Published: Thursday - December 21, 2006
Words by Anne van de Sande
Reggie Oso and Gabriel Tolliver (Photo: n/a)
Industry veterans and authors of Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewelry Book, Reggie Oso and Gabriel Tolliver, get in-depth about their hip-hop background and why "bling" was their motivation to step away from music.
"Diamonds are forever/ They won't leave in the night / Have no fear that they might desert me." Kanye The Louis Vuitton Don said it. Hip-hop jewelry –- coined the term "bling" by Cash Money in 1999 -– has been part of hip-hop since day one and it is here to stay. Bling expresses wealth to the highest degree, comes in many shapes and forms and is heavily influenced by trends such as ice covered pimp cups, pinkie rings, dog tags, diamond encrusted spinner medallions and grills.
In Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewelry Book, authors Reggie Ossé and Gabriel Tolliver, take you on a journey through the world of bling. They discuss its dazzling history and profile flashy jewelry godfathers, from NY based designer Tito of Manny's to the late ODB and Mr. T, who was always dripped in thick gold ropes while driving the infamous "A-Team" van.
Ballerstatus sat down with the two connoisseurs, as they discussed their work approach for this must-have in your collection of hip-hop books, new trends and why bling is king.
BallerStatus.com: Gabriel creates content across film/TV/new media and publishing platforms. Reggie, you started out in the entertainment industry as an attorney in the Business and Legal Affairs department at Def Jam Records. How were the two of you introduced to hip-hop and what made you want to be part of it?
Reggie: My introduction to hip-hop was really organic. I grew up in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn during the 1970s. I was in my school yard back in 1978 and there was a sister named Karen Rowe who was a grade lower than me. I was passing by her and heard her saying some kiddie like nursery rhymes on some "Jack and Jill, Went Up the hill to get a little water, they got undressed, they got on down and now they have a daughter" rhythmically. I thought it was peculiar and didn't think anything of it until two weeks later, my neighbor and best friend Frank Forde, who was a messenger in Manhattan started hanging out with some Uptown and Bronx kids. Back then, the world was smaller, no cable, no internet, so Harlem and the Bronx seemed as far from Brooklyn as New York is to California. We were all insulated to our own neighborhoods.
Anyways, one Monday, dude kept telling me that I had to hear these cats with some weird names like Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five or some cats called The Cold Crush Brothers doing some new type of "rap" music. All week, Frank was dying to get me to hear this new genre of music. Friday afternoon, when Frank came home, he pulled out his generous JVC Boom Box with all the features and popped in this cassette featuring Flash and his crew. Yo, when I first heard Melle Mel spit, it was like I took a huge hit off the crack pipe, dope! Imagine growing up listening to the Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, and then one day, for the first time in your life, you hears pure beats and pure rhymes. It was comparable only to the sensation of having sex for the first time. Yo, after my first dose of hip-hop, I knew instantly that I would be hooked to this sh-- for life! By the time the Sugar Hill Gang dropped "Rapper's Delight" a year later, I thought it was mad corny because I had been living on a steady diet of Kool Herc and the Herculords, Cold Crush Brothers, Furious Five, The Fantastic Five, the old school battles, sh-- even Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Dr. Jekyll was Andre Harrell of Uptown records fame) was incredible.
Gabriel: I grew up in the Midwest suburb of Cleveland, Ohio called Shaker Heights and my first introduction to hip-hop was through the local radio station mix shows that were friendly to hip-hop. Grand Master Flash's "The Message," Kurtis Blow and Run DMC were some of the first to reach my ears followed by Afrika Bambattaa's "Planet Rock." From there, it was on, as hip-hop became a part of my upbringing and it especially came full circle when I arrived in NYC in 1989 to attend NYU film school. During this time, it was surreal to see the culture so close. Def Jam was down the street and on any given day, you could see the various rappers walking down Broadway or at the local clubs. After NYU, I had the opportunity to work on the seminal hip-hop show for MTV called "Yo! MTV Raps." I eventually became an associate producer on the show and that brought everything up close and personal. Since then, hip-hop has always informed my work in some shape, way or form.
BallerStatus.com: How did you develop your skills as a writer and what made you decide to go that route?
Reggie: I was a only child, so when I wasn't outside playing with my friends, I was in my house, in my own world reading everything from Marvel Comics, Sci-Fi (The Swords Of Shanarrah) to Tolkein and Mario Puzo (The Godfather). I always got straight As in reading and language, so when I eventually went to Georgetown Law School. I learned how to write in a structured and descriptive manner, so as to keep focus of the subject matter. Then of course, I was a practicing attorney for over ten years in the music industry.
Gabriel: Writing has been always been a part of my creative work and this was a new frontier to explore as an author.
BallerStatus.com: What inspired you to write Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewelry Book?
Reggie: It was 2003 and I got burned out with the music industry. I hated the business; I didn't like many of the players and I wasn't moved by the music anymore. I decided it was time for me to step away from the business because I wanted to rekindle my appreciation, amd my relationship with hip-hop culture. I had stories to tell of how I viewed my culture, my music, black peoples' swagger in a manner that wouldn't be stereotypical or dumbed down. Gabe and I have been friends for over 15 years and we always came up with ill concepts to showcase on many platforms, either film, television, or virally. Long story short, the month I walked away from the music industry, I was presented with the opportunity to write. We had ideas about several aspects of hip-hop culture, but "bling" was the one that resonated. One thing led to another and we landed our deal with Bloomsbury US.
BallerStatus.com: Can you speak a little on the elements of bling you discuss in the book and what you want to achieve with it?
Reggie: We wanted to take the reader through every step of the evolution of bling as it pertains to hip-hop. As we did more and more research, we kept finding all types of information ranging from the different properties of rare metals and stones to factoids about historical figure to what's hot in different areas of the United States. We also showcase some jewelers and craftsmen that in one way or another made their indelible imprint on the vast landscape that is bling. One of our favorite elements is that the book is sprinkled throughout with some really interesting factoids, which was Gabe's thing. He was always coming up with all types of info.
BallerStatus.com: How long have you been working on the book and what were some of the things you underestimated that took more time and work than you expected?
Reggie: From the end of 2003 to now, that's a little short of three years. One of the main things we underestimated is that once we delivered our manuscript, we thought our publisher would fire all cylinders to promote the hell out of our book. Coming from the music industry, the grind is 24/7 -- performing, marketing, hustle, hustle, hustle. We saw Bling's release as something akin to a record release. When we realized that few if any publishers hustled to get first time authors publicity, we did everything we could to get people to hear about our book.
BallerStatus.com: The book is not only an interesting read; its layout is impressive as well. What kind of sources did you rely on when doing desk and field research? And how difficult was it to make a selection of the photos?
Reggie: We started by calling on all of our friends who had experience with publishing. Gabe and I came up with Bobbito Garcia, who had just dropped his sneaker book, Where'd You Get Those, so we grilled him on his process. Bill Adler, who was Def Jam and Russell Simmons' first publicist and who both Gabe and I had a relationship with, gave us some pointers as well as his blessings. We studied photographers, who had documented hip-hop culture, from new school to now. One book that had inspired us was Jamel Shabazz's book Back In The Days, published by Power House Books, so we took a meeting with them. We spent most of our book advance traveling to different cities -- Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston. We also hired Maria Rosel from The Source magazine as our photo editor; she got busy. For two and a half years, we lived bling every f'ing day!
BallerStatus.com: Hip-hop jewelry comes in many shapes and sizes. When profiling rappers and designers for Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewelry Book, who had the most striking and unusual bling?
Reggie: Slick Rick of course. Dipset has some really incredible pieces. Ghostface Killah has some mean pieces. LL Cool J, when he was at his prime... EPMD, Big Daddy Kane, Eric B and Rakim during the Truck Jewels period.
BallerStatus.com: The book is dedicated to Brooklyn. What does Brooklyn mean to you personally and how has it affected you as a person?
Reggie: First of all, Brooklyn is my birthplace, my home. Second, Brooklyn was and will always be about the swagger of the common man taken to legendary heights. From cats like Walt Whitman to Michael Jordan to Spike Lee and even to legends like Big Daddy Kane, K.R.S One -- he's a born and bred Brooklyn dude --- to B.I.G., Mos Def and Jigga, Brooklyn cats have and will continue to influence the world. If New York City is considered the centre of the universe, as we now know it, Brooklyn is the heart and soul of New York City. Plus, my wife and kids are from Brooklyn.
Gabriel: Brooklyn was the first place in NYC that truly felt similar to home.
BallerStatus.com: Among the worst place to go with your bling on, you name Hot 97 and Rodeo Drive. Explain.
Reggie: Everyone including the landlord and the tenants busts their guns at Hot 97. Rodeo Drive was just a funny dig at Beverly Hills and Hollywood.
BallerStatus.com: How do you think bling will evolve in hip-hop, as far as new trends and upcoming jewelry designers?
Gabriel: I think it will continue to evolve into more creative pieces or bling that incorporates new technology like mp3s, video... but I think it will be largely shaped by trends.
Reggie: We're about to go retro on the gold. Truck rope chains, thick dolphin earrings, more grills in the North, four finger rings, we're going to take it back to 1987, 1988.
BallerStatus.com: What other projects do you have coming up?
Gabriel: We're in the process of launching some bling related projects for broadband and television and whatever other topics, slices of the culture that grabs our attention.
Reggie: And the Bling calendar with dime piece models rocking sick pieces!
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