NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- Following last year's 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop -- a culture and art form born in the Bronx -- comes "Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry" at the American Museum of Natural History, which opened Thursday and runs through Jan. 5, 2025.
The exhibition -- located in the Melissa and Keith Meister Gallery, part of the Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals -- features the most iconic and blindingly spectacular jewelry from Hip-Hop superstars.
Think Slick Rick's twinkling crown, eye patch and five-foot-loing chain. The artist served as a senior adviser for the exhibition. There's also an Adidas necklace from Run D.M.C.'s Jam Master Jay, as well as Nas' diamond-encrusted "QB" pendant, which pays tribute to Queens' Queensbridge Houses, where he grew up. On a colorful note, there's A$AP Rocky's multi-colored, moveable Lego figurine.
Vikki Tobak, the exhibition's guest curator and author of "Ice Cold: A Hip-Hop Jewelry History," told 1010 WINS/WCBS 880 at a preview of "Ice Cold" Wednesday, "Hip-Hop is now mainstream culture and pop culture, but we always have to remember that it started from a very specific community and the jewelry and the show kind of celebrates those beginnings. And it's an important story we wanted to tell with the show."
Speaking specifically to jewelry's importance and place in Hip-Hop, Tobak said, "Hip-Hop jewelry has been part of the Hip-Hop culture story since the beginning. It might have not been as blingy as it is today. But what we put on our bodies and what we show to the world is a very human trait. But for Hip-Hop specifically, with identity, with showing the world who you are transcending your circumstances, all of those things are expressed through the jewelry."
And considering Hip-Hop took root in the city five decades ago, Tobak said, "This is a love letter to New York, for sure."
Sean Decatur, president of the American Museum of Natural History, echoed Tobak's sentiments, telling 1010 WINS/WCBS 880, "There is a special connection between New York [and Hip-Hop]." He also proudly noted that "all five boroughs are represented in the artists and pieces that are here."
Decatur continued, "I'd also say that from my perspective, doing this work in a natural history museum is meaningful because this is a place that tells the stories of human cultures."
