I got my first tattoo when I was 14 years old.
Unfortunately, I did need a signature,
which I probably shouldn't have got done
because it was one of my friends who was a tattoo artist.
[laughs] I'm not sure what kind of tattoo gun he had
but the general style.
I would say my third tattoo was my first tattoo
of my father
uh, you know, just a remembrance of him
his legacy, the impact he's had on my life.
He passed away when I was a kid.
I got the halo with the angel wings on my back.
I tried to hide it from my mom long as I could.
I got it on my back because I feel like I could
cover it up as much as possible in the house.
She told me she was going to kick me out the house
if I got a tattoo, so I kinda, you know, throw it around,
like, "Mom, what if I had a tattoo?" just to keep seeing
what she would say and what her reaction would be.
And every time she would respond she would say,
"If you get a tattoo, you gotta go."
My older sister told on me.
I was like, 17.
When I was young I used to, I just loved soccer.
David Beckham. I remember he had a tattoo
on the back of his neck, and I was like, damn man,
like athletes can have tattoos like that? It's cool.
So uh, he kinda inspired me to step out of that comfort zone
when I first started getting tattoos, and one of my first
tattoos was kinda inspired by that.
My second tattoo, was
a pirate ship, on my arm.
My friends and I, we all called ourselves pirates
so we felt like, it was the Pirates of the Caribbean
'round the way.
This was actually my third tattoo. And it says blessed.
From where I came from in life.
I would say that I'm highly blessed, man favored
but I worked hard to get where I'm at.
I might have been a freshman in college when I got this.
And not a lot of people where I'm from made it to college.
Especially, you know, a college of my dreams to play
division one football.
So I got this tattoo to represent just how far I came
just at that point in my life.
These, that I have inside my fingers I got when
I was in college.
The live, love, laugh, that was the most painful one
because it's on your bones, there's no fat there, no muscle.
It's just directly on the bone.
It give you chills.
Obviously it faded away, they told me it would
because I use my hands for a living
so they told me the only way it would last if
I got it dotted. And you know, that's a whole process.
So I was just like, eh, I'll just see how long it lasts.
I think the Japanese style of tattoo it goes back,
it's part of the history, part of the legacy to get tattoos.
I feel like the Japanese express themselves and express art
more so on tattoos than other cultures.
But, you know, I like different kinds of styles,
I like different eyes, different views.
You know I got Japanese art, I have American art.
I switch it up.
I have a tiger on my chest
that I designed.
You know, the Japanese artist he's hasn't done
too many tigers, but I told him I wanted a certain
kind of style, in a certain way.
And also, I have the word metta on my arm
and I designed how I wanted it to be.
Metta means world peace.
I designed the watermark peace sign.
Probably one of my favorites, I would say.
This was actually my last tattoo that I got.
It's water ink, it changes colors in the light.
At first it was purple, more purple,
now it's became more blue. It's green which over time
it change, and I think it's dope, man.
But I wanted to get it on my hand 'cause
it represents who I am.
And I wanted people to see that.
You know, if I wear a button down shirt
I still want the peace sign to show.
Especially in this modern day age.
I would.
Course, nobody stays on the same team their whole life,
but, those teams, they gave you a chance to become who
you are, and to better yourself.
It represents a city, when you get a team tattoo
I feel like it's not just that team,
but it's the whole spirit and the energy around that team.
These hieroglyphics on my head means family.
I wanted to get it to where it wasn't obvious,
so I shaved my head all the way down
and I got it real light to where if I grow my hair out
it can cover it up.
If I want it to be seen, just cut my hair all the way down.
But this is one of my favorites.
This is recent. I got this in California by a dope artist.
I fell asleep while he was doing it.
He had the lightest hand ever.
I was kinda nervous 'bout getting one on my head
but, you know, it was cool, it wasn't painful at all.
This is a Buddha, doing this position,
which means protection.
You know, protect me from all the bad vibes.
It's just good energy.
I'm not a Buddhist, but I respect their way of life.
It symbolizes not just that, but my brother.
His nickname is Buddha, so I got it to represent
and, you know, give my brother some love also.
Seven, it comes from this timeless clock that's broken.
Represents life is timeless man, you know,
cherish the little moments that you have.
I want it to be meaningful.
I don't just want to get a tattoo, just to have a tattoo.