The 5 Most Iconic Cuban Link Chains in Pop Culture History
The art of Cuban link chain-making has existed for generations, but the popularity of the look became mainstream with the birth of hip-hop in the 1970s. Nowadays, every rapper, musician, and neighborhood legend has their signature chain. These culture creators, mountain movers of the last few decades, have carved their legacies in extreme ways. Monsters. Let's break down the top five most badass Cuban link chains in hip hop history.
5. Jay-Z's Gold Chain
ESTIMATED VALUE: $220,000
WEIGHT: 5 Kilos
MATERIAL: 18K Gold
Sitting at number five, we have Jay-Z’s iconic gold Cuban link chain. It’s all gold, no flash to it, he’s looking like an absolute gangster. To be fair, the long chain look is not for me. I like a fitted 24- to 26-inch max, but Jay was rocking this thing down to his belly button. Granted, the early and mid-2000s, it was the style. But this is a behemoth of a Cuban link chain. What an absolute monster. At the time, everyone was rocking the flashy stuff, the Cubans, but a big statement piece...no one had come out with such a big-ass chain like that (at least to my knowledge). This thing was a viral sensation before viral sensations were even a thing. It still lives in infamy to this day, and that’s why it makes the top five list. Get 'em, Jay-Z, for such a beast of a chain.
4. Plies' 7 Kilo Chain
ESTIMATED COST: $250,000+
WEIGHT: 7 Kilos
MATERIAL: 14K Gold
Numero cuatro, we have one-upping guy, Mr. Plies himself, with this iconic seven-kilo beast. I mean, look at the girth on that. Pause...or not pause. Just look how wide that thing was. But if seven kilos wasn't enough, he goes and puts an actual anchor on those Cuban links. It could anchor an actual yacht out in the Bahamas. I mean, look at the size of that pendant right on top of his chain. You should never be rocking this beast of a chain—but Plies pulled it off, and he did it nine years ago. Before big chains were all the rage, he was out there putting all his money into gold, and guess what? That chain is probably worth more money if he still has it today. It’s an actual investment because look how much gold that is. What’s the calculation on that? 34,000… 34 times 7,000. You’re talking over $250,000 worth of gold sitting on your neck, assuming it’s 14k, probably even 10k, who the hell knows? But it’s a lot of gold sitting on you, and you’re probably gonna have to get that chiropractor bill bumped up because that thing is gonna hurt. Back is broken. It’s iconic, it’s Plies, it’s your boy, and he deserves to be in this top five list. Let’s go on to the next.
3. Daddy Yankee's 10 Kilo chain
ESTIMATED COST: $340,000
WEIGHT: Enough to break a neck
MATERIAL: 14K Gold
This guy legit never gets old. He’s looked 23 since the first day I saw him doing "Gasolina" 25 years ago. It’s your boy Daddy Yankee with a monster rope animal savage that looks like an anaconda sitting on his neck. Looks like he went and wrestled one in Brazil or something. I run out of superlatives to describe what a beast this chain is. I saw it in his music video "La Rompe Carros." It was iconic then; it’s iconic now. I don’t even know if he has it, to be fair. It was rumored that he actually sold it because it was too painful to wear, and I completely understand. I’m the kind of guy who complains for a 300-gram chain. Imagine having 10 kilos around your neck. That is just sciatic nerve damage waiting to happen. I mean, it’s horrible. Does it look iconic? Absolutely. Right now, in today’s market, you’re probably looking at - about $340,000 worth of gold sitting on your neck, not to mention the labor. I mean, whoever filed this thing looks like the Hulk from the back. I mean, this is an absolute beast to make. I can’t imagine doing something like that. I probably would say no. Nah, I might… I would do it anyway. But the point is, it’s an iconic piece. It’s from the legend, the greatest of all time, Daddy Yankee, and it deserves to be at number three for greatest Cuban link chains in pop culture history.
2. Floyd "Money" Mayweather's Million Dollar Chain
ESTIMATED COST: $1,000,000
WEIGHT: 10 Kilos
MATERIAL:
At number two, we have the king of jewelry. Money Mayweather’s one million dollar Miami Cuban link chain. This thing was designed by celebrity jeweler Johnny Dang himself. He’s done jewelry for Cardi B, for all the big-time names, and he designed this one particular piece for Mayweather, and it is stunning. This is one of those types of pieces where you are dropping some serious, serious money, guys. Is it the classiest piece? Probably not, let’s be serious. However, this thing is a monster. You know your boy Money Mayweather does it big. He has had some of the most iconic chains out there. He's at the Miami Heat games wearing 30 of them at once. The boy is gaudy, and he likes to spend his bread on the things he loves, and boy does he love jewelry. And this chain, honestly, is sick. From someone who makes Miami Cuban link chains, to pull something like that off, they’re probably casted links because no one’s hand-making such a wide chain. Maybe, but probably not, and they’re fully bust-down to source all those stones, hand-set them, polish them, and make them look like that. Honestly, Johnny Dang has an amazing team, and it’s well worth being number two in our top five because this thing is beautiful. Is it my kind of chain? Probably not. I’m a more of a simple guy, but for a guy who has an outrageous personality and loves to spend that bread, I can’t say how cool this chain really is.
Honorable Mention: Slick Rick's Jewelry Collection
Now, before we get into number one, an honorable mention to one of the most legendary jewelry wearers of all time— Slick Rick. He’s been doing jewelry for a real long time, from rope chains to Figaro to Cubans to Franco. I mean, the guy has worn any kind of chain out there; there’s probably a picture of him wearing it before anyone even thought it was cool. Iced-out eye patches, he rocks this beautiful Cuban link chain. It’s probably a 30-inch, maybe over a kilo in weight, fully bust-down. Slick Rick has an insane jewelry collection, and it’s worth noting, so we put him in there as an honorable mention. Didn’t quite make the list because he doesn’t have one particular chain that I could pinpoint as being such an animal. I figured we’d mention him because no list in hip-hop and pop culture history is complete without the great Slick Rick, the ruler.
1. Gucci Mane's Insane $2.5M gifted chain
ESTIMATED VALUE: $2,500,000
WEIGHT: 10 Kilos (22 pounds)
MATERIAL: 300 K of Diamonds
My boy Gucci with his 2.5 million dollar Cuban. Now, it’s rumored that he got this as a gift from his then-wife Keyshia. But that’s one hell of a Christmas gift to give to your husband. This thing is magnificent. Truth be told, the spacing on the links are kind of wide, kind of a little ugly. It doesn’t obviously look handmade, but just the sheer size is impressive. It is estimated to weigh 22 pounds, aka around 10 kilos, and it has over 300 carats of diamonds. Let me put that into context: a full iced-out pendant on a really big scale has anything from 30 to 40. Anytime that you get from 80 to 100 carats of diamonds, you’re talking huge money, and you’re talking a lot of labor and a lot of diamonds. This chain has 300 carats. This is a huge project, probably put together by a really big team to execute it. Just from a statistical standpoint, on putting this thing together, it is a thing of beauty, let me tell you. And to pull it all off with the finish and to hand it to the customer when it’s ready...I mean, it feels like a real big accomplishment, especially for a high-end client like my boy Gucci. To be honest with you, I’m sure he was ecstatic. This thing is so, so nice and so big. I can’t even remember what I got for Christmas last year. It was probably a bar of soap, and my aunt always gives me some loafers. Either way, this thing is a monster. It deserves to be on the top of the list, and how can you hate on Gucci Mane? The man is a legend, let’s be serious.
If you think I missed out on an iconic chain, let’s talk about it. Let me know who it is, and don’t be mentioning any weak chains. All right? This is the top five, bro. Big boys. Come at me with some real competition out there.
