Bling-bling
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- "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 an entire 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.
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[edit] Origins
The first apparent use of the term 'bling bling' in mainstream culture was a hip hop track of the same title, by rapper B.G., along with Baby Birdman, Juvenile and Lil Wayne, celebrating their wealth (as many of their tracks do). The word "Bling" was first used on record in 1998 by fellow Cash Money 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." The word was coined by Lil Wayne who ofted used onomatopoeia, he later extended its use to "Bling Bling" for the hook he wrote and performed on the B.G. track of the same name. "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 perceived 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 'wished he'd patented the term' [1] 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 ostentatious 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 previously impoverished men, who had acquired riches through crime, could be sure of holding on to their wealth by keeping it about their person. 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. Hence 'bling bling', while widely regarded as a faddish slang phrase, has been seen by some as manifestation of a deeper socioeconomic problem in the US, trivialised by mainstream media and hip hop. For comparison, see chav.
[edit] 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. They charge that the phenomenon promotes conspicuous consumption, and 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 (also known as nigger rich stereotype). Some of the most vocal critics of "bling bling"-oriented music are alternative hip hop artists.
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, occassionally originate as conflict diamonds, fueling wars, poverty, and killings in Africa.
In a 2004 television interview, rapper Missy Elliot spoke out against 'bling bling' culture, saying that it encouraged young African American men and women to spend their money irresponsibly. Elliot stated that she believed it was important for hip hop artists to act as role models in this respect, and encourage young people to invest responsibly and sensibly in stable, long term assets such as real estate. Some observers found this hypocritical in that she herself owns several expensive luxury cars and a gaudy-style decorated condo that was featured on MTV Cribs, and has been seen with expensive luxury clothes.
[edit] Later use of the term
The extreme proliferation of the term into the early 2000s inevitably led to a degrading of its hipness value. With MTV itself even releasing 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 recently 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."
The term has appeared in the women's shopping magazine SHOP Etc..
Merriam-Webster officially added term to its dictionary (July 2006).
[edit] Related meaning
In the Middle East, counterfeit brand-name goods (such as Rolex watches) may be known as bling bling specials.
[edit] See also
- Chav
- Gangsta rap
- Grill
- Hip hop fashion
- List of most frequently mentioned brands in the Billboard Top 20
- Romanian manele male singers also display tacky gold jewellery.
- Conspicuous consumption
