With more money coming into hip-hop, the lifestyle got bigger—and so did the jewelry. In the '80s and early '90s, a gold rope chain would cost a rapper around $20,000.

There's an old adage that says, "it ain't where you're from, it's where you're at." But in the world of hip-hop, location is paramount to one's image and identity. Hip-Hop may be as inclusive and ...

As hip-hop grew into a formidable force in music, so did the weight of gold chains. From Run DMC’s Jam Master Jay to Slick Rick to Big Daddy Kane, rappers in the late 1980s draped themselves in ...

From chains to diamonds But the early hip-hop artists didn't start out with giant gold eagles, diamond-encrusted nameplates or Rolexes. Instead, said music journalist and exhibition guest curator ...

Up Close Gods of 125th Street A new book traces the arc of hip-hop jewelry from the 1980s to today. Slick Rick in his trademark dookie rope chains in New York, 1988. Janette Beckman ...