Anderson Paak "DANG" Pendant
An Interview with Cody Kiks on his huge custom art piece for Anderson Paak
Cody Kiks, a detailed high end custom jewellery designer, shares his experience on a huge custom jewellery piece designed for American Rapper, Anderson Paak
Kiks and his team started working on the piece 8 months prior to delivery, keeping in mind some major ideas on the detail. However, they really wanted to come up with something personal, unique and never before added elements, all the while implementing sentimental and core personal values to Anderson Paak. After a few months of design and spending long hours on the vision board, the design turned out unreal.
The team added hidden symbols, subliminal messages, and heartfelt concepts, including details from the relationship between Mac Miller and Anderson Paak, the art they made together, and hits they produced. A large concept was the song DANG!, with Kiks really wanting to outdo the expectation as well as make something that was meaningful and really put things into motion of creating a piece of art.
The piece was large and heavy with the right amount of VVS diamonds and top quality gold work. The design incorporated a venetian style border picture frame with hidden messages and details, such as a weed leaf relating back to Paak’s previous weed trimming chapter. Other incorporated concepts include The Pittsburgh style “P” for Mac Miller’s hometown, a tribute to him as he recently passed at the time, as the duo had a close friendship and created magic together. With some music notes on the edges of the photo frame & the letters MAC built into the side, every single detail mattered to really bring this vision to life. The bail of the pendant holds onto a Crown with the words “YESLAWD,” a classic Anderson Paak saying. The “AP” initials are incorporated into the frame on the corners and flowers detailed throughout.
The design is based on one of the only projects released by the two. DANG! was a hit record played out in a fully colourful music video, showcasing Mac Miller and Anderson Paak portraying an amazingly creative concept. The word “DANG!” handset with VVS D colour diamonds across the frame in a graffiti font, with the same video style and vibes inlayed in acrylic detail on a gold back plate are clips from the actual music video in a 9 square still shot background, highlighting Mac Miller and a full tribute to Mac Miller forever being a legend and dear friend to Paak.
After the completion of this art piece, Kiks decided to hand deliver it to LA on Grammy weekend. The Canadian Diamond Boyz team, thankful to Paak’s manager and assistant, arranged for the entire opportunity to be put into motion. “We packed up from Canada and headed to Los Angeles with the custom art piece. We landed in LA, on route to Paak’s house where he was working on music in the home studio with his producer. Rolling up and meeting everyone to present the piece in his home was a wild experience. His art and his style really displayed throughout the home & walking up to the studio,” said Kiks.
All the hype was about to be released and openly viewed for the first time and this piece of art was ready to be viewed by the person it was created for. The energy and emotion was high upon him opening the box, the DANG! piece was now in Paaks hand, which was followed by a few minutes of silence. The energy was something that could only be felt by persons present; happiness and maybe some sadness. It was a bittersweet moment. It was obvious that whatever he and Mac had was special and meant a lot more than they understood at that time.
Kiks put the chain over Paaks’ neck and he was viewing it on himself in the tall mirror of his hallway, coming back into the room with a smile ear to ear, happy and emotional with everything.
Kiks further says “He seemed to love the piece. We took a few photos and kept things moving as it was a busy Grammy weekend for him and Cordae. All respect and positivity from him and his team, it was a high energy experience for the entirety of the project and story behind it. We went on about our weekend and supported a small show with family and friends of Cordae and Anderson Paak at the Peppermint Club in Beverly hills that night. He wasn't wearing the chain, that shit woulda been lit to see, but it was still a heavy vibe,” Kiks further explained.
After a few weeks from the time of delivery it was brought to Kiks’ attention that the piece wasn’t sitting well with him for unknown reasons. They speculated maybe the emotion to MAC and the questions it might bring every time he wore it. Kiks adds “Ultimately it was and still is unsure why he requested to return it to us. Which was a super weird thing and not a typical situation with any custom commissioned piece of art of ours before. I was more concerned about what I would do with it and why he wouldn't want to have it for himself. We put some ideas out there to pass it to Mac Miller's mother as a gift so someone could really enjoy it and all the hard work we put into this. End of the day I didn't argue and provided a full refund and took the loss on the chain. We never got a direct answer of why it wasn't fully accepted from Paak, but I was thinking it would be a hell of a story. Almost like I returned an album that he made for my refund. Maybe not showing the same value to my art but unsure of the ultimate reason behind him not wanting to keep this piece of art.”
Kiks only posted a short video of the delivery to his Instagram account story. For any custom jewellery inquiries, hit up Kiks and his team, the Canadian Diamond Boyz on his Instagram @kiks @goldteethcanada @canadiandiamondboyz or his website www.canadiandiamondboyz.com.