Black Bling, Hip-Hop, and Reinforcing Black Power

Hip-hop Jewellery and Culture Take Center Stage at Major Museums in New York and Toronto.

Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History. Photo Credit: Taschen

The good thing about recycling themes is that it opens the doors for broader discussion. For instance, a jovial YouTuber, Jackie “Bronx Baubles,” lights up when discussing Vikki Tobak's take on hip-hop's bejewelled lineage in her book and its eponymous exhibition, “Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History.” Jackie, a Bronx-born native, reminisces about witnessing the birth of hip-hop in her hometown while holding three other books: “Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewelry Book” (2006), co-authored by Gabriel Tolliver and the late Reggie Osse (the latter famously known as entertainment attorney turned podcaster Combat Jack), alongside “Bling Bling: Hip Hop's Crown Jewels” (2005), penned by Minya Oh (aka Miss Info of Hot97 fame), Andrea Duncan Mao, with a foreword by Ludacris, and finally, “The Nameplate: Jewelry, Culture, and Identity,” co-authored by Isabel Attyah Flower and Marcel Rosa-Salas.

The Nameplate: Jewelry, Culture, and Identity. Photo credit: Penguin House

All four books bear an obvious resemblance. Each highlights the same iced-out jewellery, bling makers, and the game’s most prominent figures; granted, Tobak's version features a new wave of younger, flossy, mega-star rappers. While Jackie says she bought the books in 2024, one gets the impression that many readers wouldn't have known, and probably still won’t know, about Ice Cold’s direct predecessors (or The Nameplate) had it not been for Tobak's newest addition.

Ice Cold's author isn't new to the scene; Tobak has been around since the '90s and released two other books: “Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop,” co-authored with Questlove, and “LL COOL J Presents The Streets Win: 50 Years of Hip-Hop Greatness,” to commemorate, you guessed it, the rap genre's 50th birthday.

It's important to tell these stories. With all the momentum around hip-hop’s maturity, it's no wonder the American Museum of Natural History felt compelled to work with Tobak. Held in the Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, the exhibition showcases endless rap bling on loan from several famous faces and/or their jewellers, including Biggie Smalls (Tito Caicedo), A$AP Rocky, Nas, Ghostface Killah, and Tyler, the Creator.

Creating a book of this calibre wasn’t a walk in the park. Putting the exhibition together was probably even tougher. However, we're cognizant that it’s bound to lack depth because it’s not told directly through the lens of Black and Latino historians and journalists. It’s not because Tobak isn’t capable; she can tell the story. It’s just that there’s a line that won’t ever be crossed. Whereas storytellers from the diaspora provide the often painful context, truths, and nuances of identity in the rap game and the various complexities associated with owning bling—be it gold, silver, or diamonds—and what it symbolizes for a community that has travelled through years, decades, and centuries of oppression. However, if the Ice Cold exhibit is bringing in traffic, then Tobak did her job. But would it have been more powerful if she had brought in the other authors of the topic? Combat Jack passed away in 2017, but regardless, it more than likely would have.

While we have seen Fat Joe's bling in person and on a slew of rappers, admittedly, it would be fascinating to see each piece up close on display if nothing else. Sometimes, getting lost in the moment is cool, especially if it's covered in diamonds. “Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry” is at the American Museum of Natural History and runs until January 5, 2025.

Hank Willis Thomas, Black Power, 2008. Lightjet print, 62.2 x 100.3 cm. © Hank Willis Thomas. Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York.

In Toronto, there's a lot of anticipation around “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” opening at the Art Gallery of Ontario on December 4. The show doesn’t focus on one aspect of hip-hop but rather an all-encompassing experience featuring the works of 65 artists, including Stan Douglas, John Edmonds, Deana Lawson, and Hank Willis Thomas.

The exhibit is set to be a robust exploration of hip-hop since its early inception. The Culture is curated by a collective of black historians, educators, and storytellers (Tobak co-curated Ice Cold with Kevin "Coach K" Lee and Karam Gill). Still, the ethos of The Culture centers around empowerment and multidisciplinary storytelling and includes paintings, sculpture, poetry, photography, and multi-media installations.

Hip-hop’s origins have been told thousands of times. Ultimately, these two exhibits tap into similar themes from two angles. While Ice Cold is surface-level, The Culture zooms in on rap and the intersection of activism, racial identity, gender, sexuality, and feminism. Bring your kids, friends, spouse, and, hell, your frenemies, too—why not? “The Culture: Hip Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century” opens at the Art Gallery of Ontario on December 4 and runs until April 6, 2025.

Toronto's Bata Museum Launches a Sneaker Exhibition Featuring Keith Haring, KAWS, Takashi Murakami, and More

Toronto's latest exhibit invites us to explore the collaboration between artists and sneaker brands.

We covered the opening of MCNY's exhibit yesterday but couldn't ignore other events in the city and beyond, particularly in Toronto, which has recently been surprisingly lit.

Ruohan Wang Photo credit: Bata Museum/Kailee Mandel

Placing Toronto on the Map... Again.

The Great North is not one to top the Coolest Ciy lists, at least not since Drake's meteoric trajectory (sidenote: not sure if Torontonians share the sentiment). Still, Toronto is steadily carving out its little pocket in popular culture. We received word that the Bata Museum launched an exhibition called “Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists.”

Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists

The exhibition debuted on October 3rd (pardon our tardiness) and delves into the collaborations between artists and sneaker brands. These collabs are more than just an outlet for artists to cash in; they’re art-filled canvases collected and preserved by sneakerheads and enthusiasts familiar with the artist and their works. Alternatively, the buyer could be none of the above; perhaps the wearer is only concerned with rocking a pretty pair of kicks. Either way, wearing the sneakers usually results in getting a few daps on the street.

Art World Versus Rest of World

Modern consumerism probably means these collabs aren't all that deep to the masses. However, Bata provides a different perspective. “Sneaker and artist collabs are increasingly finding their way into conventional art venues such as museums and auction houses, with some elevated to a status similar to limited edition artist prints.” Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe Museum, said in a release. “However, the popularity of these collabs can also be seen as democratizing “high” art, inviting consideration of the intersections between art, fashion, and identity in the modern world.”

Murakami x Vans Skull Blue. Photo credit: Bata Museum/Kailee Mandel

Sneaker Apps to the Rescue!

From our perspective, the answer is straightforward. For example, Takashi Murakami's artwork is neither cheap nor accessible to a younger audience who, more than likely, prefers streaming on Twitch over heading to the Gagosian (one of the major galleries that represent Murakami). Chances are, the "yout" aren’t fussed over Artsy newsletters either. However, put Murakami's signature design on a pair of Nike Air Force 1's and, ideally, tease the drop on the Nike SNKRS or GOAT platforms; that’ll send push notifications to the user’s phone, and the drop is a hit.

Murakami and Other Artists Collabs On Display

Big name KAWS (known for his early tagging days) will also be on display; viewers can also see brand collabs with Alfie, Cey Adams, Ruohan Wang (who did the damn thing with those Nike Blazer Mid 77 Flyleather drops in 2020), MSCHF, and, of course, Keith Haring.

“Art/Wear: Sneakers x Artists” at the Bata Museum runs until March 23, 2026. If you're heading to the show, don’t forget to purchase your tickets.

Ciao Edie!

Uniqlo and the Museum of the City of New York Uncover Graffiti & Hip-Hop in New Exhibition

Those who appreciate graffiti as art (much like us) should head to East Harlem to check out Above Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection.

Rammellzee, Atomic Note. Photo credit: MCNY/Martin Wong

The late Martin Wong donated over 300 canvases and works on paper to the museum thirty years ago and was friends with the show’s artists. The exhibition, which opens to the public today, trails the works of our favourite street artists, notably Rammellzee (pictured), Futura 2000, Fab 5 Freddy, and Uniqlo's posthumous star, Keith Haring. All of them transitioned from illegal tagging on subways to rubbing shoulders with the art world's bigwigs, among other big things.

Uniqlo, a major Japanese retailer, is the lead sponsor of the exhibit and has leveraged its customization program, UTme!, to collaborate with three of the exhibition artists: photojournalist Martha Cooper and street artists Part One (Enrique Torres) and Bronx native John 'Crash' Matos. To coincide with the exhibition, the three shared two pieces of work for an exclusive line of tees available at the retailer's Fifth Avenue flagship and SoHo stores.

Image photo credit: VOGUE

Uniqlo isn't the only fashion brand using graffiti as a concept to gain street cred. Luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, and Moschino have also tapped into the trend, sending models down runways in what the mainstream calls "designs inspired by street art." However, the popular Japanese retailer, a Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. subsidiary, has a strong Gen-Z and Millennial base. It’s also one of the few who offer a take on the "graffiti-inspired" trend that's on-the-nose yet still accessibly priced (a Uniqlo tee sells for roughly about $25 USD, whereas a Givenchy tee, if you can get one, sells upwards of 550 USD). 

Uniqlo's popularity stems from its low prices and basic, label-free separates, which give customers a casual-cool aesthetic. That same coolness is part of a clear strategy to drive its Gen-Z and Millennial customer base to the “Above Ground” exhibit. The exhibit takes the viewer on a journey to the genre's purer days, when Black and Latino kids used graffiti as a form of expression and, many hoped, as a way out of the hood.

Over the years, graffiti has become a rather mainstream endeavour, with sportswear juggernauts like Adidas using their Originals division to attract hip-hop heads (aka b-boys and girls) through large-scale activations. For many skeptics and graffiti purists, an artist showcasing their work in an art exhibit (or partaking in a mainstream brand collaboration) is a symbol of selling out; however, Martha Cooper, a purveyor who played a pivotal role in capturing the genre's early days, disagrees. "Artists deserve to make money from their art," she told WWD. "As a freelance photographer in New York City, it’s been so difficult making a living, not so much anymore. I understand perfectly if someone comes along and offers you money for what you do, take it.” 

Shout out to WWD for the lead.

Above Ground: Art from the Martin Wong Graffiti Collection runs at the Museum of the City of New York from November 22, 2024, to August 10, 2025. 

Enjoy.

Until next time, Ciao Edie!