Tattoos and hip-hop go hand in hand. Tattoos are usually done because of the meaning behind it and holds a crucial part of a person’s journey with life. Hip-Hop on the other hand is a way to spread knowledge through the experiences a person has had throughout their life. Since hip-hop originated in the United States of America, we’ll take a look at some of the most iconic tattoos inked on American hip-hop artists. Without any further ado, let’s get right into it.
Drake’s “Lil Wayne” Tattoo
Drake is one of the finest hip-hop/R&B artists of this new era. From being discovered online by Lil’ Wayne to staying on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts for 8 years straight, he is a success in himself. In fact, Drake has always considered Lil’ Wayne as his mentor in the industry. To express his love towards Wayne, Drake has recently got Lil Wayne’s face tattooed on his left arm.
Remember the famous bar by Eminem, “Have you ever loved someone so much you’d give an arm for”? Drake surely loves Lil’ Wayne that much!
Tupac’s “Thug Life” Tattoo
Tupac’s fame and success is magnificent. Furthermore, more than two decades have passed away since the day of his death but his popularity is increasing day after day. Tupac represented West-Coast hip-hop through Death-Row Records and died while being loyal to the art. Tattoos on his body are still iconic but “Thug Life” inked below his chest is the most famous of them all. People who don’t know much about Tupac consider this tattoo as a symbolization of being a thug but its more than that.
In fact, “Thug Life” is a way of life which denotes hustle, grind and dedication. It stands for “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fuck Everybody”. Too deep!
Lil’ Wayne Has a “Fear of God”
If you’re a hip-hop or an ink fan, Lil’ Wayne is one of the most important figures out there. His skin is inked with countless number of designs. However, the most famous tattoo that he has is on his eyelids. Yes, Lil’ Wayne has “Fear of God” written across his eyelids. As the slang suggests, “Fear of God” depicts his fear and belief towards the almighty.
Three iconic dots near this tattoo indicate “Laugh, think and cry”. Well, that’s surely a painful place to get inked!
Eminem’s “Proof” Design
Everyone knows how close Eminem was to his friend DeShaun Dupree Holton who was known as Proof. The guy was shot dead in 2006 and Eminem dedicated an arm to his name as a tribute. In an interview with Ice-T, Eminem claimed that his style was changed forever when Proof played “Yoke The Joker” by Naughty by Nature for him. In fact, Proof had the same tattoo on his arm and Eminem picked up the same design.
Proof was definitely a close friend to Eminem and losing someone that close is worth getting inked about.
Stitches
Philip Nickolas Katsabanis is a rapper who is popular as Stitches. However, he got his name and recognition through his face tattoo. As a matter of fact, Stitches has literal stitches inked across his lips. The tattoo looks creepy as it looks like stitched smile across his face. Remember the Joker from the Batman franchise that used to put a smile on someone’s face? This tattoo is similar to what the Joker did to his rivals.
The rapper is famous for getting involved in a beef with The Game. He also has an AK-47 tattooed on his cheek just because it’s his favorite gun.
Wiz Khalifa’s “412”
No one can deny the success that Wiz Khalifa has earned in all of these years. However, those who don’t know him through his music, recognise him for being a weed lover. Wiz is another rapper who is completely inked. From face tattoos to arms, from chest to back, Wiz’s body is all covered in ink. On the other hand, his most famous tattoo is on his chest which reads “412”.
It represents the area code of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where Wiz Khalifa originally hails from. Also, he couldn’t out-smoke Snoop Dogg in a face to face weed smoke-out!
“The Notorious B.I.G.” on Rick Ross
Maybach Music leader Rick Ross is one of the most loved and hated guys in the hip-hop family. Often referred to as the Teflon Don, Ross has lot of tattoos inked. Some of his ink lost the beauty because he lost a lot of weight to get in shape. What still remains intact is his tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. The Teflon Don has Biggie’s face tattooed on his lower-right back.
While a lot of people say that the design doesn’t look like Biggie at all, Ross confirmed that it is. People confused the shadow on his face with beard, which as a matter of fact Biggie never had.