The Briefest History on Grills
There’s nothing new under the sun. That includes the cyclical trend of donning Grillz and tooth gems.
There’s nothing new under the sun. That includes the cyclical trend of donning Grillz and tooth gems. Mouth adornment has literally been around before the Egyptians, but here’s a quick story on their growing presence in culture as we know it today.
The earliest known group to add gold to their mouths were wealthy women in the Etruscan society (present-day Tuscany, Italy) to indicate their status. Going so far as to remove their front teeth to fit a gold band instead. The Ancient Mayans preferred to add jade, a sacred stone that signified fertility, divinity, and wealth. Drilling small holes in their teeth for the jade to fit.
Fast forward to the late 70s and 80s, West Indians and Jamaicans started to immigrate to New York, bringing with them the practice of wearing gold in their mouths. Used in their home countries to protect or hide decayed teeth. This protective measure very quickly gained popularity among everyday folks, hood stars, and drug dealers by the mid-80s as a status symbol.
Born to Jamaican parents, Slick Rick was the first to popularize this trend on a major platform with his debut album “Best of Slick Rick”.
By the 90s, the look was everywhere. The quirky member of the group Public Enemy, Flavor Flav was rarely seen without his set.
But when the South got a hold of this trend - the rest was history. By the early 2000s, Nelly released “Grillz” featuring Paul Wall, Ali, and Gipp. It resonated so deeply with the time that it stayed at the top of the charts, ultimately becoming certified platinum by the end of 2005.
Like all cyclical trends, by early 2021 grills started to lose some of its cache. Rappers who were synonymous with their blinding grills began to replace them with bright white new teeth. To name a few – Plies, 21 Savage, Da Baby, Lil Yachty, Moneybagg Yo, and Young Thug all made the switch around this time.
Where does that leave us now? The current landscape feels centered around delicate, intricate but subtle adornments. This could be attributed to the rising number of women grill makers and wearers. What was once a symbol of status, now highlights artistic self-expression and individuality.
Here are a few of the women in Philly continuing to carve out this lane piece by piece:
@notyomija – Not your Mija by Tayla Miquelia
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Desirée Gaines
Desirée Gaines, Director of Community & Culture at Philly Download, highlights Philly’s creative pulse, elevates local talent, and produces hyper-local content celebrating diverse stories and the city’s culture.
