Johnny Dang (born Đặng Anh Tuấn; 1973) is a

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

jeweler based in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, who is known for his custom grills and involvement in the American

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

scene. He is a founder of Johnny Dang and Co.

Biography

Dang was born Đặng Anh Tuấn in the Đắk Lắk Province of what was once South Vietnam near the end of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Dang's grandfather and father both worked in the jewelry trade. In 1987, Dang's father left Vietnam and emigrated to the United States. In 1996, Dang and his family followed his father to Houston. He was 23 years old. He began working in jewelry repair with his brother at a Houston

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

. Dang opened his first store, TV Jewelry, in the Sharpstown Mall in 1998. He found a niche in making jeweled grills for clients. After making a grill for rapper

Paul Wall Paul Michael Slayton (born March 11, 1981), better known by his stage name Paul Wall, or the Ice Man, is an American rapper and DJ. He has spent much of his career affiliated with Swishahouse, and has released several albums under the label and ...

, the two went into business together in 2002. In 2016, Dang moved his business from the Sharpstown Mall to a stand-alone location. In 2021, Dang broke off his business relationship with Vietnamese YouTuber after the price of their mutually held

cryptocurrency A cryptocurrency (colloquially crypto) is a digital currency designed to work through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority, such as a government or bank, to uphold or maintain it. Individual coin ownership record ...

dropped.

In popular culture

Dang has been referenced in musical recordings by

Migos Migos () were an American hip hop group founded in Lawrenceville, Georgia, in 2008. The group was composed of rapper Quavo, his nephew Takeoff, and their "cousin" friend Offset. Quavo is from Athens, Georgia, while Offset and Takeoff were bo ...

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream a ...

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, and

Chief Keef Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago's South Side, he began his recording career as a teenager and initially garnered re ...

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, among others. He was the subject of the 2023 song "

Johnny Dang Johnny Dang (born Đặng Anh Tuấn; 1973) is a Vietnamese people, Vietnamese jeweler based in Houston, Texas, who is known for his custom Grill (jewelry), grills and involvement in the American hip-hop scene. He is a founder of Johnny Dang and ...

" by That Mexican OT, Paul Wall, and Drodi. He features in the music video. He has additionally appeared in music videos for songs such as " Gucci Bandanna" by

Soulja Boy DeAndre Cortez Way (born July 28, 1990), known professionally as Soulja Boy (formerly Soulja Boy Tell 'Em), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to prominence with his self-released 2007 debut single, "Crank That ...

, Gucci Mane, and

Shawty Lo Carlos Rico Walker (March 22, 1976 – September 21, 2016), better known as Shawty Lo, was an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He initially came to prominence as a founding member of the Southern hip hop group D4L, and in 2000 founded D ...

, "

Grillz "Grillz" is a song by American rapper Nelly featuring fellow American rappers Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp, and uncredited vocals from American singer Brandi Williams (of the group Blaque). The song was written by Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Paul Wall, A ...

" by

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

, " Wild Boy" by Machine Gun Kelly, " No Angel" by

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, "

We Takin' Over "We Takin' Over" is the first single from DJ Khaled's second album, ''We the Best''. Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Baby, and Lil Wayne are all featured on this hip hop track. Nate "Danja" Hills assisted the artists in writing the song and is ...

" by

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (; born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ and record producer. Originally a Miami-based radio personality, Khaled has since become known for enlisting high-profile music industry ar ...

, "And I Still" by

Rod Wave Rodarius Marcell Green (born August 27, 1998), known professionally as Rod Wave, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Signed to Alamo Records, Green is known for his strong voice and incorporation of hip hop music, hip hop and Contempor ...

, "

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" by

Quavo Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), better known by his stage name Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the now-defunct hip hop group Migos. Formed with his nep ...

and

Lil Yachty Miles Parks McCollum (born August 23, 1997), known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "One Night (Lil Yachty song), One Night", the lead single from his debut extend ...

, " Ice Cream Paint Job" by

Dorrough Dorwin Demarcus Dorrough (born October 28, 1986), known professionally as Dorrough Music (or simply Dorrough), is an American rapper and songwriter. His singles include "Walk That Walk", "Get Big", " Ice Cream Paint Job", and "Beat Up the Block" ...

, and " Bigger in Texas" by

Megan Thee Stallion Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Megan initially gained recognition when videos of her freestyling began to circulate widely on social me ...

. Dang himself provided vocals for the song "Stay Iced Up" off Paul Wall's 2010 album '' Heart of a Champion''.

Biography

In popular culture

References

Further reading