When it comes to hip-hop, although this writer’s favorite is Eminem, it’s fair to say that the West Coast rappers have dominated the global scene. However, it seems that most hip-hop artists carry labels that aren’t exactly positive – “flamboyant,” “over-the-top,” and “showing off wealth.” The stereotype of them pulling a gun from their pants at any moment is a common misconception.
Among these labels, “flaunting wealth” is perhaps the most prominent, especially when it comes to their seemingly obsessive taste in jewelry. It perfectly embodies the image of “nouveau riche” who don’t know how to spend their money wisely.
From May 9th this year to January 5th next year, the American Museum of Natural History is hosting an exhibition titled “Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry.”
The exhibition aims to commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music and review the development and influence of this social trend from the 1980s to the present through iconic jewelry pieces in hip-hop culture. The exhibition’s name, “Ice” (slang for “diamond”), symbolizes identity, status, and wealth, which explains why they’re so fond of diamonds.
The exhibition showcases jewelry worn by many famous hip-hop artists, including American rapper Slick Rick’s diamond crown, Notorious B.I.G.’s Jesus pendant, Roc-A-Fella Records’ circular medallion, Nicki Minaj’s Barbie pendant, as well as jewelry from stars like Erykah Badu, A$AP Rocky, Joey Bada$$, and Tyler, the Creator.
The most “top-tier” piece in this exhibition is a gold chain designed and created by New York jeweler Alex Moss for American rapper Tyler, the Creator. The Bellhop necklace is made of interconnected spheres, with a pendant designed as a “fully diamond-encrusted” man carrying a briefcase. The entire piece is set with 186 carats of colored diamonds, 60 carats of colored sapphires, and 23,000 hand-set gemstones of various types. The creation process took about seven months.
The most “childlike” piece is a Lego gold pendant designed and created by Alex Moss X Pave for A$AP Rocky, set with colored diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, and painted with enamel.
The image shows Slick Rick’s self-designed diamond-encrusted crown. The eye patch was designed by Jacob & Co. and modified by Avianne & Co in 2023.
The most “American” piece is a four-finger gold ring designed by rapper Johnny Nelson himself, reminiscent of Mount Rushmore. The ring is made of 14K gold and carved with portraits of four hip-hop “founding fathers”: Biggie, Tupac, Ol’Dirty Bastard, and Easy-E.
The artist also designed a matching necklace, though the writer admits to not recognizing any of the figures.
Beyond typical male jewelry, female stars’ pieces are both “fierce and cute,” generally more understated. For instance, the Barbie pink diamond pendant made by Ashna Mehta for Nicki Minaj is set with 54.47 carats of diamonds and outlined with Barbie pink enamel.
The ring shown belonged to Roxanne Shante, a member of the 1980s hip-hop group Juice Crew. She was the only female rapper to receive a Juice Crew ring.
Sports style and hip-hop music have always complemented each other. The image shows a 14K gold chain from an Adidas X Run-DMC collaboration, although the Adidas sneaker design looks oddly like a loafer.
The pendant shown is adorned with colored diamonds and rubies, shaped like the CN Tower and featuring mascots of the Toronto Raptors and Toronto Blue Jays.
Returning to music, there’s an image of a vinyl record-shaped pendant decorated with champagne patterns and an R-shape.
The obsession these artists have with diamond jewelry is well-documented online. There seems to be no limit to how extravagant these pieces can get, with each one trying to outdo the last.
Bling Overload: Are Hip-Hop Stars Buying Jewelry by the Pound?
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