Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US black) to demonstrate one’s material wealth.

2000		hipslang.com 🌐 We movin’ on up to the east side, big pimpin, bling-blingin’ and shit, and soon yall fools will be able to see profiles for the boyz behind tha slang! Keep it on the DL.
2000		Ebonics Primer at www.dolemite.com 🌐 blingin; bling-bling Definition: shining, showy, sparkling Example: See that ice he be rockin? That shits jus’ like bling-bling!
2002		Teen Lingo: The Source for Youth Ministry 🌐 bling-bling jewelry – especially someone wearing a lot of gold jewelry. ‘Check out Jose’s bling-bling!’ or ‘Jose’s blinging it!’.
2002		‘Touré’ Portable Promised Land (ms.) 58: Bling-bling. [Verb ‘Yo, you peep all that ice he sportin? He bling-blinging!’]. A word that has bubbled up during the last few years from hiphop generation Blacks in the south. It means wearing diamond jewelry or generally conspicuous consumption.