Remember the Hummer? The massive army-style truck by GMC which was a road-going version of the Humvee was, without a doubt, the car to have in the 1990s and the 2000s. In fact, it had such a hold over people with its road presence and power that even A-listers of the time, be it top Hollywood actors or athletes, couldn't stop themselves from being pulled in. General Motors' Hummer Division made the Hummer H2, and while the brand sadly went bust in 2010, it is now making a comeback as the GMC Hummer EV, and looks quite set for triumph in its return.
Let's face it, the H2 was never all that impressive to gearheads who knew better. A glaring symbol of excess, the Hummer H2 was a fuel-guzzler, it was downright terrible for the environment, and the interiors never were justified with the sort of price tag it came with. The car could never match up its tough reputation, but that never stopped celebrities all over the world from investing in one and bringing one home. After all, the 2000s was the era where all of America was obsessed with massive SUVs, which commanded most of the road and turned heads. This was especially true of celebrities, for whom success began with a Hummer. In that vein, here are the celebrities who simply couldn't stop themselves from buying a Hummer back in the day.
8 Britney Spears
We're off to a cracking start with the controversial Hummer of Britney Spears. The Princess of Pop, no doubt urged by her own creative bug, got herself a Hummer and customized it with an all-pink paint job. She featured her weird (and definitely tacky) Hummer in a self-directed music video as well, for her 2004 track titled Do Somethin'.
Sadly for Britney, it resulted in a run-in with prestigious luxury brand Louis Vuitton, since she had installed fake LV emblems on her Hummer as well. Consequently, the luxury brand sued Spears for $300,000 for her scandalous and careless mistake. The Hummer, already symbolic of empty excess, was made even more superficial by Britney's customizations, making us hope she sticks to music, and never car design.
7 Eminem
How could a hip-hop mogul not have a Hummer? It just doesn't happen. Even Marshall Mathers a.k.a. Eminem succumbed to the allure of buying a Hummer. He is from Detroit, after all. What we can surely say is that the car does mimic the size of Eminem's influence in the industry. At the peak of his success in the 2000s, it was only natural for the rapper to get himself on the coolest trucks on the market.
Back in the day, global warming wasn't much of a concern for car-makers or owners either, and Eminem, who has, on countless occasions proclaimed his uncaring attitude toward anything anyone thinks about him, simply must have wanted one of these to drive around town in. Over time, of course, he grew his collection to a fantastic globe-trotting adventure in and of itself, with German, Italian, and American beauties to grace his garage.
6 LeBron James
Back in 2003, the entire nation was gripped when a scandal broke out revolving around the best high-school senior basketball player LeBron James and his new Hummer H2. A high school senior, the rules did not allow LeBron to get any gifts or money from outside sources, since it would risk his amateur eligibility.
He was cleared of any wrongdoing, however, as the car was a legitimate gift from his mother, with no outside interference whatsoever. The story broke out like wildfire since at the time, a teenager in Ohio driving around in a $50,000 Hummer did stick out like a sore thumb. Today, LeBron, having succeeded beyond anyone's expectations in the NBA, is still an ambassador for the new Hummer EV.
5 David Beckham
David Beckham, the great sports star who managed to transcend boundaries and become a global icon, still followed suit by doing what every all-star in the 2000s did. Yes, Dave Becks, too, added a Hummer H2 to his insane car collection, and that too for a massive six-figure price tag. In fact, he reportedly spent a five-figure sum on modifying the truck as well!
Beckham's Hummer featured his former jersey number 7 in Roman numerals, and in a show of love for his wife Victoria, he got the seats of the truck embedded with her initials 'VB' as well. Such was the way the Hummer enamored the English player that he even bought a $30,000 scale model toy version of the Hummer for his son.
4 Arnold Schwarzenegger
Does the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger used to own a military-styled Hummer H1 surprise anyone at all? Closely resembling the Humvee it was based on, Arnold's olive-green Hummer H1 had its doors removed, and he was even once spotted picking up his daughter from school in the H1 once.
Of course, with time, Arnold became more sensitive towards the environment, getting rid of all the Hummers he had (yes, he had a Hummer H2 as well), and instead opted to go green. In fact, GM had even made a hydrogen-powered Hummer prototype, which Arnold had borrowed.
3 Dennis Rodman
At 6 feet 7 inches tall, former NBA star Dennis Rodman definitely needed a big SUV to fit easily into. As outlandishly and extroverted as he has lived his life, of course the Hummer H1 was a no-brainer for the 5-time NBA champion. In fact, that isn't where Rodman's unique branding stopped, as he went ahead and painted suggestive art on the car as well.
Rodman did keep most of the customizing to the exterior of the car, except for a Panasonic head-unit and aftermarket speakers for taking his music-blaring to new levels. This was a car that was overkill from top to bottom, but knowing Rodman, it was also one that was quite befitting.
2 Dr. Dre
Keeping up with the history of hip-hop phenomenons having a Hummer H2 to roll around in, music producer and hip-hop mogul Dr. Dre joined the club as well. Nothing stopped A-listers from bringing a Hummer H2- not its anti-environment traits, not its lack of performance, and certainly not its terrible economy.
Massive, tough, and manly, the Hummer suited Dr. Dre's personality quite well. Of course, eventually, he moved on to better (and bigger) things, customizing his Cadillac Escalade into a massively plush palace on wheels from the inside.
1 Tupac Shakur
Late American rapper Tupac Shakur, who had shockingly and tragically met his demise because of a drive-by shooting in 1996, had been quite the fan of cars. He owned several vehicles, and a month before his untimely passing, he had bought himself a Hummer H1.
In fact, he even customized his Hummer according to his tastes, with front bull bars and auxiliary lights. Sadly for Tupac, he never got to enjoy much time with his Hummer, succumbing to his injuries in September 1996. When Tupac's Hummer was put up for auction, it fetched over $300,000, before eventually going for auction again with a projected price of $100,000 in 2017.