Ah, diamonds. Ice of the rich. A tangible show of eternal love. And, for the hip-hop community, a most necessary accessory.
Since the 1980’s, the rap and hip-hop community has been obsessed with ostentatious jewelry. It began innocently enough with Big Daddy Kane and Kurtis Blow wearing humongous gold chains the like of which had been seen only at the early-bird specials and retirement communities in South Florida. This was the era of track suits and thick, heavy chains. For both groups.In the 1990’s, the musicians chose to make statements with their choices in jewelry.
Treach of the rap group “Naughty by Nature” wore heavy silver chain links with a lock to represent ‘all of the brothers who are locked down’. Rap stars wore giant Jesus pendants as an homage to the One who made all of their successes possible. The group Public Enemy—with the notable exception of Flavor Flav–chose to make its statement differently by not wearing expensive jewelry, hoping that it would stop the trend of economically-disadvantaged youth turning to crime in order to emulate the dress of their musical icons.
Then came the next generation of hip hop artists. Rappers like Jay-Z, Juvenile, and the Hot Boys began flaunting flashy diamond jewelry. Brian “Baby” Williams had a set of permanent platinum veneers made for his teeth. And, in 2007, Lil Jon entered the “Guinness Book of World Records” for buying the world’s largest diamond pendant—reading “cRuNk AiN’t DeAd”—for $500,000.00. It is made up of 73 carats of diamonds set in 19-carat white and yellow gold. It is said to weigh over five pounds. The chain on which this gemstone behemoth hangs is reminiscent of the ones worn by rap’s forefathers.
And then…came…Grills. Grills are removable covers for teeth and are shaped from complete molds of your teeth so they will fit comfortably. Originally, grills were solid gold or platinum. But the style quickly expanded to be whatever you can afford to have made. Paul Wall, a Houston DJ and music producer, has become the Guru of Grills. His own set is made of tiny princess-cut diamonds and platinum, and is worth $30,000.00. Wall has made grills for artists like Lil Jon, Nelly, Slim Thug, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Juvenile, David Banner, and Chamillionaire (PaulWallWorld.com), but maintains a booming business of regular people with alternative beauty ideals. A millionaire can have a set custom-made. For the normal person, Paul Wall has several designs that he sells through his jewelry business with partner Johnny Dang, TV Jewelry, and through the website GrillsByPaulWall.com. Their grills range in price from a simple gold design for $100/tooth to a diamond-encrusted set at $800.00/tooth. Paul himself only gets personally involved when a high-profile client makes a request. When Lil Jon wanted a $50,000 grill made, Paul did all the handiwork himself. Lil Jon said of his custom grill “I got my first grill from Paul ‘cause of the way his grill looked. The design and quality of diamonds was different from what people got in ATL [Atlanta]” (PaulWallWorld.com).
Where goes hip hop, so goes fashion, and jewelry has gotten bigger and carries more carat weight than ever before. Runway shows have featured models wearing giant jewelry, all of Hollywood is in a rush to top the last famous couples’ engagement rings, and hip-hop artists themselves are wearing Gucci, Prada, Dior, and all the well-known designers. It seems like Lil Jon himself will lead the charge into the next degree of gaudiness, perhaps getting gold fingernails and toenails, or coating his dreads in platinum.
Perhaps we should be keeping an eye on the South Florida retirement homes as well for our next fashion trend.
