More than five years after Do What I Want rapper Lil Uzi Vert had a huge pink diamond embedded in their forehead, the artist says they want the jewel reinstalled — even after the brutal way it was previously pulled out.
The Just Wanna Rock performer stunned the music world in early 2021 when they revealed they’d had a $24 million diamond placed in the center of their forehead.
Having something that valuable sitting between your eyes was always likely to draw attention, and it didn’t take long before trouble followed. Around five months later, the 10-carat stone was torn from their head during an interaction with fans.
Now, years on — and after the diamond was recovered following the incident at Rolling Loud — the rapper, whose real name is Symere Bysil Woods, says they still plan to put it back, but with changes intended to keep it more secure.
Recalling what happened, Woods previously said they ‘jumped into the crowd and they kind of ripped it out,’ while also noting they ‘still have the diamond, so I feel good.’
In a new interview with Dazed, the 30-year-old explained they’ve been exploring a redesign that would rely on multiple anchor points, saying: “I’ve been getting some stuff mocked up, just to see if I could get, like, two anchors to hold it in my head,
“I’ll come out with it soon, and I’ll put it back.”
When the diamond was first installed, Lil Uzi Vert spoke about how long they’d been committed to owning the stone, explaining: “This one Stone cost so much I’ve been paying for it since 2017. That was the first time I saw a real natural pink diamond. A lot of M’s in my face.”
The rapper also insisted on framing it as a “piercing,” particularly after their insurer raised concerns about the procedure.
Woods told the magazine: “They, like, tried to cut me off, my insurance before from that, and I’m serious.
“I had to explain to them that it’s not self-mutilation. I need my insurance! I got family.”
If the new plan goes ahead, it would likely mean adding more implanted hardware — small metal components beneath the skin designed to provide a sturdier base for the diamond to attach to.
That’s the general concept behind certain dermal and subdermal modifications, though most people aren’t attempting to mount a heavy 10-carat gem in the middle of their face.
Back in 2021, piercer Sean Dowdell warned about the risks in comments to GQ: “A bigger, heavier gem risks bending the post or causing infection—in one of the better scenarios. The worst?
“If he got hit in the face, it would rip half his forehead off.”