The practice of wearing grillz found popularity in hip-hop culture during the 1980s as rappers used gold teeth to make a statement of style and wealth. But don’t tell Slick Rick and Flavor Flav, decorating teeth with materials like jade, turquoise and gold actually goes back to the ancient Mayans.
Suggested Reading
These days, grillz aren’t just gold, and they aren’t exclusive to guys. Celebs including Erykah Badu, Megan Thee Stallion and Ado Edebiri are just a few you can find flashing fancy smiles.
Because there’s no reason why your teeth shouldn’t sport a little bling, check out these famous celebrity grillz.
Slick Rick
From the time he dropped his debut solo project, “The Great Adventures of Slick Rick,” was released in 1988, rapper Slick Rick made a name for himself with his music and his blinged out accessories.
Flavor Flav
Yeah boyee! Public Enemy hype man Flavor Flav was known throughout the 1980s and 1990s for flashing his golden grillz.
Method Man
Method Man and other members of Wu Tang Clan took their grillz to the next level in the mid-1990s. This shot of Meth with fang-inspired grillz was taken during a promo shoot for his 1994 “Month of the Man” collab album with Redman.
Paul Wall
Rapper Paul Wall was one of the first to come out with diamond-studded grillz, a style that became popular in the early 2000s.
Nelly
Rapper Nelly showed his love for his famous fancy fronts in a song, 2005's “Grillz.”
Erykah Badu
Guys aren’t the only ones wearing grillz. Singer-songwriter Erykah Badu is rarely seen without her bejeweled fronts.
Ayo Edebiri
Actress Ayo Edebiri made a serious style statement on the red carpet at this year’s Golden Globes wearing grillz and a pantsuit inspired by a 1990s Julia Roberts look.
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion is showing off her blinged out grillz, a GIA Certified Oval & Pink Diamond Pointers Flawless Honeymoon Set from jeweler to the stars, Johnny Dang.
Quavo
Migos rapper Quavo is another one of Johnny Dang’s happy customers, seen here in 2019 showing off a diamond grill worth $250,000.
Gabby’s Grillz
Gabby Elan is an NYC-based jeweler known for beautifully intricate grillz. But don’t think you can just walk in and get a set of your own. This place is strictly by appointment only.
Quincy Hall
Olympic sprinter Quincy Hall sported a gold grill at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris and came home with a gold medal in the men’s 400m.
Rihanna
Rihanna wore these Gabby Elan grillz for an April 2024 shoot for Interview magazine.
A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky shows off his golden grin on the cover of WSJ.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.
