Kendrick Lamar's Bay Area background dancers wearing Dray Co. Grillz.
"It's interesting to be a part of something so big and then nobody really knows until you have to say it and let it be known."
By Hyla Etame
If you scroll on Dray Co. Grillz’s Instagram, you’ll see a catalogue of intricate designs — amethyst gemstones, fangs, coquette bows, silver swirls, engravings of affirmations, and star-shaped cutouts. Evidently, Drayco (she/they), the owner of Dray Co. Grillz, approaches their creativity with an appropriate balance of playfulness and attention-to-detail. Based in Downtown Los Angeles, Drayco creates custom-made jewelry for teeth known as “grillz.” Since learning the craft, they have amassed a following that is worldwide. Her customers and followers are entranced by her imaginative style. Through social media and word-of-mouth, Drayco has carved a distinct space for herself in the grillz-making landscape of Los Angeles while simultaneously evolving as an artist.
Drayco has been featured in Canvas Rebel, Uproxx, and VoyageLA. She has made grillz for Paris Texas, PARTYOF2, and now Kendrick Lamar’s dancers in the Super Bowl Halftime Show. On February 9th, Kendrick Lamar made history as the first solo rapper to headline a halftime show alone and the performance was the most watched halftime show ever with 133.55 million views. Lamar’s performance was loaded with political imagery and references that the internet spent unpacking for days. But the real moment of protest happened when one of the backing performers held up a conjoined flag of Sudan and Palestine, reminding the world to not forget about these genocides.
The Halftime Show was Drayco’s biggest order yet, and to her surprise, the grillz she made were visible for 30 seconds in the performance. In a candid conversation over FaceTime, Drayco talks with her sister Hyla about overcoming self-doubt, celebrating accomplishments, and having her art featured in the great American game.
⋆˙⟡♡✧˖°
HYLA: Describe your brand in three words.
DRAYCO: Crazy, sexy, cool.
HYLA: And then can you introduce yourself. how long you've been in the business, how you got into it, and how long you've been independent.
DRAYCO: My name is Drayco. I've been in the jewelry or custom grillz business for six years. I started off working with a company taking molds, and we would send the molds off to have someone else make the grillz. I got into it because of this guy that I knew. He had just started his company a few months before we met and it was just him at the time. One day, he randomly asked me to help him out. So I helped him grow his company and after about three years, I decided it was time to take more control over the process and do my own thing. So I was presented with the opportunity to learn — no, I keep saying I was presented with the opportunity, but I went and sought out the opportunity to learn how to do the entire process myself. That was about three years ago.
Photo by Alex Free, editing by Drayco.
HYLA: How did you meet the guy who taught you how to handcraft grillz?
DRAYCO: He was a friend of a friend of a friend.
HYLA: [laughs]
DRAYCO: I was put in contact with the friend, “the middle” one, like a year before I actually took initiative to get in contact with the person that taught me. Because I was scared, I didn't feel ready to do my own thing, I didn't believe in myself as much as the people around me did.
HYLA: Since you've started your business, how has your self-confidence changed?
DRAYCO: I would say it's improved a lot. I have ups and downs. I'll say when I was working with that company, there would be a lot of things that would go wrong because we weren't really in control of creating the pieces. There were a lot of middlemen and you know it's being made on the other side of the country. A lot of things could go wrong where, like, designs were incorrect, not what the person wanted or it was what the person wanted, but it just didn't look how they wanted or how I would want. But because it wasn't really my operation, I didn't have control over those types of things. Now that I do have control over everything, I'm more confident about the product that I'm delivering to people. I feel like most people are satisfied with what they get from me. So that makes me feel more confident about the product that I'm delivering and the service that I'm offering. And now that I'm actually making everything it's my art.
HYLA: What interests you about hand crafting grillz?
DRAYCO: When I first decided to go on my own, I wasn't super interested in actually making the grillz myself. I was kind of hoping that the person that showed me would be able to do it for me. But he had his own operation going on, so all he had the capacity for was to show me. At first I didn't really want to do it, I didn't think that I could. But every time I'm watching myself grow, I have become enamored with the entire process. Like it's so interesting that I literally create something from nothing and each piece is custom to the individual. It only fits that person and I facilitated the process from start to finish, from taking their mold to putting it in their mouth, to try it on and make sure that it fits. It's a lot about the process for me.
Describe your brand in three words.
"Crazy, sexy, cool."
HYLA: What was the hardest project you've worked on?
DRAYCO: Oh gosh. I think I have two answers for that. I can’t recall specifically but there have been a couple individual projects where every single step of the way something went wrong. Usually that happens when someone is rushing me or has a strict deadline that they want by. For whatever reason, everything starts going wrong. But when I'm left to just create and do it, naturally I tend to have a smoother process and finish things quicker. But the second thing I would say is the last project that I just did for the Super Bowl. That's probably one of the most challenging ones that I've taken on, because I was tasked with making 18 grillz in less than a week and I didn't think that that was something that I could do.
HYLA: The way you describe being rushed and your work being harder to do feels like a commentary on capitalism. Like how it forces us to work super hard, compromises our art and what we can create. So you got a bit into it already, but describe the grillz you made for Kendrick’s halftime performance?
DRAYCO: So I was tasked with making grillz for 10 of Kendrick's background dancers, specifically the dancers from the Bay Area. So originally I made 18 pieces, then the following week I was asked to make one more. So all in all, I made 19 pieces. It was nine full sets and then one person got just a top set. They were solid slugs, which refers to plain, no designs, full coverage, six and six on top and six on the bottom.
"Now that I do have control over everything, I'm more confident about the product that I'm delivering to people."
HYLA: How did this opportunity come to you?
DRAYCO: It was presented to me through a stylist, named Breani, who got a grill from me, I believe, maybe a year ago now. Then she reached out to me a few months after that and asked me if I could make a grill for a Burger King commercial [for the VMA Awards]. They wanted it in four days. That was the first instance of me taking on a challenge like that. I'm like, “Okay, no matter what limiting self-beliefs I have, I'm going to take this on. I'm capable of doing this. I'm going to do everything I can to make this happen.” And I did. Unfortunately the grill didn't make it in the actual shot in the commercial. And then the next time that I worked with Breani, she brought me on another project, where it was again they wanted a bunch of grillz super quick and I was like “I don't think I can do that.” Then this third time she reached out to me on a random Wednesday night and was like “Hey, I wanted to get your pricing, but like between you and me, this is for the Super Bowl.” I'm thinking [it was for a] Super Bowl commercial. Then she told me, “We need this many grillz for 10 background dancers for the performance.” They wanted it within a week. I was like, “I don't know about that.” She's like, “Can we at least get you to take the molds? Then we'll figure it out from there.” The following day I had to drive all the way out to Santa Clarita to take these molds, and it really wasn't until I was on my way there that I decided, “I'm going to do this.” When I got out of the car, Breani was like “So, are you going to do this?” I'm like, “Yeah, I'll do it.” And that was my first time saying it out loud and like committing to it, with somebody else to hold me accountable. And it's funny, while I was taking the mold for whatever reason, and I think this is just like my self-limiting belief, I'm like “I hope they don't even want the grillz and I just get paid to take these molds.” [Laughs] It seemed so daunting. Then on Friday, I got a text that said, “Check your email.” I looked at my email and at first there were pictures of three people on the thing. So I'm thinking, “They just want me to make three. Okay, I can do that.” And then I actually read the whole thing and I was like, “Oh … Oh, they want it all! Wow! So I actually have to do this.” And I started spiraling. [laughs]
HYLA: What was your turnaround time?
DRAYCO: I was sent the final order request on a Friday. I think I started that Friday and I finished everything the following Thursday night. So six days.
HYLA: How did you overcome any fear, anxiety or self-doubt that you experienced during this process?
DRAYCO: Really just the support of my friends. I didn't tell most people. It was really only two people that knew, and one of them was because they guessed. The other person knew from the jump so she was helping me with the contract and figuring out the logistics of things. And then I just had to do it. It was like, they're giving me this money and I have to do this. I committed to doing this. And then I was also motivated by how big of a thing it is. Like this is for the Super Bowl, this is for Kendrick, and for Black History.
The dancers' molds.
Drayco teased this image on their Instagram.
The finished grillz.
"So I'm thinking, 'They just want me to make three. Okay, I can do that.' And then I actually read the whole thing and I was like, 'Oh … Oh, they want it all! Wow! So I actually have to do this.' And I started spiraling. [laughs]"
HYLA: How did you feel leading up to watching the halftime show?
DRAYCO: I was excited. The first time I watched it I was with the person who guessed what was going on. I wasn't sure if it was even going to make it in the shot, especially after the Burger King [commercial]. This happens in show business: not every little detail gets noticed or a moment of recognition. So I was just hoping that I would see someone smile and bling. So excited, anxious, and accomplished knowing that it was over. Honestly, I was anxious because I never received any type of confirmation that everything fit correctly. So I was like, “Well, if they didn't, they would have said something, right?” I was still unsure. I was like, “Am I gonna see someone with nothing in their mouth?” But thankfully that wasn’t the case.
HYLA: I feel like with a lot of creative jobs, they'll say nothing after you submit your work. It does feel a bit invalidating, but I guess it's the efficiency of everything. How did you feel when you saw that close-up shot of everyone’s mouth and it made it onto the Apple Music and NFL Instagram page?
DRAYCO: I was screaming. [laughs] I literally screamed. I was like, “Oh my gosh, this is real.” I screamed when I first saw it live. I was like, “Whoa, this has a whole—I have a whole moment here.” And then when I was on instagram and I actually saw it through you, you were the first person to send it or tag me and I screamed. I was like, “This is my moment, and it's posted by Apple Music and NFL.” It was just so surreal, like all my fears about it not being seen completely dissipated because I had a whole moment.
HYLA: It was so incredible. And whoever had that vision, they made sure that your art fit well into it and it shows they care which is just lovely. I felt so proud of you seeing that. So what has the aftermath of the halftime show looked like for you and your business?
DRAYCO: I've gotten an overwhelming amount of messages and support on both my personal and grillz pages. I have gotten some new followers because my friends and I are under every post, we're like commenting and tagging my grillz page just to let people know. Unfortunately, when it comes to stuff like this a lot of people who are part of it don’t get recognition, like formal recognition. Like the stylists, the people that made the clothes, me that made the grillz. It's interesting to be a part of something so big and then nobody really knows until you have to say it and let it be known. And that is something that I'm working on is letting my accomplishments be known. But, yeah, it's made me excited for the future opportunities that can come from this and also future opportunities with Breani because she's really cool and I'm super thankful that she's brought me on to these projects. It means a lot.
HYLA: This kind of segues to my next question. Would you say you're good at celebrating your accomplishments?
DRAYCO: [pauses] No, not at all. Of course, along the way I was like "I'm doing this great thing, I'm so proud of myself. Let me give myself this treat, let's get a doughnut, let's get boba." But as far as actually celebrating — no. The day of, I was like "Dang, I wish I threw a party." This is a super big moment for me, I wish I had more people involved. I'm glad that I let the people that I did have there to celebrate with me, because I was originally gonna just watch it by myself and I was like, “I'm not even gonna tell anybody. Who cares?”
HYLA: I think it's valid because you had a fear of what if it wasn't even shown? But, as you said, the stylists, the choreographers, the people building the sets, they don't get formal recognition to the widespread public. So, no matter what, throw a party for those big things. So we're kinda at the beginning of a new year. What do you want to see happen for your business in 2025?
DRAYCO: Expansion. I'd love to bring on some more people. I have one other person in mind, another homegirl that I've known for a long time has gotten so many grillz from me even before I went independent. [She’s] a fellow creative that just has a lot of great ideas and I feel like she could be a valuable asset and member of this team that I'm building. I would love to be able to take on one of these big projects a month. This made me realize this is something that I can do. I can be a celebrity grillz artist. I can be known for creating grillz for performances, video shoots, etc.
HYLA: A bit of a serious question, thinking of the political climate of the U.S. and what Los Angeles has been through recently with our wildfires, how does it feel to be an artist during this time?
DRAYCO: It's crazy. I feel extremely blessed to be in a position where I'm able to sustain myself off of my art. I know that there's a lot of people that aren't able to do that, so I think my experience is a bit nuanced. It's a bit scary.
HYLA: I like how you started with gratitude. I feel the same way. I'm scared as well about what's been happening in our government and it's upsetting to return to this and really not know how bad things could get.
DRAYCO: It's just such a weird time, like we’re back to where we were but it's different this time.
HYLA: Yeah, it feels like a huge regression. Then I forgot to ask you, what were your thoughts on Kendrick's performance?
DRAYCO: I thought it was great. It was very visually stimulating. I think the song selection and transitions were great. The visuals. I think it was amazing. I was surprised to see that people were disappointed in it. Because I, aside from being a part of it, thoroughly enjoyed it.
HYLA: Yeah, I was smiling the whole time. I really loved the theatricality, how it told a story with Samuel L. Jackson playing Uncle Sam and that whole subversion of “You’re being too loud, you're being too ghetto.” I loved that and how powerful it is to do that at the most watched event in history. And it's part of Black History Month now as well. Before I let you go, is there anyone you would like to shout out?
DRAYCO: Breani. My friends, Mari and Mazhe, for supporting me and believing in me, reminding me that I can do this. And Kendrick.
HYLA: Oh yeah, that's another thing. The performance made me happy and proud to be from California.
DRAYCO: Me too. I was like “This is LA, this is home.” There's just so many layers to being part of this. Like Black history, Los Angeles, grillz. It was a really cool opportunity.
HYLA: I'm so stoked that you were a part of this and to see where else you go. Thank you for giving me your time to talk.
DRAYCO: Of course.
⋆˙⟡♡✧˖°
Find Drayco on Instagram: @drayco.grillz
Watch "Kendrick Lamar's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show" on YouTube. To see when Drayco's grillz are featured in the performance skip to "05:28".
Photo by Alex Free, editing by Drayco.