Johnny Dang is a

Vietnamese American Vietnamese Americans ( vi, Người Mỹ gốc Việt, lit=Viet-origin American people) are Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American ethnic group after Chinese ...

jeweler based in Houston, Texas, who is known for his custom grills and involvement in the American hip-hop scene. He is a founder of Johnny Dang and Co.

Biography

Dang was born Đặng Anh Tuấn in the Đắk Lắk Province of Vietnam near the end of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. Dang's grandfather and father both worked in the jewelry trade. In 1987, Dang's father left Vietnam and emigrated to the United States. In 1996, Dang and his family followed his father to Houston, and Dang began working in jewelry repair. Dang was working at a local flea market when he met rapper

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse Records, and has released several albums under the label and collabor ...

. Wall was impressed by Dang's technique of making grills, and the two went into business together in 2002. In 2016, Dang moved his business from the

Sharpstown Mall PlazAmericas, formerly known as Sharpstown Mall and earlier Sharpstown Center, is a shopping mall located in the Sharpstown development in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, Texas. The mall is located on the northwest corner of Interstate 69/ U.S. Ro ...

to a stand-alone location. In 2021, Dang broke off his business relationship with Vietnamese YouTuber after the price of their mutually held cryptocurrency dropped.

In popular culture

Dang has been referenced in musical recordings by Migos,

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, Lucky Luciano,

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, Nav,

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, Chief Keef,

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, and

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among others. He has appeared in music videos including “

Gucci Bandanna Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragrance ...

” by Soulja Boy,

, and

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, "

Grillz "Grillz" is a song by American rapper Nelly featuring fellow American rappers Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp, and uncredited vocals from American singer Brandi Williams (of the group Blaque). The song was written by Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Paul Wall, A ...

" by Nelly, " Wild Boy" by

Machine Gun Kelly George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thom ...

, "

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" by Beyoncé, "

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" by

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, "And I Still" by

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, " Ice Tray" by

Quavo Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), known professionally as Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He is best known as the co-founder and former frontman of hip hop group Migos. Quavo is the uncle of late fellow Migos m ...

and

Lil Yachty Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Boat, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer. He first gained recognition on the internet in 2015 for his singles "One Night" and "Minnesota" (featuring ...

, and " Ice Cream Paint Job" by

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. Dang himself has provided vocals for songs, such as on "Stay Iced Up" off Paul Wall's album '' Heart of a Champion''.

Biography

In popular culture

References

Further reading