Lil’ Jon holds an actual world record for his jewelry. In 2007 The Guinness Book of World Records recognized him for possessing the world’s largest diamond pendant. In giant letters, the pendant states “Crunk Ain’t Dead”. The piece was created by jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills, and is valued at around five hundred thousand dollars. The price may seem extreme, but once all of the precious materials are combined, it is an accurate figure. The necklace is made of solid gold construction and is seven and a half inches tall and six inches wide. There are seventy three carats of diamonds, which equals out to three thousand and fifty six round-cut, white diamonds and is set in 18k yellow and white gold.
Sean Kingston may not be very old, but he has certainly made a name for himself; not only with his music, but with one of his amazing pieces of jewelry as well. The Crayon Crayola Box that he used to sport around his neck is made of diamonds, rubies and emeralds, while the sixty four count crayon box itself is made of 10k white gold.
Kingston wore this piece on the Today Show in November of 2007. Celebrity jeweler Franky Diamonds custom-made the chain for him. This particular item was estimated to be worth approximately five hundred thousand dollars. Sean did not hold onto this piece long though; it was stolen from him when his sister shipped it via Federal Express. He was shipping it to a jeweler in New York City, but when the package arrived at the jewelers, the chain was not inside. Even worse? His sister had only insured the package for $500. Ouch!
William Drayton Jr., better known as Flavor Flav, is another rapper who has made an iconic jewelry piece into his personal trademark. He has worn an over-sized clock hanging from his neck since 1987. Back then, he was in the critically-acclaimed rap group Public Enemy, and was considered their “hype” man. When he was with Public Enemy, he would say “What time is it? Party time!” to get the crowds hyped up when the show first started. Wearing the clock symbolizes how important time is to him and that everyone should respect how precious time is. Flavor Flav is said to own more than one hundred clocks, and they come from all over the world. In June of 2011, he donated one of his over-sized clocks to the Grammy Museum in Los Angles. The museum will put the clock on display for the public to view.
Well known rapper T-Pain also has made a big statement with his neck piece. His self-descriptive pendant reads “BIG ASS CHAIN” in huge letters. It is valued at over four hundred and ten thousand dollars. He first showed it off in June of 2009 on his Twitter account, claiming that it weighs ten pounds and has one hundred and ninety seven carats of diamonds set in gold. It also hangs on several thick chains around his neck. The first time he publicly displayed it was at the Summer Jam in New Jersey in 2009. That same month, he was also seen wearing it on the red carpet at the CMT Music Awards. T-Pain also wore it in a video with country music star Taylor Swift.
Female rapper Nicki Minaj brings it home with an edible accessory that she wore at the 2011 iHeartRadio Music Festival. She arrived at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada sporting a fried chicken wing around her neck that was painted bright pink. The glamorous, pink chicken wing was attached to links of solid gold chains. The pink chicken wing pendant accented her pink corseted tutu and her blonde permed hair at the event.
Onch was the jeweler who designed this piece for Nicki; he called the necklace the "Pink Fried Chicken". Replicas of the Pink Fried Chicken were available to purchase on Onch’s YouTube Channel website for a modest selling price of $79.99. These replica necklaces were made from one hundred percent animal-free material, and each necklace was individually hand battered so that none of the necklaces were like the one before it. The hot pink chicken wing pendant came on an adjustable chain, which was made of heavy duty gold tone and which had links for the chain, portraying the original.
Big bling has become a huge part of the rap persona, both yesterday and today, especially when it comes to luxurious necklaces and chains. This trademark statement has, in recent years, turned into somewhat of a competition between rappers; they are competing to see who can create and pull off the craziest, most outrageously expensive piece of jewelry. The jewelry worn by these five unique rappers will be hard to beat... Then again, we never know what showpiece will turn up next!
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