**..:The Official Jewelry Thread Vol. 11: You get a Jesus piece! You get a Jesus piece! Everybody gets a Jesus piece:..**

tumblr_m2bqm6e0W31rqc3juo1_500.jpg
 
GQ:
[h1]Chain Reaction: Big Sean's Lessons in Rapper Jewelry[/h1]
[h5]Music[/h5] [h1] Chain Reaction: Big Sean's Lessons in Rapper Jewelry[/h1] [h2]Kanye's protégé on the ultimate Jesus piece, his carnivore-inspired jewels, and the rules of the chain game[/h2]
by Stelios Phili

April 10, 2012

big-sean-628.jpg



A brief recap of the last year in hip-hop jewelry: Kanye's hooked on higbrow Egyptian bling, A$AP Rocky co-signed the rose gold movement before GQ joined in, and Waka Flocka Flame paid tribute to his namesake with a sublime Fozzy Bear charm. In short, a select few are upping the chain game from self-indulgent whims (iced-out cereal boxes, anyone?) to something a bit more artful, subtle, thoughtful. So to get the insider's take on the current state of affairs in all things shiny and expensive, we called up Kanye's star pupil and G.O.O.D. music signee, Big Sean. A well-documented lover of precious metals, the 24-year-old Detroit MC told GQ about the absurdity of crotch-grazing chains, his spirit animal, and one bold prophesy. Hint: Jay-Z and Kanye's jewelry won't be G.O.A.T.-status for long.
···​
GQ: Let's start from the beginning. What were your first chains, both real and fake?
Big Sean: Oh man, way beginning? It was probably in third grade—I had a super fake, gold herringbone chain. Yeah man, it was, like, super fake. I don't remember if it was my mom's or how I got it, but ever since then, I've loved chains. The first real chain I got was from Kanye. It was a Jacob the Jeweler Kanye West Jesus piece. And it was the most beautiful chain eve. Solid gold, blue ruby eyes, red ruby hair striping...

GQ: So it was a big upgrade.
Big Sean: Definitely a big upgrade. And then I got my pow chains, made by [the Teriyaki Boyz's] Verbal in Japan. Those were incredible, like $15,000 a piece, and I got three of them. And after those, I ended up getting a lion chain. I had to make my own mascot—I want to start my own dynasty eventually. Roc-A-Fella [Records] has their classic chains and Kanye revolutionized the Jesus piece, so I wanted to do something on my own. I had Jacob [the Jeweler] do it, because I just love how he does his Jesus pieces. I got other chains, but those don't really matter too much.

GQ: Why did you choose a lion to be on your first chain?
Big Sean: The lion is just king of everything, man. The lion doesn't take any %%## from anybody. It's well-respected, cares about his family...know what I'm saying? It just really represents me perfectly, man. And it just goes with the Jesus piece. It's very strong, everything I want to be—everything I am, rather.

GQ: The Jesus piece looks related to the lion chain.
Big Sean: Yeah, I put a crown on him, just to let everyone know he's king.

GQ: Going back to the fake herringbone chain that you wore in third grade,
who were your jewelry idols?
Big Sean: Man, I was really looking up Puffy, Big, Tupac...I used to want a Rolly like Pac's, and now I got a couple. I used to look up to those guys heavy, man. I still do. And yeah, I just knew what I wanted to be since the third grade. And I always did well in school, I was the type to get good grades, I never really got below Cs or nothing like that. I always kept it A-B. But there's no school for rap.

GQ: Speaking of Kanye, he's said his chains are too heavy in the metaphorical sense—
Big Sean: [laughs]

GQ: But can a chain really be uncomfortable to wear? Do they get too heavy?
Big Sean: It's not uncomfortable for me, but if I let somebody else wear 'em, like my assistant or my girl, they're always like, "How do you wear this chain every day?" I guess it is heavy, but you get used to it. I wanted it for so long that I couldn't bear to wait. They are definitely heavy, but I feel like jewelry in general—especially if it's real gold, silver, platinum, white, or rose—those are investments, because gold only goes up over time. And, you know, the dollar is...who knows where that's going to be soon. I never look at it like I'm wasting money when I'm buying gold.

GQ: Well, what happens to the chains you retire, then? Do you have a chain graveyard?
Big Sean: Yeah, I just retired this silver and diamond chain that I got from a random jeweler. I was actually going to give it to my brother...I know he really wanted it.

GQ: You sure about that?
Big Sean: Yeah, I'm going to give it to him. He doesn't know yet, so hopefully doesn't see this interview any time soon. [laughs]

GQ: What do you consider tasteful versus tacky in terms of how rappers wear their chains?
Big Sean: There's definitely a thin line between being tasteful and tacky. I feel like tasteful is very unique...it's not necessarily wearing a bunch of chains—that could be either tasteful or tacky. It just depends on how you wear them and what kind of chains they are. Sometimes eight chains go together really well, depending on the length—how short they are, how small they are. First of all, matching different gold on chains, like yellow gold and white at the same time—that's, like, super tacky. That's tacky as hell. I think it's tacky to have chains that go all the way down to your crotch.

GQ: Okay, yeah, Russell Brand does that.
Big Sean: [laughs] I also think it's tacky when you've got a big $%%, iced-out cereal box or something. Like, crazy iced-out like that or a cartoon character isn't done well.

GQ: I believe Waka Flocka Flame has a gold Fozzy Bear chain from the Muppets.
Big Sean: Yeah, I actually like that one. It's done well, pretty hard.

GQ: How do you think chains have changed during the last five years?
Big Sean: I think shorter chains have come back into style. Smaller chains. Less is more nowadays. I also wear a lot of rings now. I'm really back heavy on rings. I got this tiger head ring that's similar to a Cartier ring. I had my jeweler Sean from Detroit make it similar to the Cartier ring, but gold and diamonded-out. That's my Detroit tiger. It's made with two different golds—the bottom is yellow and the top is gold. I also got him to replicate a Rolex ring, but a little bigger, all gold, and with diamonds. Then I got this pyramid ring, just fun stuff like that, man, because...that's what I feel like doing.

GQ: I'm sensing an animal theme here. You've got the tiger, you've got the lion, and now you need a sphinx to go with your pyramid.
Big Sean: [laughs] Yeah, man. It's funny because in the studio, I always put on National Geographic for inspiration. Looking at lions eating gazelles, all that type of stuff.

GQ: So basically it's like the scenes that played during Jay-Z and Kanye's Watch the Throne tour.
Big Sean: [laughs] Yeah, definitely. I'm really infatuated with that stuff...I don't know why.

GQ: How about settling this debate: Who has the better chain game, Kanye or Jay-Z?
Big Sean: I don't know, that's a tough one, man. Jay's Roc-A-Fella chain is one of the best chains in hip-hop. Of course Kanye's Jesus piece is maybe arguably the best. But I think the Roc-A-Fella chain is the best original idea to turn into a chain. So Jay definitely gets extra points for that. I got to honestly say all of Kanye's chains are very, very detailed and tasteful, more so than I've ever seen. His Murakami Jesus piece is probably the best Jesus piece I've ever seen. My chains are going to be cooler than all of theirs, though. [laughs]

GQ: Seriously?
Big Sean: Yeah, over time. Definitely.

GQ: What's your grand scheme to top them?
Big Sean: It's evolution, man. Eventually the student becomes the teacher. [laughs]

GQ: I feel like Kanye would be a little less anxious to surrender that title.
Big Sean: Yeah. [laughs] Definitely. But hey, it's coming.

GQ: What got you into the pow chains?
Big Sean: Verbal from the Teriyaki Boyz in Japan gave me and Kanye samples. We were the first people to have it. Then I became homies with Verbal, and I told him it'd be so tight to have these iced-out and a little bigger. And then next thing I know, he made them and gave them to me. I just couldn't believe it. I just thought they were cool. People like Chris Brown came up to me and was like, "Yo, I try to get my chains like this. These are so cold."

GQ: What's the most expensive piece you've gotten?
Big Sean: Probably the lion chain...that must've been like [redacted][sup]*[/sup].

GQ: Whoa. That chain represents you, so you had to go all out.
Big Sean: To me, it means the most. It's pretty big, too. I worked hard as hell for it, you what I'm saying? Man, all them times I had to sleep on the floor. Didn't have money for gas. I couldn't afford McDonald's. Like those times...that's why it means so much to me to able to do that type of stuff for myself. I'm just happy I can do that.

GQ: Do you remember the day when you were like, "All right, that lion chain is mine."
Big Sean: I just remember I wanted to make my own dynasty and not keep following trends. I wanted to make my own. That's the only chain I paid for personally. Everything else is somewhat gifted.

GQ: Can you set up the scene for me of Kanye giving you your first chain?
Big Sean: Man, I remember I was in L.A., way before my album. And I was working with him on his album [My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy], and right before I left, he just threw me it. And I was, like, "Oh, snaps."

GQ: You caught it, obviously?
Big Sean: Yeah, yup. [laughs]

GQ: What else should readers know about chains?
Big Sean: I really just appreciate good jewelry, clarity, gold. I think gold is made for kings and pharaohs—that's what I am. That's why I rock gold and, you know, stuff like that.

______________________________

[size=-1]*[/size][size=-1] After our interview, Big Sean made a humble request: "Hey, you know what, can you do me a favor? Can you not let people know how much my lion chain costs? I don't want people to know...only 'cause my mom is really heavy on that."[/size]
Click to expand...
 
Originally Posted by YoungTriz

laugh.gif
gucci got tear drops, and baby has drool marks?
Click to expand...

gucci put in work for his tear drops tho(even tho self defence he claims). birdman is just plain foolio with his drool marks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

us3less
Healing/Recovering from Anxiety and Panic Attacks - by Allowing the Feelings and Thoughts to Happen
Replies
1
Views
230
Belgium
Belgium
HIM
|| DFS Player Props Thread || Prize Picks - Underdog - etc. ||
3 4 5
Replies
108
Views
4K
HIM
HIM

Thread Gallery

View Full Gallery

The ultimate sneaker enthusiast community.

NikeTalk was created as a way of giving back to both the sneaker enthusiast community and to the greater global community of which we are all a part.

NikeTalk is NOT affiliated with Nike Inc. in any way, shape, or form. All opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of Nike, Inc.

© 1999-2024 NikeTalk.com

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom