Ice Cold: 50 Years of Hip Hop Jewelry
While I was back home in May, I took myself on a solo date a few hours before leaving to LA, to go to the Museum of Natural History. If you’re a NYC kid, you too have probably been there more times than you can count. However this around, I would be visiting hip hop legends. Located on the first floor in the Gems and Minerals Hall, is a small room filled with big artifacts under the title, Ice Cold. I would also just like to say, I gave the biggest side eye when I saw the room, however I do love the placement of the room.
You should know, I LOVE me some Slick Rick
Seeing so much gold in one room made my heart smile. A woman who volunteers at the museum just so happen to stop me, asked what I thought of the exhibit and I honestly just started to gush. What I love about us [Black People + Black Culture], so much is how we see ourselves so much bigger than the world deems us worthy of. We adorn ourselves in Gold like kings and queens. We celebrate individuality as well as community in the pieces of art we wear daily.
Thinking back to my first piece of jewelry, the infamous name plate bracelet that most of us had, practically out of the womb. Usually not engraved just yet, but knowing that this was the first piece of ever growing collection. Gold was never just jewelry, it was always part of our story.
Seeing my favorite grillz of all time, Erykah Badu’s opal grill that went wild during covid days.
The celebration of 50yrs of hip hop jewelry with gems from artists like Notorious B.I.G, Tyler the creator, Roxanne, Terror Squad and so many more.
I could add all the pictures and videos taken during this walk through but I implore you to take some time out of the day and enjoy the history in our culture. The exhibit ends Jan 5, 2025, so you’ve got plenty of time to partake in the jewels, gems and the journey.
