"2007’s Jewelery Fashion Show" by Queen Princess

It started out with skinny silver chains and bracelets. Music videos in the late 90’s and 2000 weren’t too flashy, but in 2007 it’s a completely different story. Now I hate the word bling, it just sounds artificial (especially when used double time) so I’m going to refer to the “ice” as plain old jewelry. For some reason hip-hop artists love to show off their accomplishments through their expensive purchases. Male artists for the most part flash diamonds on necklaces, bracelets, pimp cups, cars, watches, earrings, clothing and now their teeth. That’s a lot of diamonds! Though there are people out there who believe that money should be invested and/or spent on something more valuable. My point of view is, it’s your money so do what you want. If buying a seventy-five thousand dollar necklace is equivalent to an ordinary person spending twelve dollars at Wal-Mart, then do you. The year 2007 is going to be a crazy year, and artists are thinking of new ways to outdo the next person. We already saw R-Kelly’s black diamond sunglasses in the “I’m a Flirt remix” video, so if artists start using iced out hair grease when they’re getting braided up, we shouldn’t be surprised. Maybe I’m going a little too far, but this year is definitely all about stuntin’.

Hip-hop fashions are being designed in unthinkable ways, shoes are way more than just trendy and accessories are becoming a necessity. Regular people with money will of course stand out with the inclusion of all these things, but for a hip-hop artists stunna shades and a skull head chain on the jeans isn’t going to do the trick. Something bigger and better has to be added to portray their true hip-hop persona. That’s where the jewelry comes in. There year 2007 presents competition. For the sake of the play on words, I guess that I must say 2007 brings on the official Battle of the Bling.

It’s no surprise that 80’s jewelry is coming back just as all other fashion trends once did. The fat gold chains are kind of hot, especially the little short ones made for the ladies. No doubt it’s a nice little accessory, but not all of the chains on today’s fashion scene are. I won’t even say that the size and cost of artists’ jewelry is ridiculous but it is a little outrageous. We even have young artists such as Jibbs asking “Does your chain hang low.” That right there is warning for everybody else to be on point. Just make sure that when you buy the chains and bracelets that you will never be faced with ultimatums such as choosing between a chain and a condo or a bracelet and a car. Some chains don’t even appear to be such things, but rather uncomfortable choking traps. I’m just glad I’m not the dude carrying around 38 lbs of someone else’s stuff.

Even though artists are not literally walking down a runway, pausing and making a cute turn; a fashion show is taking place in the music videos, award shows, television appearances and random sightings. Though if I had to name a few who were stealing the show I would say Pharrell, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne, Baby, the popular Dipset members, Nas and Ghostface Killah. Yes, there are other artists out there with crazy expensive jewelry, but I’m focusing on the huge chains that can be seen from outer space. Most, if not all of these artists posses at least one of those types of necklaces. Ordinary people, don’t feel bad if you can’t stunt quite like the people mentioned. It’s their duty to amuse their fans, and through their outlandish possessions, they do indeed. My advice is to stay fresh on your own personal budget, but remember, fake ice is just not hot.

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