Why You Shouldn’t Be So Quick to Judge Rappers for Their Bling
It’s no secret that rappers have a long-running love affair with jewelry. More than a fashion statement, artists’ bling is a flex, a status symbol, a token of brotherhood, and most importantly, a screaming message of success.
While gold chains and expensive watches have been common accessories for hip-hop artists ever since they burst onto the scene in the late 1970s, rappers’ jewelry game has risen to new heights with diamond-encrusted grills, iced-out Rolexes and Pateks, blinding rings, and of course, the all-important chain.
But beyond the frenzy around the eye-watering price tags, or the dog-whistle criticism over rappers blowing wads of cash on diamond-encrusted jewelry, the conversation ends there. (Save Lil Uzi Vert’s decision to have a $24 million pink diamond embedded into his forehead, of course.)