So what is a nameplate rosary, anyway? Well, like other traditional Roman Catholic rosaries, a nameplate rosary has beads and a cross. In addition, it has lettered beads that spell a word or phrase. DJ Precyse's rosary has "Mad Skills on the 12's" in front with "Precyse" on back. Mass Hysteria's rosary has "Vocabulary Skill" on the front with "Hardcore" on the back.

Christy, a 30-year old former break dancer, makes these rosaries in addition to her main job as a Web master for a Nashville music marketing company. She sells her creations at hip hop events, to friends and through her website at http://fly.to/flychica.

Nameplate Rosaries may be purchased at hip, urban stores such as New Life Records and Down South Lowriders in Nashville, Tennessee. They will also soon be available at The Scenes.com, an offline urban store in Miami. Sacred Heart Photo Chokers are available at Magical Journey in Nashville and more stores are in the works.

Making nameplate rosaries is somewhat of a religious calling for Christy. Approximately 75 percent of her rosary customers have religious faith and many others are "attempting and making that step to God," she says. Christy herself was raised as a Methodist but now calls herself a born-again Christian. Christy's company, FlyChica Productions, does more than create and sell jewelry. It also promotes positive alternatives to gangs, drugs, prison and violence.

Her unique business began when she started making her own beaded necklaces with the Sacred Heart of Jesus dangling from tiny foam frames. Someone suggested she make a rosary and she's been making them ever since, with nameplates sporting phrases such as "Peace in the Hood", "B-girls Stand Proud" and "Mi Vida Loca", which is the most popular. Christy also creates personalized nameplates according to the whims of her customers, as long as the slogan is not offensive. In addition to the nameplate rosaries, she has expanded her products to include earrings, a necklace featuring the Virgin Mary and other jewelry.