The Style of Sound: Dying for Diamond$ in Rap’s Blinged Out History
Lil Uzi Vert’s $24 million diamond implant shines light on hip-hop and rap’s intricate history of extravagance, flashy displays, and — most importantly — BLING.
From the stage to the runway, The Style of Sound is a series that explores the intricate relationships forged between your favorite artists and their iconic fashion statements.
Written and illustrated by Emma Tanner
On Feb. 3, Lil Uzi Vert took to Instagram to flaunt the newest addition to his extensive jewelry collection: a $24 million 10-carat pink diamond ... embedded directly into his forehead.
Rappers utilizing social media to show off the craziest pieces from their ample collections of diamond encrusted chains and 24-carat gold pinky rings is nothing new, but something about Lil Uzi’s diamond sent the rap world (and the Twitterverse) into a frenzy.
Lil Uzi shared a message on his Twitter account on Feb. 3, saying, “If I don’t get it taken out the right way I could die. No seriously.” Lil Uzi’s death-defying commitment to his bling had many questioning the ridiculity of risking one’s life for a shiny (and insanely expensive) rock, but Uzi’s bizarre procedure ultimately displayed some pretty stark truths about the core foundations of the rap genre.
The massive pink diamond spoke to just how far rappers will go to flaunt their gems and portrayed how truly embedded “bling culture” is in the world of hip-hop and rap artists. As integral as lyrics about “bandz,” strippers, shoe game, and pretty vulgar descriptions of … um, well, you know … are to rap songs, discussion of bling and chains is a foundational element of rap and hip-hop music that the genre simply wouldn’t be the same without. In this day and age, it’s somewhat of an unspoken truth that you can’t be a true rap star without the bling — artists like Travis Scott, Drake, Offset, Young Thug, 2 Chainz, and Gucci Mane (who has an entire Instagram account dedicated to his St. Brick bling) flaunt their diamonds and gold like a proud soccer mom flaunting her son’s (slightly) higher than average ACT score.
So, how did we get here? A genre that originated in the 1970s from areas of New York City that were of historically lower socioeconomic status has since become somewhat of a living, breathing museum of over extravagance, insane wealth, and flashy swagger. Looking back at the intricately interwoven roots of bling and rap music, it begins at … well, the beginning.
The rap genre was first popularized in America by DJ Kool Herc in the early ‘70s, where he performed at block parties in the heart of the Bronx borough of NYC. In fact, the first of these iconic block parties was set in motion by Cindy Campbell and her need for some fresh threads for the new school year. Since her parents didn’t have the means to afford the wardrobe she wanted in order to stand out from the rest of her classmates, she had to get creative to fund her taste. She enlisted her 16-year-old brother Clive (aka DJ Kool Herc) and his extensive record collection to play a gig at the back-to-school party she hosted in the recreational room of their Bronx apartment building.
With a small cover charge and snacks made by Ms. Campbell herself, the event attracted over 300 people who partied to DJ Kool Herc originals until 4 a.m. Before that night, no one had ever heard the name ‘DJ Kool Herc.’ But after that eventful first block party, a new star and a completely new style of music was formed. And better yet — Cindy Campbell showed up to the first day of school looking fly as hell.
Photo courtesy of The Source
Soon, block parties became a staple in the Bronx neighborhood, with new MCs and DJs stepping up to show off their own musical styles and unique sounds. This form of early rap took heavy inspiration from Jamaican dub and dancehall styles of music, which incorporated chanting words over short beats — known to be an early form of what we now lovingly refer to as “spitting bars.” Rebelling against the popular musical styles of the day — which were mostly saturated by disco and funk — early rap and hip-hop artists drew upon ideas of resistance and pushed against the norm to construct a distinctive blend of sound.
Just as the musical overtones of rap music drew heavily on Jamaican influences, so did the fashions. Early hip-hop DJs wore beaded chains and bracelets, knit hats, and traditional Jamaican colorways of black, red, yellow, and green. Combined with the prevailing fashions of the time (velour tracksuit, I’m looking at you), the unique style of rap and hip-hop artists was formed, displaying a deep intertwining of the sounds and fashions of the genre from the very beginning.
Into the late 1970s and early ‘80s, rap music began to expand, incorporating more modern elements like intensified vocals, electronic drum beats, and energetic instrumentals. As the sound morphed, so did the fashions, which became newly characterized by flat brimmed baseball hats, Nike kicks, massive pendants, and gold hoop earrings.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images / Michael Ochs Archives
The ‘80s was the time when hip-hop really found its footing in the American music scene. Artists like the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J came onto the scene, topping music charts of the day and establishing hip-hop as an influential and lasting musical genre. They introduced an intensified version of the former rap style, turning to shocking lyricism, banging bass beats, and rock-heavy guitar instrumentals. Similar to their style of music, their sense of fashion was more intense, characterized by the classic image of the shirtless rap star in baggy jeans, Jordan high tops, layers of dookie chains, and massive gold and diamond rings.
By this time, the amount of chains a rapper had went somewhat hand-in-hand with their success as an artist. Rappers began to mark milestones in their careers by buying extravagant bling and flaunting it whenever they got the chance. Kurtis Blow went gold on “Blow” (the first certified gold hip-hop record ever) and celebrated by cashing out on a few massive gold chains. Run-DMC also hit No. 1 on the R&B charts and accordingly layered themselves in huge dookie chains, massive watches, and chunky rings.
Photo courtesy of Glen E. Friedman
To rap artists, external extravagance was a direct correlation to their internal success. Humility wasn’t an option — it was all about showing off who was the best, who had the most chart toppers, who could buy the most expensive bling, and who, in the end, could obliterate absolutely anyone else on the scene when it came to spitting bars.
These not-so-humble beginnings of the rap and hip-hop genre ultimately displayed one key element that all rappers have in common: escape. As the hip-hop genre became wildly commercialized (and wildly flush with cash), chains, rings, grillz, watches and rings became a symbol of unattainable wealth and status — something which the OG rap artists could never even dream of having.
DJ Kool Herc himself — recognized by many as the original architect of hip-hop and rap — never even got a taste of the extravagant wealth the music genre he innovated brought to so many who followed him. In 2011, DJ Kool Herc couldn’t pay his own medical bills, having to call upon friends and fans to help him pay for basic needs.
In the earliest days, hip-hop was a method of creativity and musical expression that allowed its artists to escape from the oppression, systematic racism, segregation, and lower socioeconomic status that characterized their livelihoods and the experiences of their ancestors. It was always about resistance, unmatched strength, and overcoming the inescapable historic persecution they had been subjected to their entire lives. Rap was for the nobodies.
So when those “nobodies” who were once laying down their rhymes at Bronx block parties in the early ‘70s actually had $150,000 to spend on a set of diamond and gold encrusted grillz, it was a tangible way of showing just how far they had come and how much they had overcome. For rap, flaunting gold and diamonds is just as much about showing off the cash influx from a successful chart topper as it is about portraying a successful escape from everything that was holding them — and all those that had come before them — back for their entire lives.
Lil Uzi Vert’s $24 million pink forehead diamond is just a natural extension of rap’s personal history with flaunting accomplishment and successfully overcoming the devastatingly common experience of the Black American man by finding fame and fortune through their art. That being said, maybe, just maybe, our beloved Lil Uzi did take it a bit too far. Or maybe he didn’t take it far enough. Who knows? Perhaps next week he’ll get a massive white gold and diamond encrusted Hello Kitty pendant embedded in his left ass cheek. Our main man DJ Kool Herc would probably get a kick out of that.