JUST CHILL: In another sign of how music and fashion can really draw crowds, the American Museum of Natural History is gearing up for “Ice Cold: Hip-Hop Jewelry.”
The exhibition, which will open to the public on May 9, will highlight the influence of hip-hop culture through the jewelry worn by most popular musicians.Visitors will find one of the Sly Rick’s jewel-encrusted crown; a diamond-encrusted Roc-A-Fella medallion from the eponymous record label co-founded by Jay-Z, and the late Notorious BIG’s “Jesus Piece.” The late rapper was said to be the first person in hip-hop to wear a “Jesus piece” in the mid-1990s, and even referenced it in his 1997 hit single “Hypnotize.”Nicki Minaj’s Glittery ‘Barbie’ Pendant and From Erica BaduA$AP Rocky, Joey Bada$$, A$AP Ferg and Tyler, the Creator, among others.
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Spanning five decades, Ice Cold will showcase the evolution of hip-hop jewelry, from the oversized gold chains worn by the genre’s pioneers in the 1980s to the diamond-encrusted platinum pendants worn by enterprising business tycoons in the 1990s. Journalist Vikki Tobak, Quality Control Music’s Kevin “Coach K” Lee and filmmaker Karam Gill co-curated the exhibition at the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery in the Gem and Mineral Hall. Slick Rick, scholar Tanisha Ford, jewelry designer Alex Moss, author Bevy Smith, former rapper Pete Nice and Roc Nation’s Lenny Santiago are all members of Ice Cold’s advisory board.
The Upper East Side Museum’s “Icy” exhibition will open simultaneously with another major exhibition – the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute’s “Sleeping Beauty: Reviving Fashion” exhibition will open to the public on May 10.
The cavernous Richard Gilder Center is a fitting setting for “Icy.” The space, with its unique style, reopened last year after a $465 million upgrade led by Studio Gang. Similar to other cultural institutions, the American Museum of Natural History has been working to welcome more visitors and a wider audience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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