Pic of the Day 06.12.09

A couple of months ago, I posted a pic of Sean Kingston rocking what was my favorite chain ever -- a diamond, ruby, and emerald encrusted, solid gold replica of a 64-count box of Crayola Crayons. I say "was" because my new favorite is the above abomination. And I know "abomination" isn't usually applied to things you like, but what else should I call a 10 lbs., 197-karat, $410,000 piece of jewelry that reads "BIG ASS CHAIN"?

In case you couldn't tell, the man in the photo above is none other than auto-tune pioneer/pinata T-Pain. And yes, that's him taking a picture of himself with his iPhone. When asked about the chain, T-Pain responded virally through his Twitter account with the following message:

10lbs. 197kts. Very very real I don’t know what fake feel like.$410,000. Hola señor recession proof. With 32 cars.Oldest child 5 and already got 4 million in her own account.I dont do dumb shit like this till I know the fams good. So don’t judge me frm what I buy.Judge me frm what I do.Cuz it’s so many artists that put themself before their family.but thanx yo - T-Pain

Well, at least he's got his priorities, or so he says. What I like most about this chain isn't it's status in the arena of ballerness -- it lays somewhere between a solid gold toilet and eating T-Rex eggs for breakfast -- but rather what it says about our generation, American consumerism, and the necessity to be noticed. The chain, of course, is meant to be funny, but it's also a status symbol. Whether T-pain realizes it, or not, the chain is a parody, a satirical allegory for overindulgence and one-ups-manship -- you can be rich in America, but what good is it if everyone doesn't know how rich you are, or you're not as rich as the guy next to you. Wearing this chain is like screaming, "I have a giant cock" into a megaphone. The desired effect is the same -- attention. I mean, does anyone really need a chain that big?