She Liked my NECKLACE and started relaxin’, that’s what the fuck I call a…
SEAN GARRETT
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
T
he first piece I wear is a scroll. It’s like an old-school piece of paper, like an 1800s piece of paper, like a parchment or something they wrote the Declaration [of Independence] on. There’s a pen laying on there in black diamonds. The whole paper is studded out with diamonds and it says, “The ink never dries.” My man over at Jacob’s [the Jeweler] always looks out for me. I explained how I wanted it laid out. As far as [the price], man, no comment. Y’all know what I do for a living, so I don’t have to do nothing fake. It definitely cost a couple hundred thousand and it’s a couple hundred carats. There’s always somebody waiting in the wings [to snatch it] but I’m always straight. I’ve learned valuable lessons in life and you’ve gotta always make sure you’re in a situation where you’re straight. There’s a lot of lurkers. My second piece is a little backpack that I always wear. It’s where I
20 // OZONE MAG
As a songwriter, Garrett has penned many of your favorite radio hits for artists like Usher, Beyonce, & Chris Brown
keep my pens and stuff. I carry around a backpack all the time and I always have pens in my backpack. Jay-Z named me “the Pen,” so I’m like a literal backpacker. I always have the backpack and pens in the stash. I’ve got a smaller chain too that’s just a pen. Ironically, I generally don’t use a pen when I write. [The song] is in here (points to his head). I only use the ink to sign checks (smiles). [The chain] is definitely symbolic of the pen because that’s my moniker. If you hear a smash on the radio, “I penned it,” that’s my actual moniker. I like jewelry and if I’ma wear jewelry, I definitely want it to have some significance. The pen is definitely a significant part of me, you know? // As told to Julia Beverly Photo by Julia Beverly