S. Samuel
The unexpected popularity of tattooing artists' names on heads as signs of support has increased with rap newcomer named Mingo Baby inking "Free Lil Boosie" on the side of his face.
Footage of the rapper’s tatted face and his explanation for getting his “Free Lil Boosie” hit the Internet heading into the weekend.
Incarcerated rapper Lil Boosie has a fan in a fellow MC, Mingo Baby. The indie rhymer, signed to Hoodii Boy Entertainment, showcased his appreciation for the locked up entertainer by inking his face with a Free Lil Boosie tattoo. In a two-minute video clip, Mingo Baby flaunts his jewelry — a tiny cross chain — and sips on a bottle of store bought lean — cough syrup — while explaining his reasons for getting the surprising facial art over his right eye — check the photo of it below. “Boosie my motherf—in’ n—-,” he shouts. “I done rocked shows with this n—-, man. He one hundred. I love that n—-. I love his pain, b… I take the pain away. I ask God to take the pain away. I pray every day. I don’t give a f— what ya’ll think, man.” (The Boom Box)
In late November, Boosie was sentenced to eight years behind bars for drug smuggling.
Now, Boosie’s lawyer tells us … the rapper is happy with the resolution — because Boosie is confident officials will allow him to participate in a drug rehab program so he can beat his addiction to codeine and other drugs. Boosie — who’s also facing 1st degree murder charges in an unrelated case — released a statement to TMZ … saying, “Don’t worry about me I am getting help with my drug addiction and I am accepting full responsibility for the choice I made.” Boosie adds, “I am going to fight the false murder charge till the end. Love you all.” (TMZ)
Mingo Baby’s tat comes just days after a woman made headlines for tattooing Drake’s name on her forehead.
“The funny thing is, I didn’t know who Drake was, I figured it was her hood or some sh*t, not some goofnugget R&B dude,” tattoo artist Kevin Campbell said in an interview. “She was really psyched about it. She had the sh*tty font all picked out on her iPhone ready to go and was pretty adamant about putting it on her forehead. She didn’t say a word about what it meant to her, some of the guys at the shop asked her, and she just kinda giggled at them. When I printed up the first image of the lettering, she wanted me to go bigger, so that it went pretty much from each side of her hairline to the other. I thought she shaved her eyebrows for the procedure, so when I put the stencil on the first time, it was right over her (missing) eyebrows, but she had me enlarge it a bit and push it up towards the hairline. But yeah, she acted as if she had planned it out for a while; though I’m not really sure how much extended coherent thought could actually go into getting such a stupid tattoo on your forehead.” (Vice)
Earlier this year, G-Unit rap star 50 Cent offered his take on hip-hop artists like Gucci Mane tatooing their faces.
“That’s the craziest thing,” 50 explained in an interview. “Not necessarily Gucci, but to tattoo your face says that there’s not a possibility that you can actually walk into a legitimate establishment without makeup covering your face every day. That does not work. It creates a separation. It says, ‘I’m an artist.’ That’s it. That’s the statement you make when you go and tattoo your face…But know that the public will not have interest in you as an artist for life. You have to be phenomenal. Talk to the best that do it and they will tell you that it will take more than you being an artist. It takes marketing, maneuvering to generate for that long. When you got 40 year-old rappers in the game, those guys have maneuvered and survived.” (VIBE)
Check out Mingo Baby speaking on his tattoo below:
