Rapper tattoos. Tattooed rappers. Film classics, which Dolmatov stuffed, and other arts
“This and that” were filled with many representatives of the genre. Lil Wayne, Dzhigan, Shiloh, MC Ride and other tattoo lovers in our article.
Tattoos are perhaps one of the most relevant and controversial topics of discussion these days. Parents forbid it, young people send VK sketches to each other, every now and then promising everyone around that they are about to start getting their first tattoo.
In fact, in the conditions of the current time, namely the 21st century, in an era when old values and moral foundations are losing their significance and are being replaced by new norms of behavior, a tattoo is the most neutral way of self-expression. Over the past summer, I noticed how much the percentage of tattooed people has increased. Now, this won’t surprise anyone, many people have “body painting”, although previously you could only see people with “partaks” and prison marks. In rap, in turn, tattoos have always been considered prestigious. They ranged in theme - from belonging to gangster groups to a banal stage image. Here's a quick guide to some of the world's tattooed rappers.
IsaiahToothtaker
Not the most famous representative on the list, but he is the one directly associated with tattoos. Meet Isaiah the Tooth Taker, owner of the Staring Without Caring tattoo parlor. Just look at this huge dagger “piercing” his face - the artist’s image of a “tooth picker” and “teeth crusher” is consistent from start to finish. Taking into account Isaiah’s love for expensive brands, “grills” and gold jewelry, we can come to the conclusion that the tattoo business is not only entertainment and whim, but also a profitable business. So people who are knowledgeable about commercial endeavors can easily make a profitable income from it.
Awl
In Russia, tattoos from time immemorial were considered the mark of all bandits. So Shilo from the group “Krovostok” looks like a criminal element who has just left the zone, despite the fact that the “tattoos” adorning him do not look like those of prisoners. I am sure that many people are familiar with the work of this group, and therefore I have no doubt that Anton Shilo’s tattoos make the same impression as the musical repertoire of “Krovostok”. Shilo really looks like “the same character” that he appears to be in his tracks [despite the fact that he graduated from the Moscow State Academic Art School].
Kid Ink
His name speaks for itself. There really is quite a lot of ink in this guy's skin. Probably, it is he who “plays” on his image the most - the guy chose such a pseudonym for a reason. “I got my first tattoo at the age of 16, in a salon, with my mother, according to my own sketch. Mom had 5 tattoos at that time, so she didn’t mind.” Apparently, the guy’s love for tattoos progressed over the years, and the result is exactly what we can see now. It's for the better. If a performer draws inspiration from tattoos to create his tracks, this is at least unusual.
LilWayne
The owner of the Young Money label is a somewhat shocking person. Few people will tolerate the pain that the process of applying tattoo ink to the sensitive skin of the eyelids brings. But Weezy didn't stop there. He tattooed the inside of his lips, behind his ears, and God knows where else. Of course, some of the things Mr. Carter has done to himself are funny. However, who knows - maybe he wouldn’t be exactly the rapper we know now if it weren’t for the tattoos that cover the performer.
Young Thug
Without a doubt, Young Thug's image is that of a freak. Piercings in the nose, cheek and lips are an unusual appearance option for a rapper. But the performer keeps up with the times, and we can say with confidence that he is open to new “looks” and experiments with his style. What can we say if this guy made his name as Birdman - the founder of the Cash Money Records label - on his own merits. “Now every time all these bl@!# have sex with me, they will know that they are fucking%#@ with Birdman too.” A little later after this statement, the artist said that it was just a joke. We won’t doubt it, but still this can be expected from a person like Thugger Thugger.
GucciMane
Finally, we got to the “headliner” of this list. Probably the winner in the Dumbest Tattoo of the Decade category. Every time you hear the name Gucci, what do you think of? That's right, a huge ice cream depicted on the rapper's right cheek. I’m not sure what exactly prompted the artist to decide on this: perhaps he was the most frequent visitor to the ice cream truck in his childhood, or, you know, he dreamed of becoming an ice cream seller himself. Nevertheless, he gave us all a reason to subtly “take a jab” at him (at the moment of a beef between Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane, the former, without thinking twice, called his diss track “Ice Cream”), and he himself is difficult to confuse with anyone else. Perhaps this only seems absurd to most people, but he himself put a sacred meaning into it?
Dzhigan
This man's physique is literally conducive to an unlimited number of tattoos. It was impossible to say that he was “packed” to the limit a relatively short time ago - if you look at Dzhigan now, there is probably practically no “live space” left on him. Anyone who likes to “pump up” can easily afford it. And the legendary composition “Tatu” received his verse for a reason. Therefore, a note to all fans of the “rocking chair” and connoisseurs of the artist’s work - after you have worked hard on your shapes, do not hesitate to decorate them with a large number of tattoos.
Timati
A person who is “accustomed to living in a luxury suite from the cradle” will certainly not deny himself such pleasure as visiting a tattoo parlor. “I just can’t find room for this and that” - indeed, like his comrade Dzhigan, Timati only had his face left untouched. What can we say if Vladimir Putin himself once “respected” Timan for his tattoos. And you say: “...society does not approve.”
MC Ride (ex-Death Grips)
This performer's skin carries much more meaning than everyone else's. MC Ride's body is literally “filled” with occult symbols and voodoo signs. Blackwork doesn't just suit him. Each of these details is like a separate set in the Panic Room. The tattoos of the ex-Death Grips singer can scare children, give grandmothers heart attacks, and make clergymen grab a cross. Sometimes it seems that MC Ride’s tattoo is a full-fledged part of the work of the disbanded experimental group. His tattoos are as scary and aggressive as most of the band's tracks.
NachoPicasso
The list is completed by a representative of the M.O.O.R. crowd. Gang – young Picasso, aka Nacho. Nacho expressed his love for tattoos in the track “Sweaters,” as if confirming that “sleeves” alone are not enough for him. His body is covered with a “sweater” of tattoos. “My body is a timeline, my face is something ageless,” Nacho assures, saying that his tattoos are a whole story. Most recently, on his Instagram, the artist posted the result of his last visit to the master. The photo shows that the tattoo appeared right on the rapper’s bald head. Indeed, if you wear a “sweater”, then why not wear a “hat”?
The performer got himself a tattoo of a rose in honor of his nickname.
Jacques-Anthony
Jacques got a tattoo of the word “Game” upside down, thereby showing that he had “flipped” it.
Face
Face made tattoos on his face at the beginning of 2017. Under his eyes there are two inscriptions Hate and Love (“hate” and “love”). As Ivan explained in one of his interviews, these are the two emotions that he experiences most often, and the inscription “Numb” is interpreted as the artist’s internal state. He said that until recently he felt like Numb (which means numb or helpless).
Kizaru
Oleg also has several tattoos on his face. One of them is “JEFE”. According to him, it reminds him of his time in prison. During this time, he learned important life lessons, in memory of which he got a tattoo. He also has another tattoo in the form of a devil's horn, as on the cover of his debut album "Mas Fuerte", and another symbol, the meaning of which the artist did not mention.
Lottery Bills
A young and promising artist not long ago got himself a tattoo in the form of a crying heart flying away on wings. The performer interprets his tattoo as follows: “Where love should be with understanding, only tears of suffering appear...”. The author told us that he decided to get a tattoo to remind people of the importance of helping and understanding each other in this world.
Rap these days is not just popular music, but a real anthem for youth. For teenagers and children, “Feis” and “Morgenstern” are not English-German words, but the names of their main idols. They are imitated, envied, and copy their lifestyle.
Rappers are often compared to the rockers of the 80s. And they do have at least one thing in common. Few of them served in the army, but if the protesting youth of the late Union did this from an ideological point of view, then the current idols simply do not want to lose the money that they can earn at the peak of their popularity.
Some of them successfully got away with it, some studied until they were 27, others were saved by tattoos. “Komsomolskaya Pravda” decided to talk about the relationship between today’s popular singers and the army.
TATTOOS - A SIGN OF MENTAL DISORDER
Just recently, the military registration and enlistment office of Bashkortostan explained why they did not take the rapper Face, popular among teenagers, into the army. Last spring, Ufa resident Ivan Dremin underwent a thorough medical examination at his place of registration, and announced to his fans that he would suspend his career and go to serve. But, as it turned out later, he did not pass the medical commission. Military doctors considered that he had all the signs of a psychiatric disorder. And it’s all because of the famous facial tattoos.
Such tattoos are a sign of mental disorder. He had a number of other diseases, which I will not expand on due to medical confidentiality, but the tattoos were of decisive importance, said Boris Usatov, chairman of the military medical commission of the military registration and enlistment office of Bashkiria, at a press conference.
Ivan was declared partially fit for military service, he received a temporary deferment and will be under the supervision of doctors at the military registration and enlistment office for the next few years.
TATTOOS WERE SAVED FROM SERVICE AND TIMATI
The “colored body” also saved Timati, better known to the military registration and enlistment office as Timur Yunusov, from the army. The popular rapper himself admitted that during the commission he was given a so-called “white” ticket, recognizing him as mentally unfit due to the fact that more than 60% of his body was covered with tattoos.
The Black Star member considers military service itself to be useless.
I have always considered the army unnecessary in my life. Having learned this decision of the medical board, I came home with a happy smile. And my mother told me: “You see, at least once your tattoos were useful,” says Timati.
EXPELLED FROM THE UNIVERSITY
Now another native of Bashkiria, the very young Alisher Morgenstern, is gaining popularity. The 21-year-old rapper started making music at the age of 12. He grew up without a father, worked part-time at a car wash, and courier service, but soon realized that he only liked creativity.
Alisher’s relationship with studies did not work out - the young man entered a pedagogical institute, but not for the sake of gaining knowledge. At that time, his only source of income was survivor payments in the amount of eight thousand rubles, which the university transferred to him.
True, the blogger did not stay there for long - in his second year, Alisher crashed out of educational institution. The pretext was that he was filming a video for his video blog on the school grounds where he was doing his internship in an “inappropriate” manner.
Therefore, “amulets” from the army in the form of receiving higher education Morgenstern is gone now. Therefore, soon the military registration and enlistment office employees will come to see him. Alisher has nothing to fear - it is unlikely that they will take him to serve with such appearance. The dreadlocks on your head can be shaved off, but three rather large tattoos on your face (and several on your body) are unlikely to be removed. Probably, the fate of Timati and Face awaits him.
I CAME HOME, AND POPULARITY AWAITS HERE
But another mega-popular artist Max Korzh paid his debt to the Motherland. The singer from Belarus, while still a teenager, became interested in music, finished school, and entered the university at the Faculty of International Relations.
For the sake of prestige, as he told reporters. – But, as it turned out, it’s not mine. I didn’t show up for the session and I was expelled.
Max dropped out of university, but did not refuse to serve. I went to the military registration and enlistment office at the first call and, as expected, served. Before the service, he managed to record the song “Heaven will help us,” which brought him fame. It was even played on radio stations while he was repaying his debt to the Motherland. Without hesitation, Korzh openly says that he borrowed $300 from his mother to record a song in the studio.
During the last training camp in the army, I turned out to be cooler than my grandfathers - they took pictures with me and took autographs, says Max.
After his service, he was reinstated at the university, but his priorities remained the same, and by this time his popularity was gaining momentum.
THERE ARE THREE MORE YEARS
Nothing is known yet about the relationship between Eljay and the service. The popular rapper is now 24 years old, and he has three more years left - to resign or repay his debt to his homeland.
Alexey Uzenik himself does not comment on this matter, but it is known for sure that he does not study at the university. After ninth grade, he entered medical school, and then unexpectedly dropped out - rap music, it turns out, had been calling him to it for several years.
Popularity is growing, Alexey works “without raising his head.” In his life in this moment there is definitely no place for an army. And it’s unlikely that the young performer will be accepted there.
The “trick” of his stage image is milky-white lenses, which look creepy, but create an extraordinary look. He also loves getting tattoos: on his right elbow he has a tattoo in the form of a lantern, which means the beginning of a successful period in his life. On his right hand, he got a tattoo of a bullet on his finger, and a brass knuckle under his left eye. Isn't this a sign of a mental disorder, like Face's?
HIDING FROM THE MILITARY BOARD
Information that Dima Bilan was running away from the army appeared back in 2006, when he was 24 years old. It turned out that the singer abandoned the army, despite the fact that the medical board declared him fit for military service. Bilan had health problems, but they planned to take him into the army as soon as he was cured. The singer’s card then included a diagnosis of a minor urological disease.
Some people with such a diagnosis do not undergo special surgery, hoping to “derail,” the military registration and enlistment office commented then.
They tried to catch Dima for several years, but for some reason they could not do it. Oddly enough, Bilan, flashing on TV screens and newspaper pages, was unable to be found by the police, who were given lists of draft dodgers.
Well, the local police officer is looking for him, but he can’t find him. We can't go to his concert and crash the show? – the Ministry of Internal Affairs commented 12 years ago.
Bilan himself commented that he was not in the army for one simple reason - he was studying at GITIS in his second year to become a dramatic actor. What, what, but Bilan managed to avoid the army just once or twice. Now he is already 37 years old, and he is definitely not in danger of serving.
Representatives of rap culture have always had a special craving for decorating their bodies with tattoos. It’s a rare rapper who will refuse to paint a memorable picture or a meaningful phrase reminiscent of the old, hard times spent in the “ghetto.” Alexey Dolmatov, performing under the stage name Guf, being a prominent representative of the rap crowd, also supports this tradition of the genre and periodically replenishes his collection with new tattoos.
Music themed tattoos
A completely obvious and natural phenomenon is the appearance of music-themed tattoos on a musician’s body. And Guf, of course, has a couple of such tattoos:
- Conveniently located on the musician’s right forearm is a boombox (musical tape recorder), which has gone through quite a few transformations and corrections.
- Somewhat higher than the famous tape recorder, the rapper later filled buttons reminiscent of the control panel of a music player.
- On the left shoulder, surrounded by heaps of clouds, there is a rather large musical microphone (1930s format).
Music-themed tattoos by Alexey Dolmatov
I also have a tattoo of a microphone only on the inside of my shoulder. I am not a fan of Guf, but I am very familiar with his work. I got this tattoo because I myself am a musician. This, of course, is not the most original sketch; it seems to me that every fifth musician definitely has a similar tattoo, but I like it!
Pavel, St. Petersburg
Love theme in Guf's tattoos
Everyone knows that any rapper is quite sensitive to the topic of family: representatives of this musical direction often stuff tattoos dedicated to their mothers, children and beloved women. Alexey has more than enough such memorable tattoos.
The first tattoo you should pay attention to is a rather large portrait of Aiza. ex-wife Gufa, under which there is an illegible, secret saying. This tattoo is located on the side of the musician. On the right shin, also dedicated to his beautiful wife, there is a tattoo “One love Vagapova”.
Did you know? The “One love Vagapova” tattoo, dedicated to the ex-wife of Alexei Dolmatov, is a pair. On the right leg of Aiza, the woman he once loved, there is also a tattoo “One love Dolmatov,” naturally.
Singer's love tattoos
On the inside of the right forearm there is the following inscription: “Sami V.V.X.” This is the name and date of birth of Sami, the beloved son of the famous rapper.
Inscription dedicated to the son of Alexei
Tattoos dedicated to Moscow
Alexey Dolmatov never hid his tender feelings for Moscow, praising it in his texts or sharing with the press stories that happened to him in the capital. And no wonder: after all, here he was born and raised, here he became addicted to drugs, and then got rid of his addiction, here he met love and became famous throughout the country. That is why the most famous and large-scale Alexey's tattoos are dedicated specifically to her, Moscow.
Intricate inscriptions on the rapper's body and their meaning
Like many rap musicians, Dolmatov has great amount various inscriptions, the meaning of some of which is still not known to the public:
- "NO." on the elbow - the musician’s elbow used to be decorated with this mysterious inscription, the meaning of which not a single fan puzzled over; it was later covered with a tattoo of a tape recorder.
- "Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics" and "ZM" Label on left chest.
- Under the right breast “All cops are bastards” (in English) and a strange, bizarre inscription with a star.
- The inscription “addiction” in English stretches across the entire stomach, which is a memory of the defeated drug addiction.
- On the right hand there is an Arabic inscription, and on the left there are lines also of Arabic origin, the meaning of which the musician is silent about.
Almost all of the rapper's inscriptions are presented in this photo
Film classics, which Dolmatov stuffed, and other arts
The rapper is not only a passionate music lover, but also a fan of cinema, so he decided to immortalize already timeless film masterpieces on his hand. As you know, the singer’s favorite films are “Scarface”, “Reservoir Dogs” and “The Godfather”, and therefore his body is now decorated with the faces and catchphrases of Marlon Brondo, Al Pacino, as well as five thugs from Tarantino’s acclaimed film.
Film classics on the body of a famous musician
Other tattoos on the singer’s body include an image of an Indian chief located on his right leg. Many fans believe that this tau is connected with Alexey’s favorite track “Leader”.
We find out the meaning of the tattoos on the faces of Eljay, Scrooge, Legalize and other cool guys
Face tattoos are one of the signs of the so-called “new school of rappers.” They shock the grandmothers at the entrance more than the clogged sleeves. And if earlier facial tattoos were part of the image of American hip-hoppers, now more and more Russian performers are getting designs for themselves. Read more about them in this collection.
ELJAY
And although the artist himself did not comment on this event, fans started a whole discussion to get to the bottom of the meaning of the inscription.
From the conclusions: the inscription is a line of coordinates. Due to the poor clarity of the images, it is impossible to see the exact numbers. But the main version at the moment is favorite place Eljay on Earth. It may end up in Japan or Spain - the cultures of these countries influenced Eldzhey's early work. This could also turn out to be a vacation spot where the rapper secretly went with his now wife Nastya Ivleeva.
Although, some fans joke that this is just the address of his Moscow apartment, so that the artist does not forget where he lives.
MORGENSHTERN
The number 666 scares the superstitious, but rapper Morgenshtern is not one of them. He had a rather large image of the “number of the beast” tattooed right above his eyebrow.
As it turned out, the musician did not put any sacred meanings into this drawing. He just knew that with such a tattoo he would definitely not be hired for an office job. A trip to a tattoo parlor became a point of no return in choosing a life path. No jackets or conferences. Only creativity. There is no turning back. Soon the artist liked wearing rusunkas on his face so much that he added a note and a mace to the collection.
Rapper Face (real name Ivan Dremin) got tattoos on his face at the moment when he realized: Face is no longer just a pseudonym. This is a symbol of the fact that he has become the “face of the younger generation.”
Ivan gained widespread fame in 2017, when his album No Love was downloaded by 7.9 million people. In the spring of the same year, the inscription Numb appeared above the rapper’s eyebrow. The word is translated from English as “numb,” “numb,” or “helpless,” which is how Dremin remembers his state during his school years. In addition, there is a reference to the cult song of Linkin Park.
The rapper stamped two more inscriptions on his face under his right (HATE) and left (LOVE) eyes. As the performer himself admitted, with this he wanted to convey the idea that love and hatred are the main feelings that live in a person, and through the prism of which we all look at the world.
LIGALIES
The pyramid on Legalize’s chin is the very first of Andrei Menshikov’s many tattoos. According to the rapper, it does not carry any occult meanings. At the beginning of his career, Liga did it to shock and surprise.
But over time, journalists increasingly asked the musician obsessive questions about the secret meaning of the drawing. Therefore, the League had to come up with a legend that the pyramid looked like the letter L, with which his nickname began.
In 2018, on the eve of the release of the album “The Young King,” Andrei posted on Instagram a photo of a fresh tattoo - a crown on his forehead.
IN documentary film In Super's novel, dedicated to , the League appeared with thick stubble, which made it quite difficult to see that same triangle. The crown hid behind a cap pulled down over his forehead. Have you matured?
SCROOGE
Scrooge (Eduard Vygranovsky) has been thinking about going to a tattoo parlor for two years, because his loved ones, as the artist himself admitted, do not really approve of tattoos.
Now, above the rapper’s right eyebrow is the word Edy, an abbreviation of the name Eduard. And above the left is the inscription NOT GUILTY, translated from English as “innocent”.
In addition to the inscriptions, Scrooge also has graphic images on his face, numbers on his ears and an extension of the tattoo he got on his neck.
Photo: black-star.ru, Instagram @morgen_shtern, @sayonaraboy, @ligalizemc, @facepublicenemy