Justin Anderson of The Grill Masters ATL is one of the most prominent jewelers in Atlanta. The business started as a family tradition that Anderson learned from his stepfather, and by age 12, he was already making grill molds. Now, business is booming; they have a location on Howell Mill Road and have done grills for some of the biggest names in entertainment, such as Tyler Perry, Lil Baby, and Foggie Raw.
Why do you think grills have become so popular in pop culture?
So I feel like grills [have] always been a part of culture. Back in Africa, people wore golds and stuff just overall. It’s all about exemplifying your personality […] When I’m putting a precious metal, such as gold and diamonds in my mouth, I’m showcasing that I got some wealth about me. And you know, sometimes in our culture at the end of the day, we like to exemplify that we got the bag. Then when the 2000s came, when Nelly said let me see your grills […] shout out to Ye (Kanye West). [And] Diddy always rocked the grill, Pharrell too. Those boys kept it consistent like they were consistently wearing it. Getting a grill connects me to the culture.
What was one of your more memorable experiences making grills?
Jayda posted some grills on Instagram. I was like, “She wears grills, she’s an influencer, I should reach out” […] She was like, “I’m about to go out of town. Can I come through today?” […] From there, we knocked it out, gave it to her, and she hit me two months later, ‘Hey, Baby wants a grill.’ So I came through. We met at a private jet […] Lil Baby is my cousin, but I didn’t tell Jayda, Baby was my cousin. I didn’t mention it when I did the grill for her. So, he didn’t even know he was meeting me but he still was like “Yo, come out to the private jet tomorrow, and bring your camera man.”
What is something people should be aware of when buying their first grill?
What do you need to know before you buy it? […] I think that number one is just know what gold or what the value is. So there are individuals out there that could sell you […] a certain grill for a certain price, and tell you that it’s this carat […] and that price that they give you, that price, that wouldn’t even make sense […] if I got six bottoms and it was $300 […] I know the worth of a gram of gold, something is not right here. So, if you are looking for quality, having that education so you know you are buying a valuable product. Price is always a red flag.
Why aren’t more people from our community in the gold or jewelry game?
I think generally […] the actual resource isn’t essentially derived in our country. You can purchase it for certain rates […] but when you don’t have the access, that limits you […] Also, metalsmithing, this is something that someone taught my father […] Unfortunately, we’re not even fascinated with trades or working with our hands at all.
