Somers Man Gets Executive Credit for New Docuseries on Rap and Jewelry

Who could ever forget the outfits that Liberace use to graced us with? Gaudy jewelry dwarfing his digits and outrageous furs clad with diamond and glitter, we rejoiced in a man who wanted us to know how large he lived. But when we see the same type of thing from today’s rappers, the big bling is usually met with disdain. So the inconsistency has given rise to a new docuseries, and one of our own is the Executive in Charge of Production of Ice Cold, which premiered on Youtube on July 8.

“The four parts take you through why Hip-Hop artists wear jewelry, and the roots of where it comes from,” said Chris Lopez of Somers.

The idea emerged out of discussions between Mass Appeal Records and Universal Music Group, and the collaboration led to getting Karam Gill to direct. “He’s just a young Indian director that everyone is hot on,” said Lopez, “and a lot of the rap world has latched onto him.”

Lopez’s affiliation to the project falls in line too. In the business since graduating from New Paltz in 1997, his work at Mass Appeal zeroed the record company on him as exec in charge. “The position takes their creative and figures out how do it logistically for the money they want to spend,” said Lopez.

Of course, having a few rappers attached to the project never hurts, and the standard formula was facilitated when Migos signed on. “It’s hard to get rappers attached unless you call them executive producers and make them part of the project,” said Lopez. “So that’s what we did.”

In turn, the likes of Lil Yachty, Slick Rick, RunDMC, J. Balvin, City Girls and Talib Kweli appeared and take the viewer back. In the old days in poor communities, drug dealers flashed cars, jewelry and furs for more than just aesthetics. “That was the only way to show this is what we got,” said Lopez, and rappers have taken on the same wears.

Just like Liberace and Liz Taylor, the film specifically asks why the double standard. “We don’t look at the excess through the same lens,” he said.

The need to show off success isn’t anything new either and occupies a much higher stratosphere than celebrity. All the kings, queens and crown jewels,” Lopez asserted, “It goes back to the Pharos.”

The series also explores the chain snatching phenomena, the way the fashion has pervaded youth culture and examines social issues like wealth disparity among the races and the injustice associated with the mining of diamonds.

Ice Cold also explores the contributions of the jewelry designers and goes to the source. Jacob Arabo or Jacob the Jeweler was the originator of the gaudy big old rings and diamonds that rappers started wearing, Lopez revealed.

The Plattekill born film professional’s start was a lot less shiny and inauspicious, however. His former college roommate asked him if he wanted to be a Production Assistant on a show called Divas Live 99. “I liked it and stuck with it,” said Lopez.

Bypassing his marketing and advertising major, Lopez moved into the production management side and found out he had what it took. “The ones that can think on their feet, be quiet and make good decisions get hired pretty easily,” he said.

The Somers family man had a good sense that he made it when a Sleater-Kinney video he was part of began playing on the TV at footlocker. So his toes tipped, Lopez has moved the scales pretty well since then.

His Executive in Charge credits include a Wu Tang Clan documentary called Of Mics and Men, the Netflix documentary, Rapture and he supervised Hilary Clinton’s election night coverage at the Javits Center and the Inauguration of Donald Trump.

A lot of divide in the latter name drops, the subject matter in Ice Cold could have just as big a gap, and even if the gaudiness can’t be bridged for some, Lopez assures a little knowledge goes a long way. “After you watch, it gives you a better perspective on why and how they do this and makes you better understand them,” Lopez concluded.

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