Soon, rappers, jewelry enthusiasts, or nerds with money to burn can buy their own Sonic-themed diamond necklace. Tucked into today’s Sonic news stream was a gem (heh) of an announcement—a collaboration between Sega and jewelry maker King Ice to create four gold chains featuring the diamond-encrusted heads of beloved Sonic characters.
Naturally, the internet has seized upon this information, and the memes are flowing.
But good laugh aside (and admittedly there was a good-ass laugh in the stream when a narrator said the necklaces are “for the fans dialed into hip-hop culture”), Sega making some iced-out Sonic necklaces isn’t as weird as you might think. A lot of rappers— the demographic I imagine these necklaces are for since they’re likely not for regular, bill-paying-ass Sonic fans like me—are total fucking nerds.
Sonic songs have also been prolifically sampled by a lot of well-known hip-hop artists like Wiz Khalifa, Drake, and even the new lord of Hell himself, Lil Nax X. Thundercat, one of my favorite musical artists, has several songs that feature sound effects from Sonic games. In fact, given Thundercat’s name, his Vegeta chain, and the fact that he has a song titled “Special Stage,” I wouldn’t be surprised if he’ll be one of the first to rock a Sonic chain.
Even though these chains aren’t for me, I’m glad Sega’s throwing a bone to its slice of fans “dialed into hip-hop culture.” I’m content to sit here and wait for Sonic Colors: Ultimate and whatever that new game is coming in 2022.