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Bling-bling jewelry
"Bling" redirects here. For the Marvel Comics character, see Bling (comics).

"Bling-bling" (usually shortened to simply "bling") is a hip hop slang term which refers to expensive jewelry and other accoutrements, and also to a lifestyle built around excess spending and ostentation. In its essence, the term refers to the exterior manifestation of one's interior state of character, normally displayed through various forms of visual stimuli.

Origins

The word "bling" was coined by the rap family Cash Money Millionaires in the late 1990's.[1] It was used on a song title by Cash Money artist Baby Gangsta and used in 1998 by fellow Cash Money Records artist Lil Wayne on the track "Millionaire Dream"- "I got ten around my neck, and baguettes on my wrist, Bling!"- from the Big Tymers album 'How Ya Luv That'. "Bling Bling," released in 1999 on B.G.'s album 'Chopper City in the Ghetto' led later in the 2000's to the term proliferating through mainstream hip hop and eventually spilling over into popular culture as a sarcastic term used to mock the vacuousness of hip hop culture. Comedians such as Ali G in the UK, exploited this for humour.

In 2005, the rapper B.G. remarked that he 'just wished that he'd trademarked it'[2] so that he would have profited from its extensive use. In interviews, he has stated that the term refers to the imaginary sound that light makes when it hits a diamond.

The culture of display of wealth was ingrained in street culture long before the 90's, however: it is thought that wearing expensive jewelry was the one way in which young and previously impoverished men, who had acquired riches through crime, could be sure of holding on to their wealth by wearing it for all to see. This marks out the wearer of such jewelry as a person with ghetto roots, as it shows that the source of their wealth or their personal prejudices prevent them from investing in more stable assets such as cash in the bank or property like a house or car. Hence 'bling bling', while widely regarded as a slang phrase, has been seen by some as manifestation of a deeper socioeconomic problem in the United States of America, trivialised by mainstream media and hip hop.

Criticism

Mainstream hip hop music's fixation on bling bling and other material and luxury goods has led to much criticism from media pundits and musical critics.

Chuck D of Public Enemy, for one, has criticized the phenomenon's promotion of conspicuous consumption, summarizing the mentality of some low-income youths as "Man, I work at McDonald's, but in order for me to feel good about myself I got to get a gold chain or I got to get a fly car in order to impress a sister or whatever."[3] In a 2004 television interview, rapper Missy Elliott spoke out against 'bling bling' culture, saying that it encouraged young black men and women to spend their money irresponsibly. In his 1992 song "Us," Ice Cube rapped that "Us [African-Americans] will always sing the blues / 'cause all we care about is hairstyles and tennis shoes.[4] Some fans have expressed disappointment with the increased amount of advertising for expensive hip-hop brands in hip-hop magazines, saying it may encourage low-income youths to commit crime to acquire expensive products.[5] In fact, there were many highly-publicized robberies of hip-hop artists by the late 1990s.[5] Guru of Gang Starr was robbed at gunpoint of his Rolex watch, Queen Latifah's car was car-jacked, and Prodigy was robbed at gunpoint of $300,000 in jewelry.[5] Some of the most vocal critics of "bling bling"-oriented music are alternative hip hop artists.

Critics also argue that bling-bling culture strengthens racist arguments that young Black men are supposedly incapable of higher or more virtuous or spiritual goals than material gain, reinforcing the hood rich, or nigger rich, stereotype.[citation needed]

The short film Bling: Consequences and Repercussions, shot by Kareem Adouard and narrated by former Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, explains how diamonds, a staple of bling fashion, occasionally originate as conflict diamonds, fueling wars, poverty, and killings in Africa.[6]

A few hip hop insiders, such as the members of Public Enemy, have made the deliberate choice not to don expensive jewelry as a statement against bling culture.[5] Missy Elliott stated in the aforementioned interview that hip hop artists should act as role models in this respect and encourage young people to invest responsibly and sensibly in stable, long-term assets.

Bling Bling as product placement

Rap music has included product placement for cars, alcoholic drinks, clothing and other products.[citation needed] Much of the 'bling bling' culture is simply shilling, where rappers have been paid by car and drink companies to pose as enthusiastic consumers of their products to convince the younger generation to think that such products are fashionable and to buy them.[7] Mcdonalds in 2005, launched a project asking rappers to advertise their foods in their songs. [7]

Later use of the term

MTV released a satirical cartoon commercial in 2004 showing the term being used by a rapper, then several other progressively less "streetwise" characters, then finally by a middle aged white woman who uses the term to describe her earrings to her elderly mother. It ends with the statement, "RIP Bling-bling 1997-2004".

In Latin Hip-hop (and Reggaeton from both Puerto Rico and Panama), rappers also use the term, but it is usually written/pronounced as "blin-blin". Also, "blinblineo" means bling-bling style or bling-bling, or blingin life-style.

Several Cadillac Escalade billboards and magazine advertisements used the phrase "Bling Bling" to promote the expensive vehicle.

The Shorter English Dictionary added "Bling-bling" as a new entry in its fifth edition (2002).

The wine cooler MD 20/20, also known as "Mad Dog," has marketed a flavor called 'Bling Bling Blue Raspberry' in an attempt to attract a more youthful and affluent demographic.

Beginning in 2005, Sprint advertised ringtones for its cellular phones under the name "Blingtones."

One of the crackheads in the "Bumfights" series of videos is called Bling Bling.

Merriam-Webster officially added term to its dictionary (July 2006).

In the Middle East, counterfeit brand-name goods (such as Rolex watches) may be known as bling bling specials.

See also

References

  1. ^ How bling became king, Jonathan Duffy, BBC News, October 15, 2003.
  2. ^ "How bling-bling took over the ring". Guardian. 2005-01-09. Retrieved 2007-03-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Keyes, Cheryl. Rap Music and Street Consciousness, p. 172 (quoting Eure and Spady, 1991).
  4. ^ Quoted in Keyes, p. 173.
  5. ^ a b c d Keyes, p. 172.
  6. ^ Bling: Consequences and Repercussions, short film narrated by Public Enemy Chuck D on Conflict Diamonds and Bling fashion
  7. ^ a b Kiley, David Hip Hop Two-Step Over Product Placement BusinessWeek Online, April 06, 2005, accessed January 5, 2007
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