A Jesus piece is a spiritual or religious piece of jewelry that is popular in the hip hop community and depicts the face of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

with the crown made out of thorns. Many hip hop artists and celebrities, including

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

Big Pun Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx borough of New York City in the ea ...

, The Game,

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

and

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

among others, have adopted the Jesus piece as a common

fashion accessory In fashion, an accessory is an item used to contribute, in a secondary manner, to an individual's outfit. Accessories are often chosen to complete an outfit and complement the wearer's look. They have the capacity to further express an individua ...

and have them decorated with many

precious gems A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

. Cheaper Jesus pieces have also been sold in other materials including wood and inexpensive metals. Traditional medals in Western Christianity that are worn as necklaces have depicted the

Holy Face of Jesus The Holy Face of Jesus is a title for specific images which some Catholics believe to be miraculously formed representations of the face of Jesus Christ. The image obtained from the Shroud of Turin is associated with a specific medal worn by s ...

. ''

The Boombox Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

'' wrote in 2018 that "the Jesus piece has arguably become one of the most iconic pieces of jewellery in hip-hop" while ''

Highsnobiety Highsnobiety is a global fashion and lifestyle media brand founded in 2005 by David Fischer. It was bought by German e-commerce giant Zalando in 2022. Highsnobiety is headquartered in Berlin and has offices in Amsterdam, London, Milan, New York ...

'' penned in 2017, "the Jesus piece has arguably become the most popular pendant of all time".

History

Ghostface Killah

The first rapper to wear the Jesus piece was

Ghostface Killah Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...

from

Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close affili ...

in the video for Incarcerated Scarfaces.

The Notorious B.I.G.

The popularity of the Jesus piece is attributed to Christopher Wallace (

) and Tito Caicedo, Wallace's jeweler. Wallace paid Tito approximately $10,000 a piece for multiple Jesus pieces that he would give to those he worked with and wear himself. The Jesus pieces were decorated with precious gems, specifically on the hair of Jesus.

Jay-Z

When Wallace died in 1997, his Jesus piece was given to his son Christopher Wallace, Jr. "CJ".

would then wear the Jesus piece multiple times for whenever he would record a new album. Two years after Wallace's death, Jay-Z appeared on the December 1999 issue of the

XXL magazine ''XXL'' is an American hip hop magazine, published by Townsquare Media, founded in 1997. History In August 1997, Harris Publications released the first issue of ''XXL''. It featured rappers Jay-Z and Master P on a double cover. In December 2006 ...

with a Jesus piece. Jay-Z wrote in his book, ''Decoded'', the importance of Wallace's Jesus piece; "It's part of my ritual when I record an album: I wear the Jesus piece and let my hair grow till I'm done".

Kanye West

Jacob Arabo partnership

In 2004,

partnered with

Jacob Arabo Jacob Arabo (born Yakov Arabov or Jacob Arabov on June 3, 1965; also frequently known as "Jacob the Jeweler") is an American jewelry and watch designer who founded Jacob & Company in 1986 and grew it to become an international luxury brand. He be ...

, a jeweler that outfitted many hip-hop artists with their jewelry. West's personal Jesus piece created by Jacob cost $25,000, was the size of a man's palm and had clear

diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...

for Jesus'

crown of thorns According to the New Testament, a woven crown of thorns ( or grc, ἀκάνθινος στέφανος, akanthinos stephanos, label=none) was placed on the head of Jesus during the events leading up to his crucifixion. It was one of the instru ...

, yellow and light-brown diamonds as Jesus' blond hair,

aquamarines Aquamarine is a pale-blue to light-green variety of beryl. The color of aquamarine can be changed by heat. Aquamarine has a chemical composition of Be3Al2Si6O18, also containing Fe2+. It has a hardness of 7.5 to 8. Aquamarine contains no or few ...

for blue eyes and small

rubies A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

for the tears of blood on his face. In an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', West explains complications he had creating the revised Jesus piece by repeating a discussion he had with Jacob.

''"I love the way it looks with the blue eyes, but I'll get too much flak for it. I can't explain that blue-eyed shit. I need to do another one. A black one. Because I have socially conscious lyrics and I'm-a get flak."''

After experimenting with various colors for the piece's eyes, West decided that the aquamarine blue eyes were best suited for the piece. West then jokingly explained how he would avoid social commentary saying, "I'll say it's the one (Jesus) off my grandmother's wall! It's Grandma's Jesus!"

Takashi Murakami partnership

In 2007, West again created another derivation of the Jesus piece with Japanese artist

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co ae ...

, who created the cover artwork for West's ''

Graduation Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is a ...

''. The Jesus piece was estimated to cost approximately $200,000.

In popular culture

's 2007 album ''

'' features "Dropout Bear" wearing a Jesus piece similar to Murakami's design. * The Game's 2012 album '' Jesus Piece'' has a deluxe edition cover that features a

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

Jesus wearing a Jesus piece. *

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

' 2012 album ''

God Forgives, I Don't ''God Forgives, I Don't'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on July 30, 2012, by Maybach Music Group and Slip-n-Slide Records, and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album was produced by several recor ...

'' has Rick Ross wearing multiple Jesus pieces on both the standard and deluxe edition covers. * In a

Power 106 KPWR (105.9 FM) – branded as ''Power 106'' – is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. KPWR is owned and operated by Meruelo Group and airs a Rhythmic Hot AC format. KPWR's studi ...

interview,

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

stated that after he had lost the Jesus piece that Kanye West had given him, his former label mate

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...

gave his personal Jesus piece to Big Sean. * The album cover of

Boosie Badazz Torence Ivy Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective Concentration Camp, ev ...

's 2015 album, '' Touch Down 2 Cause Hell'', features Boosie Badazz wearing multiple Jesus pieces. * The song "Jesus Piece" on the Album "MDNA" made by the german rap group Genetikk

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jesus Piece (jewelry) Necklaces Christian religious objects Jesus in art