Demetrius Shipp Jr.’s life changed when he landed the role of Tupac in the biopic, All Eyez On Me. The crazy part is, the Carson, California native had no acting experience prior to the audition. Of course, landing the role meant doing everything in his power to prove why he’s the best fit, which resulted in hours of practicing and reciting old Tupac interviews and rhymes.
Now, Demetrius is a full-fledged actor landing multiple standout roles, including playing Tyrone in All-American and starring in his new film titled Cut Throat City. When it comes to his jewelry preferences though, he’s not dropping any bags. His focus is his 3 kids, as he manages to balance both fatherhood and a career in film.
King Ice caught up with Demetrius to chat about his jewelry preferences, which are mostly vintage. He also rocked a fire, gold Dior watch passed down by his grandfather.
What’s the most expensive piece of jewelry you own?
This one on my neck. [shows gold tennis necklace] I don't do jewelry.
I interviewed Michael Rainey Jr., he was showing off his Rolex.
Oh that's funny, I want to meet him. You know why? People always say it's between Tyrone on All American, or him as Tariq (Ghost’s son) on Power. “Ya'll the worst people on TV.”
Why don't you care for jewelry as much?
See that right there, that's an heirloom. That's Christian Dior. My grandfather gave me this watch, 30 plus years old. I guarantee nobody else is going to walk around with this, that's why I like it. No shade to anybody, you do what you do. I might get a Rollie one day when I get that type of bread but outside of that, I like vintage jewelry pieces. I want to have pieces that not everybody’s going to have.
Where do you find them?
I got a couple of old pieces from my grandparents that I'm blessed to be able to have. I got an old school Movado. The only thing I might do is put stones in some old watches, that’s my plan. I want to collect old vintage watches, then put a stone into them. I'm not big on the accessories.
