On Tyler, the Creator’s new album cover for Don’t Tap the Glass, you can spot a thick gold rope-style chain on his neck. He’s wearing a dookie chain, which, among a handful of other references in Tyler’s album nods to the ’80s, and the age of old-school hip-hop – celebrating the legends of the time, specifically LL Cool J.
Before the custom diamonds, the platinum iced-out chains, and Jesus pieces, which started appearing in the ’90s, there was the dookie chain. Also known as the dookie roll (or twist or rope chain), it was the most popular statement piece during the ‘80s, being a symbol of status and wealth.
The gold rope chains were donned by the likes of LL Cool J, Run-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa, Big Daddy Kane, and Slick Rick (he still wears them), it was also a major accessory in the style of godfather of hip-hop Dapper Dan, truly defining the style of the early days of hip-hop. One of the most significant pieces of hip-hop jewellery to this day is the Run-DMC adidas Pendant. The brand gave each member of the group a 14k-gold Superstar pendant, following their 1986 song “My Adidas”, which they repped on their gold rope chains (spotted in their “It’s Tricky” music video).
The dookie chain has shown face in pop culture through the years, mostly as a reference to ‘80s style and the early days of rap – like Dapper Dan’s Gucci collab from 2018, which featured his take on the dookie roll, and Tyler paying homage to LL Cool J on his new album cover.
Featured image Tyler, the Creator©
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