These Are the Wittiest Ways Rappers Describe Their Diamonds

Is it really a rap song if you don’t hear anything about flexing diamonds? Nah, it’s not.

Jewelry has always had a special place in hip-hop, from the old-school aesthetic of wide-body Cuban links to a rapper’s first chaining day. For artists, once you enter the game, your ice is present for every step moving forward, like the silver Monopoly tokens. That idea comes out in the music, resulting in countless records that explain how cold someone’s wrist is, the light show they walk around with or how many karats sit on their pinky finger. Rap fans hear these things all the time, but what eliminates the redundancy is how creative rappers get with their lyrics.

Some artists like Lil Yachty use items you would cop at the corner store to illustrate the color composition. “Canary yellow diamonds like the wrapper of a Butterfinger,” he raps on “Oops.” On “Talk About It,” A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie uses the same approach. “My diamonds purple, yellow, and green like a bag of Takis.”

Another imaginative way rappers detail their ice is by expressing how flooded it is, like Ski Mask The Slump God on “Unbothered.” “My diamonds wetter than damn Davy Jones’ locker,” he says on the track. Shape and size are huge description go-to’s as well. Kendrick Lamar impressively whips up both of those things on his “6 Foot 7 Foot (Freestyle).” “Hand full of diamonds like Jay fans,” he brags. Sheesh.

The wit level in depicting these rocky crystals can make for the best moment on a song. There is no ceiling when it comes to the ocean of metaphors and similes rappers use to flaunt how they’re rocking. So with that mind, XXL sees it fit to highlight some of the most clever examples. You can peep them below.