Whether it’s in gold, rose-gold, platinum or diamond-filled, rappers have often spared no expense when it comes to buying their chains. It is by no doubt an important symbol in hip hop that continuously crops up in rap music.
It’s easy to dismiss the obsession with chains as pure materialism. But this list of tracks certainly shows that hip hop’s love affair with this possession is a little more complex than meets the eye.
Hip hop is often likened to a competitive sport. The chain is the Olympic Gold medal for a rapper, demonstrating achievement and success. For many rappers who have seen poor more than they’ve seen rich, their ability to spend stupid amounts of money on a piece of jewelry is a luxury that they have never had.
Yet the necessity to buy into the chain culture is also compared to a form of slavery, something that Kanye West touches on. As many artists recognize this, many of these tracks also show the dilemma they face with their expensive wants.