Mary J. Blige Celebrates Hip-Hop’s 50th Anniversary with Earring Collection: 'Important Milestone' (Exclusive)

Mary J. Blige is celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary in style.

The music legend and fashion icon is ringing in hip-hop’s milestone and reinforcing its cultural impact on fashion with the launch of jewelry in collaboration with jewelry designer Simone I. Smith.

Smith cofounded her eponymous brand in 2011. In 2018, she and close friend Blige collaborated on a line, Sister Love, to capture the essence of their friendship and mutual love of hoop earrings.

Now the two New York City natives have a capsule "Hip-Hop 50" collection to honor hip-hop’s major milestone. The two limited-edition hoop styles — emblazoned with “Fly Girl” and “Hip-Hop” — launched on Aug. 11, National Hip-Hop Day, and retail for $399 each.

“Simone is my sister, so creating Sister Love just felt like us having an opportunity to create something that celebrates our sisterhood, and the sisterhood of women around the world,” explains Blige of the initial collaboration. 

Of reconnecting, she says, “When the idea came up for a collection celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, it was another chance to create a collection that marked an important milestone in my life and in our culture.”

"Hip-hop culture influences the designs for Sister Love — these are the earrings we wore growing up and are still wearing today." — Mary J. Blige

 The two zeroed in on hoops “because these are the earrings that were the most popular — specifically the triangle hoops (what we call Tri-Bams),” says Blige. “They are designs that every fly girl from my neighborhood, and most stylish female rappers wore!”

Blige, who has been rocking hoops since before she burst onto the music scene (she wore the style in her debut video “You Remind Me”), says wearing the style is “second nature at this point. My hoops are an extension of me. I don’t feel ready until they are on.”

It’s no surprise she has too many pairs to count. “[Between] all the pairs I’ve collected over the years and now having created multiple collections with Simone, who knows!” But she can still recall her very first pair — a triangle style one of her boyfriends bought her.

The award-winning artist knows a thing or two about dancing in the big earrings, too. So much so that she and Smith created a custom closure for their Sister Love earrings to keep them secure in your ear. 

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Blige, a fashion trailblazer who's set trends for decades, says the secret to her personal style is simple: "Wear what makes you feel good. Everyone will have their own opinion, but when it comes to your style, you need to feel good and feel confident."