http://www.urbanink.com Latest Articles from Urbanink. en-us Thu, 17 May 2012 22:52:26 GMT Leroy Lee Jackson hails from Sacramento, CA. Without his father around, Leroy's mother took over as sole parent, which is who he dedicates most of his ink to. With no father figure, Leroy hit the streets of Sacramento where his big homies helped fill that void. Leroy's homies didn't only serve as mentors, but they also introduced him to what would one day become his passion in life - ink.

"I got my first tattoo when I was 16," recalls Leroy, adding, "It was my mother's name, 'Shaniece.'" Leroy etched his mothers name on his forearm - and from that point on, he's been treading in ink.

Leroy's ink also commemorates other special women in his life. Leroy told us "[I have] my little sisters' names on my forearm. Also, I got my grandmother's obituary along with my girlfriend's name who passed away. She was my first love, so I got a tattoo of her full name, 'Emilia Casillas.'"

For his grandmother he tatted her name, "Victoria," and surrounded the name with clouds, stars and a dove, which stretches from his upper forearm to his wrist. "My tattoos show how much I love the people I have lost. They're connected to me - and one another - in some way. This way they will always be with me, too," he stated.

"I also have music notes. I love music! My mother is a songwriter. My sisters love music, too, so that arm's meaning is that my mother and sisters are the music to my heart," Leroy shared.

His tattoo collection - which is mostly done by Martin Huerta - is also dedicated to his religious beliefs. "I have God's prayer on the side of my stomach with doves on the other side." He also wears an image of God on his chest with the words "In God We Trust" hanging right under it. "I also have a big cross and shading all around each of my pieces."

Even though, Leroy has a pretty extensive collection, he says he still has plans of adding more ink to his body - and we can't wait to see where he takes his ink next!

Photography by Shaheem Sanchez
Article by Trini Black
]]> http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=451 http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=451 Fri, 04 May 2012 11:36:53 GMT Sharky, Icy T, and Freaky Dee may be from the same streets of Cali, but each of them had his own journey to travel. Sharky was known as the party dude whose explosive personality eventually landed him a six-month bid in juvie, where he began getting tatted. Icy T, son of a former Death Row Records artist - who passed away when Icy was only nine-years-old - went through similar struggles growing up, which led him to writing rhymes. Freaky Dee moved around Cali, until finding his home - and his love for ink - on the notorious streets of Compton, CA.

Even though each endured hardships and tribulations, somehow their paths crossed. After seeing that they had many things in common, aside from their undeniable love for ink, the three decided to form the rap group, respectfully named So Tatted Boys. Urban Ink sat down with STB to talk about the group, their future projects, and the ink.

Sharky

URBAN INK: Your bio says you started getting tattooed at 15. How did mom take the news?
Sharky: She took me to get my first tat, but I don't think she really knew what she was helping to start.

Which of your tats was your first?
The "B" and "M" on the back of my arms.

How did it feel when you first got tattooed?
It didn't hurt as bad as I thought, so after I got the first one I wanted more.

Your tat collection has dedications to Cali and mentions of loyalty. How do you conceive the ideas for your tattoos?
All my tattoos mean something. They are a story of my life and what I'm about. Loyalty means everything to me, Cali is where I'm from, and I love the west coast, so I rep it to the fullest.

Who's your go-to tattoo artist?
Danny from Beach City Tattoo, Dave from D3 Tattoo and a couple of other tattoo shops.

Talk to us about the So Tatted Boys and how you all came together to form the group.
I met Freaky Dee in middle school and Icy T in high school. A year ago we did a freestyle to Waka Flocka's "Oh Let's Do It," and from then on we decided music is what we wanted to do.

Where can our readers go online to read more about you?
Facebook.com/So-Tatted-Boys, Twitter.com/TheSoTattedBoys, Twitter.com/SoTattedSharky, Facebook.com/SoTattedSharky, Youtube.com/SoTattedTV, and download my mixtape, The Takeover, produced by Lex Luger.



Freaky Dee

URBAN INK: How old were you when you began getting tattooed?
Freaky Dee: I was 17-years-old.

Were you thinking about it for a long while before you did it, or was it a spur of the moment thing?
I thought about it for a while and wanted a collage.

Which of your tats was your first?
The Red Sky& Sex Appeal on my chest.

The scene on your chest depicts the City of Los Angeles under a red sky getting hit by waves. Wha's the story behind that piece?
It represents the City of Los Angeles. The waves are for the ocean and the buildings are to represent Downtown L.A. The Sunset is when the city goes from paradise to crime and violence.

Who's your go-to tattoo artist?
Mike from the Northside of LBC (562-607-4280).

What inspired you to join STB?
I use to be in another rap group called TSA a few years ago. But, things didn't work out. So, when we all came together. It just seemed to be the right thing to do.

Where can the readers go to get the 411 on you?
Twitter.com/FreakyFuckinDee and YouTube.com/SoTattedVision



Icy T

URBAN INK: Which of your tats was your first?
Icy T: The moneybag on my right arm.

How did it feel when you first got tattooed?
It hurt like a b*tch!

What inspired your first tat?
Being locked up at LP (Los Padrinos Juvenile Detention Center).

Your tat collection seems to have a religious theme throughout. Can you discuss some of those images and what they mean to you?
My left forearm has my Grandparents' names - Joe and Eva. The crying angel above my mom's name - Corrine - is to symbolize all of the angels that cried for me while I was incarcerated. The cross is to symbolize the death of my father - "L" - and last but not least, is my friend's, Jabari's name on my inner arm, which is to show dedication to him. He was killed in front of me a few years back.

In your bio it states that your father was a rapper and even signed to Death Row.
He was one-half of the group HBO (HOME BOYS ONLY) - it was him and his brother G.

What's a record from him that may sound familiar to us?
Unfortunately, Suge [Knight] being Suge never released his music. There have been a few stories out there of what happened, but never the exact truth.

Is your chest piece that reads "Son of a King" dedicated to your father?
Of course, I am here now to carry out this throne.

You also picked up the mic like your father. What inspired that decision?
To pick up where he left off and take over this rap game.

What new projects do you have coming that our readers should keep an ear out for?
So Tatted Boys' first mixtape, "SO TATTED WORLDSTARS" dropping in November 2011.

Where can the readers go online to find out more about you?
Twitter.com/bigicyt and Twitter.com/SoTattedBoys


Photography by RDigitalPhotos.com
Article by Jen Gomez

]]> http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=449 http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=449 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:55:25 GMT Jonathan "J-Rock" Concepcion is 20-years-old, Filipino, a VA native, and tatted the f*ck up! Due to his extensive artwork, J-Rock has gained plenty of local notoriety - even landing him the title of official A2i (Addicted 2 Ink) CEO of Virginia.

A2i is a global tattoo crew founded by Jeremy "Gutta" Mack back in 2008. A2i isn't just a group of tattooed dudes who decided to give themselves a cool name to go by. The organization is responsible for a lot of charitable events and community outreach programs. J-Rock tells us about his first conversation with Mack, "I spoke with Jeremy 'Gutta' Mack about tattoos and how I'm very interested in the A2i movement. He put me on with A2i and also made me CEO of their Virginia chapter."

J-Rock dons a total of 75 tattoos and continues going under the needle. "I love the ink. Also my tattoos all have a meaning to them," he explains.

The A2i member has been getting tattoos since the young age of 15 while serving a two-year sentence in juvie. His tattooers used erasers, staples, strings, and pencil lead for ink to tattoo J-Rock. "I didn't get my real tattoo until I was 17 when I got out. My first tattoo I got from a tattoo machine was my nickname -- J-Rock -- on my neck. Then, I got my jail tattoos covered afterwards," he recalls, adding, "I love the feeling when the needle hits my skin and the beauty of the artwork, which is the reason I got addicted to the ink."

Needing to satisfy his new addiction, J-Rock would spend every paycheck on tattoos, adding at least six new tattoos every week. Today, he trusts his ink collection to only two tattoo artists - Brandon "Cali" Campbell (757-589-0154) and Mike Enriques (gabz309@yahoo.com).

"The most meaningful tattoo on my body is my family name with a big J because all our names start with a J," J-Rock explains of his collection. He also has "A2i" tatted on himself eight times, and is currently working on his ninth "A2i" piece.

When you look at J-Rock, the first thing you notice is his facial tattoos. He described the reason for the face tats to us. "I started marking up my face because I wanted to be different and it's me. I don't care how other people look at me because what matters is that it's me. There's always going to be haters, but also, there will be those who like it. I got tatted because it's a way to express myself, and it's a good stress reliever. I will never regret any of them."

Follow J-Rock on Twitter: @inkNkush
Find him on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JRocK2TRiLL or http://www.facebook.com/A2iJRock

Photography by Showout Beats (@SHOWOUTBEAT)
Article by Dez Ward

]]> http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=445 http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=445 Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:37:48 GMT Michael Windom (a.k.a Mike) hails from the streets of St. Louis, Missouri. Mike has been getting tattooed for a good three years now. In only his first year Mike had already tattooed more than half of his body. "It went faster than I expected," he recalls of his earlier encounters with ink.

Mike is in his third year of college attending the Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville majoring in Mass Communication with a minor in Public Relations. While walking around campus, Mike has been told he likens some of his favorite tattooed icons, such as, Tyga, Chris Brown, Soulja Boy and Trey Songz. Mike's dream is to work with celebrities such as the dudes he gets compared to. "My dream is to work with celebrities one day whether it be fashion, or traveling alongside with someone," he says about his future plans.

As for his future plans with his ink, Mike is adamant that he won't stop getting tats anytime soon. "I don't plan to stop getting tattoos until I'm pretty much all the way covered like Wiz Khalifa," he said, and added, "I most definitely think that tattoos are attractive. They are an attention getter. Plus tattoos definitely define a person, because I know my tats define me." To Mike tattoos are awesome and he's admitted to being addicted at this point, but that should be obvious by now.

Follow Mike on Twitter (@Cantb_LikeMike) and on Instagram (Cantb_LikeMike).

Photography by Leasley Woods and Photog Tpp
Article by Dre Shawn
]]> http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=441 http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=441 Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:11:28 GMT Ramon Sahagun is only 16-years-old and already has a hefty amount of ink. Sahagun, states that his ink represents things that are special to him and reflect his struggles through life. The Sacramento, California native began his tattoo collection with the name of the most important person in his life, his mom dukes.

Born to Mexican parents, Sahagun's bonding time with his father was hindered. When Sahagun was only three-years-old, his father endured an accident at work, which left him handicapped. Not being able to do much with his father, Sahagun turned to the streets where he found body art.

"I got my first tattoo at the age of 14, which is my mom's name with a rose. I got it because my mom is the most important thing to me on Earth and she's taken care of me forever," the young tattoo enthusiast tells us.

Ever since he got his first tattoo, he's loved the ink art more than anything. "A couple of months [after my first tattoo], I got another tattoo - a skull and music note behind my ear. It was a matching tattoo me and my friend got together, after that I was getting new tattoos every couple of months," Sahagun recalled.

Sahagun admits that he's never been to a shop being that he's still underage, however, his list of tattoo artists is a long one. Some of the artists who have helped him build his collection include: Osman Santos, Phillip Lebrun, Eduardo Marcos and Martin Huerta.

When he's not getting tatted, Sahagun is your typical high school student, looking to open up doors for his future. By the age of 18, he hopes to have both arms sleeved up, and completed chest and stomach pieces. "I love getting tattoos because they help me express myself and my love for art. My tattoos help me standout from the rest of my family. They help me be, well me!" expressed Sahagun.

Photography by Shaheem Sanchez
Article by Dez Ward

]]> http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=438 http://www.urbanink.com/view-article.php?article_id=438 Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:48:56 GMT