Who is Eva Sam?

A$AP Eva wasn’t always a stone-cold OG.

The Macau native (government name Eva Sam) used to work on the factory floor, manufacturing clothing before she moved to New York City. Now, she’s better known as the mastermind jeweler behind hip hop’s A-list, decking out rappers from Ski Mask the Slump God and Macklemore, to Kris Wu and Higher Brothers.

Popular Jewelry on Canal Street operated for years as a regular jewelry store, with a glimmering stock of chains, rings, and pendants that drew a few famous figures (Cappadonna of Wu-Tang Clan was Popular’s first celebrity customer). But it wasn’t until A$AP Rocky visited that the store rocketed into the public consciousness — and A$AP Eva was born.

We met up with Eva in her store to talk business, bling, and unlikely fame.

RADII: For our readers who haven’t heard of Popular Jewelry, could you introduce yourself and your store?

Eva: We’re at Popular Jewelry in New York, 255B Canal Street. My name is Eva Sam, but my nickname is A$AP Eva.

When did you open Popular Jewelry?

We opened in 1988, October 3rd. It’s the same day A$AP Rocky was born — same date, same month, same year.

No way!

Yeah! And my store had a fire. When we re-opened, it was the same day Kris Wu was born — November 6th, 1990.

That’s actually kind of crazy. What were you doing before you moved here?

Before, I was in Macau. I worked in manufacturing, making clothing.

I think hip hop music always tells people about something true. When they see something that’s not good, they make an album to let people know.

What was it like when you first moved to the United States?

When I moved to New York, it was very difficult. I didn’t have any money, and I had to live in my mother’s house for six months. After that, I found a job. I moved out to live by myself with my son. I was in manufacturing again, making clothes for another six months.

And then I thought, I don’t like this job. I want to work for my brother. So I worked for my brother for six years, and then I opened my own store.

Was your brother also in jewelry?

Yes! He opened in 1970. That’s where I learned what I know about jewelry.

When did Popular Jewelry get its big break?

A few years after we opened, Cappadonna from Wu-Tang Clan had already come. But at that time, we didn’t have any computers. We weren’t famous, not popular. We had no iPhones back then.

Even though we had NBA players and famous people coming, nobody knew. But in 2014, we had Instagram and Facebook. We could get the message out to tell everybody, “hey, we have famous customers here.”

Like Madonna, for example, she sent her assistant here four times to buy her jewelry. And Jay-Z — Puma hired me to make a Puma logo chain for Jay-Z.

That’s amazing. How does that feel?

I was very happy, because when you’re buying for Jay-Z, you have to pay a million dollars!

You’ve mentioned a lot of big names who’ve shopped here. Who else has shopped at Popular Jewelry?

We had Joey Bada$$. We had A$AP Mob. We had Macklemore — he called me second mom. And — very famous in Jamaica — Elephant Man. And [“Queen of Latin Pop”] Paulina Rubio! And many others.

Who’s your favorite customer?

I like Christian Dior’s director, Kim Jones. He was a very nice person. After he bought his items, he told me he would send his friends to my store.

Do you still have family in Macau?

Only one cousin. All my family is in the United States now.

Does your cousin in Macau know that you’re a celebrity, too?

I think they know. My brother had a classmate. One day his classmate called him and said “I know a girl, she’s very famous in the United States, and she has the same last name as you! Do you know her?”

My brother said, “she’s my sister!”

What’s Popular Jewelry’s business secret?

You have to have a big selection. You have to work hard. You have to do everything on time. And you have to give people a good price. That’s the secret!

Okay, last question. Now that you’re in it, how do you feel about the hip hop world?

I think hip hop music always tells people about something true. When they see something that’s not good, they make an album to let people know.

Sometimes it’s a good thing, sometimes it’s a bad thing. Sometimes people get mad when you tell them something true.

In 1989, Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Cappadonna walked through Chiokva “Eva” Sam’s doors. “He was the first [rapper],” Eva recalls.

Eva had opened her jewelry store, Popular Jewelry Inc. only a year prior. Her family fled their hometown during the cultural revolution, giving birth to her in Macau and eventually residing in the United States. With a $100,000 USD loan from her brother, Eva signed a lease on October 3, 1988 to open the now rap-famous jewelry spot at 255B Canal St.

The walls inside the unassuming booth are lined with fringed Polaroid photos of famous patrons, and frequent customers. They tell the history of a mother, her son, and the musicians who love to frequent their business. It’s a family story rooted in Chinese culture, and laced with the folklore of an American dream tale.

Cappadonna was only the first of many rappers to give the Canal St. spot a blessing. With his cosign, other members of the Wu-Tang would soon come into the store to buy more jewelry. As times changed and hip-hop moved on from its “golden era,” Popular remained, welcoming a new wave of New York rappers seeking gaudy chains, bracelets, and medallions. It wasn’t long before the tales of Popular struck a chord with the A$AP Mob — a collective of Harlem friends originally lauded for their fashion sense and rugged rhymes.

Eva rails off something in Cantonese towards her son, William, who assists her with the daily maintenance of the business. He’s also her go-to translator when a smile and a price point aren’t enough to convince a customer. He rolls his eyes, like a son does to their mother at times, and translates, “When A$AP Rocky first came to the shop, she didn’t know exactly who he was. But Eva knew he was very fashionable and probably someone who was noteworthy, judging by the mink coat that he placed on the jewelry counter. She didn’t exactly listen to hip-hop music, so she asked him to write his stage name down on a piece of paper, so she could show it to me when she got home.”

William notified his mom that the man she met earlier was A$AP Rocky. After Rocky visited Popular, other rappers began to do the same — almost instantaneously. There was A$AP Ferg, Na$t, Illz, Ant, and later Travis Scott, Macklemore, and Joey Bada$$. Tracy Morgan was an early customer back in his 30 Rockdays, plus Beyoncé, Ceelo, Luka Sabbat, and Elephant Man, among others.

Rocky was like an unofficial ambassador to the store — sharing compliments and the location with whoever he could. Coincidentally, Rocky was born Rakim Meyers on October 3, 1988, which was the same day Eva paid the deposit to her landlord for Popular Jewelry Inc.

“He always brings a lot of joy when he visits us,””says Eva. “There was one time where he broke up an argument between a brother and his sister in our store who were complete strangers to Rocky.”

“Even though he’s famous, he’s very down to earth in person and really knows how to bring people together,” adds William.

Of all Eva’s customers in the shop’s three decade span, Rocky and the rest of the Mob (Bari is the only one who hasn’t visited) have spent the most amount of money. Combined, William says, they’ve dished out $100,000 USD — the same amount Eva was loaned to start the business. Rocky expressed his gratitude through rhyme, but he hasn’t exactly called out Popular by name. On “Canal St.” — a track off Rocky’s 2015 album At.Long.Last.A$AP. – Rocky raps, “Hit Canal Street, vintage gold medallion/ Smokin’ blunts in front of public housin’.” Though the lyrics weren’t specifically directed at Popular, William knew who he was referring to.

“‘Canal St.’ came out a year after a few visits to our store (by Rocky),” William says. “He also purchased jewelry for the Wu-Tang Forever video shoot with Drake back in 2014, which unfortunately never released. The pieces were later featured in his ‘Multiply‘ music video.”

William, a self-proclaimed avid hip-hop fan, created a Spotify playlist titled “Popular Jewelry Radio” featuring clients, and other popular songs. He also manages a SoundCloud page where he follows and shares his talented customer’s music.

Popular only carries fine jewelry: diamonds, platinum, and a selection of sterling silver. In a large glass case that spans the entire store, styles range from antique to estate, ethnic, vintage ’80s and ’90s, and bespoke pieces for clients who crave something extra unique.

When asked what it is about Popular that attracts rappers, and other celebrities, William translates for Eva, “It’s our top-notch quality service. Everyone that comes in to shop with us is treated like family. We have a reasonable price, and we work with the customer’s budget. We also pay close attention to our client’s needs and desires when it comes to the jewelry.”

“Artists in particular, expect that kind of attention to detail when they’re purchasing jewelry because whatever they wear reflects their brand and is highly scrutinized,” he adds.

Eva wears very little jewelry nowadays. Sometimes, she’ll put on a platinum necklace, a watch, and a gold sapphire ring. “They’re antiques,” she explains, adding more insight to this by saying, “and even if you have money, you probably won’t be able to find them.” They have sentimental value.

Looking at the photographs that line her store, it’s difficult to not notice Eva is in almost every single one. Police officers, businessmen in suits, and inspiring rappers have posed with her — resting their arms around her shoulder like family.

She finishes off the conversation with, “My name is A$AP Eva,” while cracking a smile.