While the popular belief is that hip-hop gave rise to the trend of teeth jewelry, filmmaker Djali Brown-Cepeda says otherwise. She told GQ that it was salsa that popularized Grillz.
Via her digital archives, Nuevayorkinos and BLK THEN, which showcased New York City's Latinx and Black heritage, she revealed that Puerto Rican teens and Black partygoers' teeth were adorned with gold.
In the same interview, model Emmanuel Popoteur emphasized the influence of hip-hop on golden teeth. He reminisced about his father telling him that in the 80s' if someone didn't have a gold tooth, then they "weren't poppin."
In the early 1980s, hip-hop musicians like Raheem the Dream and Kilo Ali started sporting grills. Then, big Daddy Kane and Kool G. Rap., both from New York, openly donned gold teeth, and other rappers like OutKast, Goodie Mob, Ludacris, and Lil Jon followed suit.
Grills were often featured in hip-hop music during this time, most notably in Rapper Nelly, Paul Wall, Big Gipp, and Ali's number one hit 'Grillz' from 2005 and other Wall's songs. Wall is recognized for both his rapping and his grilling company; among his clientele are Kanye West and Cam'ron.
Slowly, women in the industry started wearing it. Dolly Cohen, a French grill maker, makes bespoke mouth jewelry for Rihanna, Cara Delevingne, and Rita Ora.
Many singers started referring to Grillz in their songs. They also started sporting it in music videos, award ceremonies, and photoshoots, among others.
Some prominent celebrities who wear Grillz and teeth jewelry are Kid Cudi, Kodak Black, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Beyonce, Travis Scott, Loni Love, Migos, and Lizzo.
