Tattoo Tales #10: YG – ‘Straight Outta Bompton’
Words by @MidtownNate
In some way or another, we’re all a product of our environment. Whether we stay stuck within the parameters of our hometown or excel beyond its borders, we remain a representation of the good, the bad and the ugly of our respective “hoods”.
A crazy motherf**ker named Ice Cube once rep’d for Compton, California in the opening line of N.W.A.’s now infamous anti-authority anthem, “Straight Outta Compton”. Putting on for that same hood like the MC’s that preceded him, Def Jam recording artist YG recently went under the needle during an overseas trip to add to his ever-growing canvas of tattoos.
The rapper, who broke onto the scene with his Billboard Hot 100 hit “Toot It and Boot It” in 2010, has had a lengthy road to his upcoming debut album scheduled to release later this year. Despite all of the hurdles life has thrown at those from YG’s hood however, his LP’s title, I’m From Bompton, makes it quite evident that he’d as soon trade being from Compton as Scarface would his Southside Houston origins (see “On My Block”).
YG’s well received Just Re’d Up 2 mixtape and appearances on both Young Jeezy’s “R.I.P (Remix)” and A$AP Ferg’s forthcoming debut mixtape,Trap Lord (“Click Clack”), are shaping up 2013 to be the year he can rep his Tree Top stomping grounds in a major way. Read up on YG’s latest ink after the jump.
YG:
I recently got this tattoo on May 31, 2013. I was on tour in Japan and one of my tattoo artists happened to be in Japan at the time so I had him come to my hotel room and tat me. The tattoo artist’s name is NaNa.
The tattoo is of a tree with the numbers 887 above it. It represents my hood–Tree Top. I put it up on Instagram and got some good feedback. This one took an hour and cost me $Free.99!
I got other tattoos that represent where I’m from but this was just a tattoo I got in the moment. I haven’t mentioned it yet [in a song] but now since I’m being asked about it, I’ll mention it in a rap.
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Check back in next week for more Tattoo Tales and let us know in the comments section below what you think of YG’s ink.
Whose tattoo would you want to see featured next? Email your picks to Nate@TheSource.com or tweet them to @MidtownNate
