A new exhibition spotlighting hip-hop’s cultural influence through the lens of spectacular jewelry has opened at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). “Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry” highlights an impressive assortment of jewels owned by Slick Rick, A$AP Rocky, Nicki Minaj, The Notorious B.I.G., Bad Bunny, Erykah Badu, and many other illustrious music artists.
On view in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery within the Museum’s Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals through Jan. 5, 2025, the objects chronicle the evolution of hip-hop jewelry over the past five decades. There are the oversized gold chains that were embraced by rap’s pioneers in the late-1970s and 1980s and an abundance of blinged-out baubles from the 1990s, when hip-hop’s popularity exploded.
The present-day is also well represented, from Drake’s 'Crown Jewel of Toronto' pendant to a Barbie bauble belonging to Nicki Minaj (both pictured below).
Featuring multicolored diamonds and rubies on 18k gold, Drake’s 'Crown Jewel of Toronto' celebrates the artist’s hometown city and features mascots for the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Blue Jays wrapped around Toronto’s CN Tower. Design by Alex Moss, 2023
Nicki Minaj’s iconic Barbie pendant—made with 54.47 cts. t.w. diamonds in 18k gold and bright Barbie-pink enamel—is one in a series (the first “Barbie” was commissioned by Minaj in 2000). Design by Ashna Mehta, 2022
There is some Tiffany & Co. in the mix, but for the most part, the jewels on display represent the work of private jewelers and diamantaires.
Ice Cold is the vision of guest curator Vikki Tobak who collaborated with guest co-curators Kevin "Coach K" Lee, founder and COO of Quality Control Music, and Karam Gill, creative director and filmmaker behind the 2021 documentary series Ice Cold. These luminaries also worked in collaboration with is Kate Kiseeva, AMNH assistant curator.
There was also an advisory board that included Slick Rick as senior advisor within a group of noted jewelers, culture authorities, authors and academics.
"Bringing the Ice Cold exhibit to the American Museum of Natural History is a testament to the cultural significance of this art form,” said Tobak, although she added that in her view, hip-hop has never needed outside validation.
“I think a lot of people will come and want to see the bling-iest pieces, but I also made sure there was going to be Kool Herc’s leather medallion. And you have Public Enemy’s and De La Soul’s leather medallions, which speak to a whole other part of jewelry culture and the history of these commodities in the African diaspora.”
The Juice Crew ring belonging to female rapper Roxanne Shanté (whom many credit as an originator of the battle rap style) is likewise not the flashiest exhibit in the show, but it’s worth a second look (pictured below). Especially in the context of some remarks made by Shanté, who was among those in attendance at the exhibition opening.
Roxanne Shanté was a member of the influential hip-hop collective, Juice Crew, as a teen in the 1980s. She is the only female rapper to have been given a Juice Crew ring (which fittingly includes a diamond-encrusted “R”).
On the evolution of hip hop jewelry, “We went from 10k gold earrings that used to smash because they were hollow, to wanting to have solid gold that’s actually painful to wear for a long period of time,” Shanté said. “It was the bigger the chain, the bigger the status. Then in the 1990s to 2000s we started to see an influx of diamonds. You could have on a rope chain with a large medallion and a Swatch watch, but now you need to have a Rolex or a Patek Phillipe in order to really stand out. We’ve gone from 10k gold to 10 carats of diamonds.” (Watch the 2017 move Roxanne Roxanne for a related visual on these comments—the titular character’s gold hoops grow increasingly larger as she ascends in her career.)
And in more recent years, we’ve gone from 10 carats of diamonds to maybe a gazillion?
Take the Queenbridge necklace belonging to Nas (Shanté was also from the Queenbridge Houses and was influential in the younger rapper’s rise to fame.)
Nas commissioned this diamond-encrusted pendant to commemorate the Queensbridge Houses in Queens, New York, where he grew up. Design by Pristine Jewelers, 2018.
Many will be captivated by the thrilling scale and caliber of the jewelry in Ice Cold—that part is easy. But you don’t have to be a student or devotée of hip hop and rap to come away with an understanding of how these adornments served as a canvas for stories of resilience, rebellion, and creative self-expression. And clearly that’s the point.
Below, a few more must-sees:
The Notorious B.I.G./Biggie Smalls commissioned this Jesus pendant and the jeweler made three copies, all cast from the same original mold. Design by Tito Caicedo of Manny’s New York, 1990s
Ghostface Killah’s 14k gold Eagle Bracelet is one of hip-hop’s best-known jewelry pieces. Design by Jason Arasheben, 1990s
A$AP Rocky’sLego pendant features multicolored diamonds, sapphire, ruby, and enamel in 14k gold. Design by Alex Moss, 2022
Ice Cold is included with general AMN admission, which is “pay what you wish” for residents of the New York tristate area.
Top and above photo: Crown design by Slick Rick and Lucki Crowns; eye patch design by Jacob & Co, 2012; diamond details added and Avianne & Co. in 2023. As a pioneering icon of the hip hop genre—and senior advisor for the Ice Cold exhibition—he said, “Ice Cold will truly spark a sense of excitement and curiosity into our world of jewelry and baubles as an extended form of hip-hop culture, which has inspired the global stage as an extension of our art.”
All photos: Alvaro Keding/© AMNH
