids. Many work closely with designers such as Tiffany or Rolex to create their own limited edition creations or to have a custom piece of mega-bling made.īeyonce recently gifted their husband Jay-Z a white gold watch from Hublot, which set the star back an eye-watering $5 million. For hip-hop stars, it’s a very different proposition. If, as mere mortals, we’re looking for the best place to buy silver, we’d probably head to the most well-respected jewelers in town or look online to find where we can get the most bang for our buck. This is a direct link both to the concept of bling as a status symbol and also points to the connection of many hip-hop stars with the most exclusive jewelry designers of the day. Hip-hop stars regularly invest in limited edition pieces from luxury jewelers and designers, building up glittering multi-million dollar collections to add to their wealth portfolios. Having recently become the very first hip-hop musician to achieve a certified gold record, all that heavy jewelry was designed to send a clear message of triumph. This is best summed up by the appearance of artist Kurtis Blow, who appears on his self-titled debut record in the 1980s wearing several conspicuous chunky gold chains. Despite the lack of a level playing field, all that oversized bling was and is a powerful way to demonstrate that, against the odds, success has been achieved and can act as an inspiration to others who wish to follow their dreams. Hip-hop has, traditionally, been a genre closely connected with African American communities and has acted as a vital means of expressing the often difficult experiences of those from these communities. It wasn’t meant to be subtle but to be seen: all those huge gold chains were an indication of success designed to convey victory to rivals and the world in general. Going back to the underground hip-hop battles that marked the emergence of the genre in the early 1980s, jewelry was akin to battle armor and an important marker of status. But there’s an important reason for this. When it comes to bling and hip-hop, size really does matter. With hip-hop bling making its way into the mainstream like never before, we take a look at the genre’s historical association with distinctive jewelry and a few examples of best-in-class hip-hop mega-bling! Size Matters And Mobb Deep’s Prodigy delivers on the threat with his astonishing first verse: “Rock you in your face, stab your brain with your nose bone…” It’s the kind of thing that should get you locked up for life.Hip-hop and bling go together like…Kanye West and a set of diamond grills! But how did this symbiotic relationship between the genre and jewelry come about – and do all those heavy stacks of chains symbolize something more than just an aesthetic? It’s the sound of a looming threat that could exist in any era. II” so timeless is that it’s also somewhat generic. II,” Mobb Deep’s Havoc combined three equally mercurial jazz samples: Herbie Hancock’s “Jessica,” “Daly-Wilson Big Band’s “Dirty Feet” and Quincy Jones “Kitty With The Bent Frame.” The songs are so obscure (at least to hip hop fans), their presence in the track remained somewhat of a mystery for a decade and a half. II.” That slow drum beat and those sirens seemingly ripped out of a horror film. There’s something immediately terrifying about “Shook Ones, Pt. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |