Hip-Hop and tattoos blend better than peanut butter and jelly! As a matter of fact, for any individual who is into hip-hop or follows hip-hop culture, a unique sense of fashion is very important. Moreover, from having love for shoes to clothing, these hip-hop artists have found a more personal way of establishing their identity among the fans. Furthermore, tattoos become the most favourite accessory for these hip-hop artists.

In fact, hip-hop and tattoos had a dodgy history. As a matter of fact, we’ve even seen members of hip-hop community memorialised through their body art. In fact, hip-hop tattoos are explicit signifiers of the artist’s identity. Hip-hop tattoos coordinated the style of wearer and speaker to the individual esteems. On the other hand, these tattoos give them a new power which helps them to incorporate the hip-hop culture. In fact, tattoos have become an important part of hip-hop culture. In this piece, we will discuss the underground hip-hop artists and their love for tattoos. So without any further delay here are some underground hip-hop artists’ tattoos:

1. Prabh Deep

Prabh Deep, the guy who put Delhi on the map has always loved to flaunt his tattoos. He is one of the finest rappers in the Delhi hip-hop scene. We don’t exactly know the thought behind his tattoo but we are sure that there is a story behind it. As we all know about Prabh Deep that whatever he does, there is always some story behind it.

2. Black Zang

Black Zang is a Bangla hip-hop star and he needs no introduction. He is one of the reasons why Bangla hip-hop scene has seen an immense growth in the past few years. Zang is one of the best rappers that Bangladesh has witnessed. He got this Arabic tattoo during his recent UK tour. He also has a tattoo of “Blessed” engraved on his arm.

3. D’Evil

Dhaval Parab who goes by the moniker of D’Evil is a Mumbai based hip-hop artist and a battle rapper too. He is a member of a hip-hop crew called DreamTeam. D’Evil loves tattoos and he has 5 tattoos on his body. When I was going through his profile, I saw his tattoos and I really wanted to know more about them. So, I decided to contact him and this is what he replied to me “Tattoo 1 – I have written D’evil on my right forearm. That’s my stage name. It’s gonna stay with me forever cuz that’s a very important personality that played a very important role in my life. It represents my hip-hop career.

Tattoo 2- on my right forearm there is a cassette with the tape surrounding my arm. With ‘hip-hop’ written on it. The reason to make a cassette was, I grew up listening to hip-hop and rap on a tape recorder and had cassettes of rappers like Em, Jay-Z, 50 Cent etc. Cassettes were my first source of music. 

The 3rd one is a cloud with my late grandmother’s name and her birth and death year on it. 4th One is a Ganesha. Because I believe in the energy of Ganesha and his representation in our life. 5th One is an angel with a rosary and it has mom written on it. Cuz she’s always with me like a guardian angel”

4. Sun J

Sun -J, the Khatarnaak boy is a rapper and a music producer from the Delhi scene. He is also known by the nickname of  Desi J-Cole in the Delhi hip-hop scene. This guy has really good command over old school hip-hop.

He can be seen as the future of Delhi hip-hop scene. On the other hand, when it comes to tattoos, he also has a big tattoo on his arm.

5. San Cha

Delhi rapper Sankalp Chaturvedi widely known as San Cha is a die hard fan of this art. He loves to get inked. and has 8 tattoos on his body! When I got a chance to know him better, I realized that each tattoo of his signifies his journey. The signature tattoo of Jin Kazama from Tekken series on his skin depicts his childhood and amusement for video games. He has a tattoo dedicated to his parents. Three stars for three things that he loves the most – Parents, Music and Knowledge. A tattoo dedicated to Shiva with his Tishul, Third Eye and his hymn. A guitar with “S A N C H A” engraved as musical notes because he was once a guitarist and has always been a fan of music.

As a matter of fact, he inked his late and close friend’s tattoo on his arm as well. Then there is a tattoo of Pablo on his hand. He said that  “Don’t judge this tattoo in a negative way. I was not influenced by his criminal career but the way he became the most wanted from being a nobody. His decisions, smartness and loyalty to his family inspired me the most.” He has a different thought process behind this tattoo.

6. Mojo

Ankit Roy who goes by the stage name of MoJo is a member of Chandigarh-based hip-hop crew called Desi Beam. Actually, the first hip-hop crew in the Indian hip-hop scene I guess so! He has multiple tattoos on his body, one of them being his own stage name.

7. Mc Heam

MC Heam is one of the finest Hindi rappers we have. Heam is a Delhi kid and currently living in Mumbai. On the other hand, he is associated with a hip-hop crew called SlumGods. This is his tattoo which he posted on his Facebook account.

8. Dj Blunt

Dj Blunt is associated with a crew called DreamTeam. He is a music producer and his love for tattoos is amazing.

He has inked Lil Wayne’s “Mirror” track’s tattoo on his arm as well.

9. Mc Kode

Aditya Tiwari aka MC Kode is a battle rapper from New Delhi. I think battle rap is an integral part of hip-hop culture, thus MC Kode’s name is on this list. He is one of the finest battle rappers we have in our country.

I approached him to know the story behind his tattoo to which he replied is  “Kanye West is a legend to me. To immortalize his work in a permanent tattoo was a wish since I first heard Graduation. I got the album’s mascot inked as an ode to the best ever rap album.”

10. Young Dirrt

Young Dirrt is a rapper and a music producer from Imphal, Manipur and currently, he is living in Banglore. He is one of the immerging rappers in the scene. He is also fond of tattoos and has got big tattoos on his arms which can be seen in the picture.