The famous rapper Timati is known for his romances with supermodels, and his fortune in 2021 Forbes estimated at 10.4 million dollars. And Timur Yunusov - that's actually the star's name - is also one of the most tattooed representatives of the beau monde: tattoos cover about 70% of his body area.
Timati's designer body art is part of his successful image. It's also a super source of inspiration if you're picking up a tattoo for yourself. We looked into what kind of images the star has on his body and what their meaning is. And here's what we found out.
Counting all the tattoos on Timur's body is a nearly impossible task. But what we can say for sure is that some of them are dedicated to his, already former, label, and some of them really translate the philosophy of life. The main leitmotifs of the artist's body art are loyalty, love and family, friendship, strength of character.
In general the initially well chosen geometry and coloring draws one's attention. Basically, this is a black and white scheme with harmoniously blended and restrained color accents.
Chest
Timati has a brick wall printed on his chest, with clown masks on the sides. One of them is funny, the other one is sad. Underneath them is the inscription "Laugh now, cry later."
At the bottom of the wall is lit by a "Save and Preserve" candle. Above it is a lettering in lettering style, Love me or leave me alone. Above, in the chest area, is a flying dove with a branch in its beak: it is a symbol of purity, serenity and good news.
Even higher on his collarbones is the number 19 83 - the year of Timati's birth. In addition, on his chest is a tattoo of a billiard ball with the number 8: the symbol of fortune. The rules of the game, this ball is scored last, so it can instantly bring either a victory or a loss.
The tattoo will quickly become boring.
Moreover, most likely, it will bore not you, but your girlfriend, for example. You may not see your face as often, just a couple of times a day, when you're near the mirror. But your closest relatives, friends, or beloved are constantly looking at you. Tattoo - as an accessory or a haircut that periodically need to change to diversify the look and impress others with a new style. But there's nothing a barber can do with a design tattooed above your eyebrow. The only upside is that your girlfriend will probably offer you oral sex more often. So you just don't have to see your face.
Hands
Timati's sleeves are really chic. The right one shows a dragon and the left one - a lion; both images are made in ethno-style. Both characters symbolize wisdom, integrity, purposeful and resolute character, will and intelligence. They are inscribed on those who have already attained these states, and those who aspire to them.
On the right bicep below the dragon is a realistic portrait of Martin Luther King, a staunch fighter for equality. Next to it is the inscription in English, "I have a dream." (probably about the complete equality of people): this is a tattoo about beliefs and values. The outline of stars on his elbows the rapper put on, when he participated in the "Star Factory". And in our opinion, it is not a banal quotation of life context, but a kind of "anchor" - a symbol that the chosen path is serious and for a long time.
Timati has a lot of small hieroglyphs, stars, female figures and inscriptions on his forearms. There are also roses - a symbol of love. Most prominent among the other inscriptions are My first Love and Hip-hop music, "Angel" and "Devil," and a parchment with a text on the death of Ratmir Shishkov's friend. Underneath the parchment is Mickey Mouse: Ratmir wanted to get a tattoo based on this sketch.
There are also many different inscriptions and ornaments on Timati's hands. They gather the images into a whole, give them a visual harmony, but in our opinion do not carry any special semantic meaning.
Brushes and fingers
On the hands the artist has a logo of his business-empire (as of today it is the former one) and also the pseudonym and the name of his debut album Black Star inc. The phalanges of his fingers, like those of many rappers, are almost completely blocked.
In the middle row there are symbols of power - the crown, dollars, a diamond - next to ice cream, a skull with the number 13 on its forehead and musical notes. These are the typical attributes of success in hip-hop culture - the signs of good luck, fame and fortune.
On the phalanges of the lower row is a stylized inscription Good Luck: translated as happy accident, a wish for good luck. The knuckles are marked with black crosses. The artist's thumb has his mother's name, Simone, stamped on it.
6ix9ine
Tattoos on the face of rappers - a striking innovation of the new generation of hip-hop performers. Many newcomers in this way cut off the possibility of a "return trip". In other words, lose the opportunity to get a normal job. 6ix9ine has succeeded as well as his colleagues. He already has enough tattoos on his face to make people freak out when they meet the rapper. Most of the tattoos on 6ix9ine's body are not too diverse and boil down to the number "69", he still finds new designs to adorn his body.
Back
Timothy's back is a solid canvas of art. In the center of it is a skull with a crown. The inscription on the crown - Just Business - tells us something about pragmatism. Instead of bones under the skull there are crossed microphones. The image indicates Timur's vocation in life - music - as well as the transience of life and the desire to enjoy every moment of it.
Around the skull are black puffs of smoke and evolving white ribbons with inscriptions:
- Moscow City is the hometown of the artist;
- No Loyalty and No Friends - an attitude of camaraderie;
- The Boss - let's not forget that Timur, among other things, was the head of a large company, so this inscription is a reminder of his status.
The composition is complemented by recognizable icons - hashtag grid, crosses, stars, etc.
Legs
Strangely enough, there are almost no tattoos on Timati's hips. But there are a lot of them on his shins. On the right one there are iconic cartoon characters and characters from famous comics: a star with eyes, a robot from Futurama; on the knee - a flower. The meaning of these images is the breaking of patterns, self-confidence and a willingness not to conform to the perceptions of others.
On the left leg the Mercedes badge attracts the most attention. And there is a simple explanation - as of August 2021, the star's car fleet includes Mercedes CL600, SL Lorinser and top-of-the-line G63. Do you think that L'One AMG was recorded for nothing?
Timati emphasizes in every possible way that he is a fan of tattoos and promotes this art in every possible way - for example, he recorded the track "Tatu". He also opened his own tattoo-salon "13" in Moscow.
Many of Timati's tattoo sketches can be repeated exactly, you can score on other parts of the body, you can perform in other styles, including copyright, and you can "play" with color. The iconic inscriptions, the name of his mother, the badges of his favorite cars, of course, it makes no sense to copy "verbatim" - replace them with their counterparts. Naturally, it may not be easy for you to navigate without experience. To consult online, write to the chat room.
"On This and That" has been pounded by many members of the genre. Lil Wayne, Jigan, Shiloh, MC Ride and other tattoo enthusiasts in our article.
Tattoos are perhaps one of the hottest and most controversial topics of discussion these days. Parents forbid, young people send each other sketches VK, now and then promising everyone around that they are about to get their first tattoo.
In fact, nowadays, in the 21st century, in an era when old values and morals 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 people who are tattooed has increased. Now, it's no surprise to anyone, many people have "body art," although previously you could only see people with "partaks" and prison tags. In rap, in turn, tattoos have always been considered prestigious. They varied in subject matter - from belonging to the gangster groups to the banal stage image. Here's a quick guide to some of the tattooed rappers of the world.
Isaiah Toothtaker.
Not the most famous representative of the list, but he is the one directly associated with tattoos. Meet Isaiah Toothtaker, the owner of Staring Without Caring tattoo parlor. Just look at that huge dagger piercing his face - the artist's image of the "tooth-picker" and "tooth-breaker" is true to the core. Taking into account Isaiah's love of expensive brands, "grills" and gold jewelry, we can conclude that the tattoo business is not only entertainment and whimsy, but also a profitable business. So people who know about commercial ventures may well have a lucrative income from it.
Shilo
In Russia, tattoos have been considered the mark of all gangsters for centuries. And Shilo from the band Krovostok looks like a criminal element who just got out of the zone, even though the tattoos that adorn him don't look like those of a convict. I'm sure many people are familiar with the band's work, so I have no doubt that Anton Shilo's tattoos make the same impression as Krovostok's musical repertoire. Shilo really looks like "the very character" he presents himself as in his tracks [despite the fact that he graduated from the Moscow State Academic Art School].
Kid Ink
His name speaks for itself. There's really quite a lot of ink in this guy's skin. He's probably the one who "plays" on his image the most - the guy chose such a pseudonym for a reason. "I got my first tattoo when I was 16, in a salon, together with my mother, according to my own sketch. My mom had five tattoos at the time, so she didn't mind. Apparently the guy's love for tattoos has progressed over the years, and it turned out to be exactly what we can see now. It's for the best. If it's from tattoos that the performer draws inspiration for his tracks, it's unusual at the very least.
Lil Wayne
The owner of the Young Money label is a man of a certain degree of extravagance. Few people will tolerate the pain that brings the process of applying tattoo paint on the sensitive skin of the eyelids. But Weezy didn't stop there. He beat tattoos on the inside of his lips, behind his earflaps and the hell knows where else. Sure, some of the things Mr. Carter has done on himself look funny. But who knows, maybe he wouldn't be the rapper we know today if it weren't for the tattoos the performer is covered in.
Young Thug
Without a fraction of a doubt, Young Thug's image is that of a freak. The nose, cheek and lip piercings are an unusual look for a rapper. But the performer keeps up with the times, and it is safe to say that he is open to new "bows" and experiments on his style. What's to say if this guy has made a name for himself as Birdman - founder of the Cash Money Records label - on his own dignity. "Now every time all these f@!# have sex with me, they'll know they're fucking Birdman, too." A little later after this statement, the artist said it was just a joke. Let's not doubt it, but still, you can expect that from someone like Thugger Thugger.
Gucci Mane
Finally we get to the peculiar "headliner" of this list. Probably the winner of the "Stupidest Tattoo of the Decade" award. Every time you hear the name Gucci, what do you picture? That's right, a huge ice cream cone on the rapper's right cheek. I'm not sure what it was that made the artist decide to do this: maybe he was the most frequent visitor to the ice cream truck as a kid, or maybe he dreamed of becoming an ice cream vendor himself. Nevertheless, he gave all of us a reason to subtly "bait" him (during the biff between Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane, the former named his diss "Ice Cream"), and it is hard to confuse him with anyone else. Maybe this only seems absurd to most people, but he himself put a sacred meaning into it.
Jigen .
This man's physique literally disposes to an infinite number of tattoos. To say that he was "stuffed to the limit" was not possible a relatively short time ago - if you look at Jigen now - probably, there is almost no "live space" left on him. A fan of "pumping up" can well afford it. And the legendary song "Tatu" was awarded his verse for a reason. So all lovers of "pumping" and admirers of the artist's works on a note - after famously working on their forms, do not hesitate to decorate them with a large number of tattoos.
Timati
A man who "got used to living in luxury since he was a baby" probably will not deny himself such pleasure as a visit to a tattoo parlor. "For this one and for that one, I just can't find room" - indeed, like his comrade Jigen, Timati's face is the only one left untouched. What to say, if Vladimir Putin himself, at one time "commended" Timan for his tattoos. And you say: "...society doesn't approve".
MC Ride (ex-Death Grips)
The skin of this performer "carries" much more meaning than all the others. MC Ride's body is literally "filled" with occult symbols and voodoo signs. It doesn't just go with blackwork. Every one of these details is like a separate scenery of the "Room of Fear". The former Death Grips singer's tattoos can scare kids, give grandmas a heart attack and make churchgoers clutch a cross. Sometimes it seems like MC Ride's tattoos are a full-fledged part of the disbanded experimental collective's oeuvre. His tattoos are as frightening and aggressive as most of the band's tracks.
Nacho Picasso.
The representative of M.O.O.R. Gang, the young Picasso, aka Nacho. Nacho expressed his love for tattoos in the track "Sweaters", as if to confirm that only "sleeves" 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, in his Instagram, the artist posted the result of his latest visit to the master. In the photo you can see that the tattoo appeared right on the bald head of the rapper. Indeed, if you wear a "sweater", why not wear a "hat"?
