Bling bling
As bling-bling (also called bling for short ) are colloquially strongly glittering and shiny jewelry and accessories . The word comes from the hip-hop culture and has meanwhile developed into an everyday word worldwide.
Word origin
The word “bling-bling” is - from a linguistic point of view - an ideophone , that is, a sound word . Bling-Bling is supposed to describe the sudden lighting up or flashing of precious stones and shiny jewelry, although optical effects are noiseless. It was originally used - in parodied form - in advertising spots for toothpaste in order to accentuate the brilliant white of the freshly brushed teeth.
In the hip-hop culture, bling-bling was first mentioned around 1993. The rapper Jesse West (under the pseudonym "3rd Eye" known) used the full word in his song Dolly My Baby . In 1999 rapper BG released his song Bling Bling and rapper 2 Pac finally made the word socially acceptable with his song Fuck Friendz . Bling Bling has therefore been a long time solely by the terms Hip-Hop and Rap / rapper associated .
Meaning and use
The word bling-bling originally only stood for faceted diamonds and other gemstones that glitter strongly. The word only described the glitter effect as such and was intended to emphasize and emphasize the already high (material and ideal) value. Today, the term generally stands for expensive jewelry studded with many precious stones and rhinestones (especially necklaces , earrings and necklaces and anklets), accessories (for example sunglasses , tie pins and wristwatches), but also cell phones and their cases covered with glitter . Dental crown attachments that are gold-plated, silver-plated, chrome-plated or even set with glittering gemstones (so-called grillz ) are also popular.
In the meantime, the term has also had negative connotations : bling-bling is also the epitome of exaggerated jewelry, the display of wealth and extravagant luxury . In such cases the word is used derogatory and stands for decadence and kitsch . An early example of this is the character of Mr. T from the series The A-Team . Mr. T was famous for wearing gold and silver chains en masse in the series. For a long time, bling-bling was also considered a cliché for the so-called gangster style within the hip-hop and rapper scene, especially in the southern United States . In the modern tabloid press, bling-bling is also used to draw attention to the unnecessary display of glitter jewelry and luxury goods, especially among celebrities , TV stars and high-ranking personalities. The US magazine Time scoffed at the French President Nicolas Sarkozy and dubbed him “President Bling-Bling”.
literature
- Minya Oh, Andrea Duncan Mao: Bling Bling: Hip Hop's Crown Jewels . Wenner Books, New York 2005, ISBN 1932958029 , pp. 86-89.
- Reggie Osse, Gabriel Tolliver: Bling: The Hip-Hop Jewelry Book . Bloomsbury Publishing USA, New York 2006, ISBN 1582345589 , pp. 35-37, 102-103.
- Nicole Hodges-Persley: Bling-Bling . In: Mickey Hess: Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture , Volume 2. Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport (Connecticut) 2007, ISBN 031333904X , pp. 468-469.
