Top Five Most Meaningful Tattoos in Hip-Hop

Hip-Hop is a culture made up of prominent figures that express themselves in extreme fashion with respect to virtually every aspect of their lives.

No matter what they do, these rappers never cease to project their own story, striving to remain interesting in the ever saturated rap game. From media interviews to advertising campaigns and personal ink style, these performers all know and embrace their role as icons in the hip-hop scene.

From The Game to the non-stop Lil Wayne, there’s no doubt these stars are of the most important in the music industry. But, are their tattoos as meaningful as their lyrics, or is their ink just for the sake of image?

While famous tattoos on Hollywood starlets are undeniably hot, we suspect there may be more meaning on the tattooed rappers strutting down the same streets. Check out the top five most important tattoos in rap music.

The Game

The Game has an LA tattoo just below his right eye, and if you actually listen to any of his music for about two minutes, you would know this by now. When Dr. Dre’s The Chronic hit the streets, Game was in his teens. Luckily, he managed to develop his talent, and have his debut album produced by the good doctor himself. This means he experienced the early ‘90s middle school wannabe rapper from Compton dream fulfilled. If you look at the N.W.A. (Dr. Dre’s first group) tattoo above his right pectoral muscle you can see that he has a substantial respect for the past artists that came before him.

50 Cent

50’s back tattoo is clear evidence of the over-the-top opinion he has of himself. Not that he is alone in his narcissism, but most rappers, that aren’t on his label, think he is an arrogant punk, even in an industry built on self-worship. He doesn’t have much respect for the past, or for anyone competing against him. And as you can see, he has a “50″tattoo the size of a Jansport backpack covering his entire back. This tattoo design appropriately fits a guy who just wants to get rich or die tryin’.

Eminem

30 years from now, no other rapper’s lyrics will be studied more than the words put forth by Marshall Mathers. His words terrified the masses, and his exit from the game has left most fans and critics puzzled and yearning for more material. The reason for his absence can be seen on his right shoulder. There, you can find a picture of his beautiful little girl, Hayley Jade outlined with roses. If he dropped an album today, it would go straight to number one, but he seems to be done with that because of something that is clearly more important to him. Notice the inscription of Bonnie and Clyde underneath her name. That is a reference to a song on his first album written in her honor.

Jay-Z and Beyonce

If Eminem’s lyrics are the most powerful, Jay-Z’s career is the most important. Not only is he widely respected as being the “The Michael Jordan of Recording” and infamous for never writing down a single lyric, he is also now married to one of the most striking women in the world. Earlier this year, Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles tied the knot.Instead of dropping a diamond the size the size of a grapefruit on her finger, they both decided to get wedding band tattoos. What do you give the girl that seemingly has everything? A little ink, son!

Lil Wayne

Wayne is the biggest rapper in the world right now.He has spent the last two years locked in a studio, smoking blunts, getting tattoos (sometimes in the studio), and pumping out over 150 tracks of some the most innovative rap music ever recorded, from varied collaborations to mix tapes and his own full length albums.

People often look at this other Mr. Carter as being a crazy, over-stimulated person, or an alien, or even a profit sent from God. His flow doesn’t seem to be of this world, and he seems to enjoy a level of excess that would suggest that he knows he was sent here to experience everything to the fullest. When listening to his rhymes, you get the feeling he is clearly in possession of an addictive personality. He loves recording every night.And he also seems incapable of stopping getting tattoos; his body and face are covered with them.

The Game thinks that Ice Cube is God; 50 Cent thinks he is God; Eminem wants his daughter to have the chance to choose to believe in God, if she wants to; Jay-Z gets to wake up next to Beyonce, so he is probably a fan of God’s work; Lil Wayne however, judging by his tattooed eye lids, fears God.Is this because he knows something we don’t? Well, I’m sure, like every other rapper out there, if you take the time to look close at the artwork painted on their skin; it shouldn’t be hard to find some inkling of truth.