New York, NY (Top40 Charts) To bling or not to bling—that's a question many Hip Hop artists get asked frequently. Some like Eminem love to keep things simple. But for others (we're looking at you Lil Wayne), fancy bling is a crucial ingredient for making an excellent music video.
Rappers, of course, love to outdo one another. From the era or Slick Rick to Method Man, Lil Wayne to Lil Uzi—rappers have always splurged millions on expensive jewelry. But who claims the throne of having featured the most expensive bling in their music videos?
#1: Lil Wayne ft Static in Lollipop Bling Cost: £13,247,000
In 2008, Lil Wayne spent too much money on bling in the making of Lollipop that his record may take decades to break. In the explicit video that also features late rapper Static, Wayne can be seen flaunting flashy jewelry in the bathroom before the song begins.
Rapper Static, Birdman, and several other celebrities in the videos also display a slew of breathtaking pieces of jewelry. Coupled with the high-end Limousines and celebrity cameos in the video, Wayne spent in the upwards of £13 million on the video.
#2: 50 Cent ft. Olivia in Candy Shop
Bling Cost: £7,840,000
Fiddy is no stranger to extravagant bling. But in the making of Candy Shop, the 'In Da Club' hitmaker wasted more than £7 million on jewelry, rides, and clothes. Surprisingly, the rapper dons very few chains in the songs. But his models, singer Olivia and the chandeliers where the video is shot are all made of luxurious gems.
Of course, no one expected less from the man who brought us 'Get Rich or Die Tryin.' If anything, Candy Shop was Fiddy's way of outdoing his 2003 hit track "PIMP," a video song in which he spent £5.7 million on bling.
#3: 21 Savage in a Lot
Bling Cost: £7,195,000
How much money you got? 21 Savage has a lot of it. In his 'A lot' music video released earlier this year, the Atlanta rapper dropped more than £7 million on bling alone. Most of the money went toward clothes and the mansions in which the video was produced, with very little of it going toward jewelry.
#4: 50 Cent in PIMP
Bling Cost: £5, 715,000
50 Cent's PIMP was the first rap video to have featured bling worth £5 million. Before the Candy Shop hitmaker made the video, the only song to have featured splurges worth more than £1 million was Nelly's Dilemma.
In PIMP, Fiddy switches from designer suits to T-shirt and jeans. His models wear elegant but affordable lingerie. However, the group of rappers featured in the song; including Snoop Dogg and the G-Unit all don diamond and gold chains. The presence of Rolls Royce rides, a boat, and a mansion in the background certainly racked up the cost of the video, earning it a place in the Betway bling index files.
#5: Terror Squad ft. Fat Joe in Lean Back
Bling Cost: £4, 160,000
Nearly 15 years since Lean Back came out; the song remains one of the most expensive video songs ever made. In true Fat Joe style, Lean Back features expensive rides and lots of chains. Together, these pieces of bling cost the Terror Squad over £4 million. The good thing, Lean Back is one of the group's most successful songs and has over 64 million YouTube views.
#6: Dj Khaled ft Drake in I'm on one
Bling Cost: £3, 350,000
It is surprising Dj Khaled doesn't rank higher on this list. Most of his music videos are superbly done and feature plenty of expensive stuff. However, it was in 'I'm on one' that Khaled splashed most of his Bling money.
The song features a host of Bling-buying rappers anyway. Starting with Drake, Wayne, and Rick Ross, lots of cash was spent on flashy chains, high-end rides, and designed clothes.
#7: Drake in 'In My Feelings'
Bling Cost: £2, 004, 000
Although Drake makes fancy videos frequently, he's never spent so much money in a music video than 'In My Feelings.' At first, you may wonder where that money went to considering 'In My Feelings' is a streets-themed video.
But in between Drake's chains and hired buses and expensive cars, the Hot Line Bling Bling hitmaker splashed £2 million in the video.