BBQ Grillz: The Street Style Of Atlanta's A3C Festival + The Latest In Gold Fronts

Grillz and gold fronts are very much alive and well in Atlanta. Although often associated in the public consciousness with the era of either Flavor Flav or Paul Wall (depending on your age), golden dental adornment as cultural phenomenon shows no sign of fading. From our own beloved Erykah Badu to a myriad of female pop stars -- including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Rita Ora, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus and even Madonna--grillz-with-a-Z have been photographed on female celebs more in the past year than ever before. What was once regarded as a symbol of money and success primarily among male hip-hop artists is increasingly part of the mainstream culture of jewelry and self-expression for both genders. As gold fronts have become more common, they have also gotten more creative in form, ranging from minimalist four-tooth caps to elaborate Egyptian-inspired designs (see Badu's Wings of Maat dental jewelry).

Quick History Lesson: Before grillz as we know them today were popular, having one or two gold teeth was the look of choice. Some credit New Yorker Eddie Plein of Eddie's Gold with starting the trend in the '80s after making gold caps for Flav, trendsetter Just-Ice, Big Daddy Kane and Kool G. Rap. In the '90s, Plein headed to Atlanta, where he created more elaborate grillz for rappers like the members of Outkast, Goodie Mob, Ludacris, and Lil Jon. From there, Nelly further helped solidify the trend with his 2005 single “Grillz.”

So it was no surprise that during our trip to ATL for A3C, grillz were among the most noticeable trends in an informal survey of festival street style. Check the gallery above for pics that our girl JAZZshoots snapped of beautiful faces and fashionable folks in the crowd at A3C.