UPDATED 1/19, 10:28 p.m. ET: Takashi Murakami revealed that he did in fact design the artwork for the chains Travis Scott gifted a group of friend but was not involved in producing the pieces.
"Colabo w @travisscott," Murakami wrote on IG, along with a photo of himself and Scott. "I designed the artwork for this Jesus piece for Travis Scott! *Please note that I have no affiliation with the jeweler who made the piece, nor was I involved in the production process."
Ben Baller also commented on the post with two emojis.
See original story below.
Being friends with Travis Scott clearly has its perks.
The Houston rapper recently gave his crew iced-out chains from Eliantte & Co, owned by New York-based jeweler Elliot Eliantte who has created pieces for Roddy Ricch, Wheezy, Chris Brown, Mustard, and more. Eliantte showed off the custom designs on his Instagram, stating they were based on the Takashi Murakami original work "Melted Utopia Dream."
"Hand Carved Jack Beads With Cactus Pearls Out The Tahiti Ocean Set In The Shells 🐚 🌵🔥," Eliantte captioned one of the posts. "Big Cactus Jack We Went Crazy 🤯🤯🤯 'Melted Utopia Dream.'"
Cactus Jack Records signee Luxury Tax and The Weeknd's manager Amir "Cash" Esmailian were among those who received chains, which they flaunted on their respective social accounts.
Though Eliantte said both Scott and Murakami were involved in the design, celebrity jeweler Ben Baller suggested it wasn't an official Murakami collaboration.
"Oh yeah. That piece ain't official Murakami if he didn't co-sign it or even know about it," Ben wrote in an Instagram Stories post without specifically naming Eliantte. "Imagine making a piece without the actual artist's blessing. That's called 'bootleg.'"
Eliantte apparently caught wind of Ben's remark and quickly dismissed it.
"Jealousy will have you gossiping about a person you should be learning from," read a message posted to his Instagram Stories.
It's worth noting Ben and Murakami had previously collaborated on a set of flower pendants inspired by J Balvin's 2020 album, Colores. The two also teamed up on a chain gifted to Kid Cudi on his birthday.
"@benballer made me a fuckin masterpiece for my birthday!" Cudder wrote. "The illest jeweler alive!!! Art level shit! Official @takashipom artwork approved by the man himself ..."
