Learn all about XXXTentacion’s tattoos in our ultimate guide. We explain the meanings behind his famous body art.
American singer Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, known globally as XXXTentacion, had a popular yet short-lived career.
It all started in 2013 when XXXTentacion took to Soundcloud to create his own music. Four years later he released his first album ’17’ and then his second album ‘?’ in 2018. Both securing top places in the US Billboard 200.
Unfortunately, not long after his second album release, XXXTentacion was murdered outside RIVA Motorsports. He was fatally shot, multiple times in the neck whilst in his own vehicle. He leaves behind a son Gekyume.
Jahseh was a unique singer, who publicly opened up about the struggles he faced in his life.
All of XXXTentacion’s tattoos hold significance and each is a representation of his inner thoughts and feelings. Many fans and celebrities have copied some in tribute to the singer.
‘2 Sets of 3 Dots’ Tattoo
Tattoo: 2 sets of 3 dots under and above his right eye.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion, in a twitter post, described the 2 sets of three dots tattoo as ‘The Beginning, The Rise and The Peak’. Danielle Bregoli also included the three dots in her ‘Numb’ tattoo tribute to XXXTentacion, a close friend.
’17’ Tattoo
Tattoo: 17 inked on the right hand corner of his forehead.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion 17 tattoo holds great significance. At this young age in his life he felt his heart had broken beyond repair, he came to the realisation of the pain cycle, and felt he lost his sanity.
The number is also the name of his first album that reached number 2 on the US Billboard 200.
‘Aiden’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Aiden on his right inner forearm.
Interpretation: Aiden is XXXTentacion’s brother’s name and along with ‘Cleopatra’, was one of the first tattoos he ever got.
Both Cleopatra and Aiden were listed as the only sole beneficiaries of XXXTentacion’s estate, a will he signed in 2017.
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‘Alone’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Alone above his left eyebrow.
Interpretation: The XXXTentacion Alone tattoo may seem pretty explanatory to some, however when asked specifically why and what the tattoo meant to him, he stated: “I am going to die alone and live most of my life alone …. Nobody will completely know you or what you want”.
‘Ankh Cross’ Tattoo
Tattoo: An Ankh cross is placed in the center of his chest.
Interpretation: The Ankh Cross is historically known and holds great meaning to XXXTentacion. This is an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic ideograph, that symbolizes life.
Despite some believing it holds Satanic values, to XXXTentacion it doesn’t. He once came to a war of words with Migos rapper Offset, after he thought the upside down cross represented “All that worship the devil s**t, get with God man.”
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‘Bad Vibes Fvr’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Bad Vibes Fvr on his inner left forearm.
Interpretation: Placed on the inner side of his right wrist, this tattoo is the name of a movement he started, with inspiration from the music group Teen suicide.
Although lead singer Sam Ray included XXXTentacion in a rant about Soundcloud rappers being scumbags, this didn’t seem to faze him, at least publicly.
‘BAD ViBES’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Bad Vibes on both his eyelids.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion explained the reasoning behind the Bad Vibes tattoo, in his own words “When you see someone and you immediately judge them, those aren’t the people that I wanna attract. I don’t wanna attract people who look at me and think I’m an idiot due to how I look”.
‘Broken Heart’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Broken Heart in the corner of his left eye.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion heart tattoo was inked to show how he felt inside. “I consider myself to have a broken heart” were his exact words, the tattoo is more than likely related to his 17 tattoo, as that is when he said his heart was broken beyond repair.
American rapper and songwriter Wifisfuneral got the broken heart and Alone tattoo inked on his face in memory of XXXTentacion.
‘Cleopatra’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cleopatra, inked along his upper chest area.
Interpretation: This tattoo is dedicated to his mother, Cleopatra. XXXTentacion has previously spoken about the rough childhood he faced, but in no way does he blame his mother.
At the age of 6 he tried to stab a man and “bit his flesh out” after he witnessed his mother being beaten on. It is clear the two had a strong bond with one another, with this tattoo being one of his first.
‘Clock’ Tattoo
Tattoo: XXXTentacion Clock tattoo on the left side of his face.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion once said “time is precious, do not waste it”. A way he can constantly remind himself is by having this inked on his face.
At some point everything will eventually run its course be it friendships, relationships, and life.
‘Crescent Moon’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Crescent Moon, inked on his right bicep.
Interpretation: In Wicca (a religion using witchcraft) the moon is related to Demeter, Persephone and Hecate, also known as ‘The Mother, The Maiden and The Crone’.
They represent the passage of time and the life cycle from birth to death followed by the changing phases. XXXTentacion was known to be interested in this modern religion.
‘CRY BABY’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Cry Baby on his outer right wrist.
Interpretation: Late rappers Lil Peep and XXXTentacion shared the same ink on their skin.
Although XXXTentacion didn’t explain publicly about the tattoo, Lil Peep in his own words said “I definitely think the planet is very sad….and I think a lot of people are also very ungrateful which is another big problem. That’s why I got the cry baby tat on my face. I got a humongous tattoo that says cry baby to keep me grateful and remind me not to be a cry baby. I see it every time I look in the mirror, to remind me that I’m blessed”.
‘DEAD’ Tattoo
Tattoo: DEAD, left hand along four of his fingers.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion hand tattoo ‘DEAD’ hasn’t been given a personal explanation by the rapper. Many believe it could relate to him feeling dead inside, expressing his thoughts and feelings in his body art.
‘DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Death before Dishonor on the right side of his face.
Interpretation: This is pretty self-explanatory in itself, and shows XXXTentacion’s loyalty to his friends, family and fans. He would rather die than suffer insult to his honor.
‘Elephant’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Elephant across the front of his neck.
Interpretation: Elephants are passive but dangerous if crossed, something that XXXTentacion felt represented his personality clearly.
It is another piece of body art that holds a central and noticeable position. He then went on to create the short song ‘Elephant in the Room’. It is thought his first love Cinthia influenced his love of elephants.
‘FVCK PVRRP’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Fvck Pvrrp on the inner side of his right wrist.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion and Spaceghost Purpp had a public dispute with XXXTentacion releasing two diss tracks ‘#ImSippinTeaInYoHood’ and ‘Space Ghost Pu**y’.
It is unclear why they fell out, especially since they made two tracks together in the past. Many believe it relates to the beef Spaceghost Purrp had with A$AP Rocky and the things he said about A$AP Yams after his death. Both are rappers in the industry.
‘KILL ME’ Tattoo
Tattoo: KILL ME on his left hand.
Interpretation: This XXXTentacion hand tattoo could point to clear signs of depression, no fear of death and at times the unwillingness to live.
However, other fans have expressed a more light-hearted interpretation, seeing it as dedication to Tyler the Creator, a rapper he respected, who had the same ink in his 2011 music video ‘Yonkers’.
‘Leafless Tree’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Tree of Life an XXXTentacion forehead tattoo.
Interpretation: The XXXTentacion tree tattoo has a very spiritual meaning to him. A fan previously questioned him further into the meaning via Instagram, to which he replied ‘Leafless tree, without restraint and no burden in attachment’.
This xxx tree tattoo could also relate to Wicca & Witchcraft, a religion he was studying, where the Tree of Life creates a bridge between Earth and the Divine.
‘Lines’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Four Lines across his nose.
Interpretation: The lines across XXXTentacion’s nose could represent a balance in life and are also thought to have tribal links.
‘Loyalty’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Loyalty across the bottom left of his jaw.
Interpretation: This tattoo has a clear meaning and shows XXXTentacion held loyalty close to his heart.
‘Numb’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Numb’ in red, found below his right eye.
Interpretation: The XXXTentacion face tattoos portray the struggle he has often felt throughout his life. When describing the ‘Numb’ tattoo he said he wanted to feel pain.
In his own words he said “I got this when I was younger as I felt I couldn’t feel”. Danielle Bregoli aka Bhad Bhabie inked this along with the three dots, as a tribute to her friends passing.
‘RARE’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Rare along his four fingers on his right hand.
Interpretation: One of three tribute tattoos to Members Only (also known as Very Rare), a group he started with Ski Mask the Slump God.
‘REMEMBER TO REMEMBER’ TATTOO
Tattoo: Remember to Remember across the right side of his neck.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion got this tattoo as a reminder to remember the past and all things that make you, you! Remember where you came from and the path you took in life.
‘RUN’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Run inked on the fourth finger of his left hand.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion hasn’t always explained his tattoo meanings, but many fans believe this ink represents him wanting to run away from the problems in his life.
It is placed on his ring finger, so maybe this could signify his urge to run away from relationships.
‘Star’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Star on the left side of his nose.
Interpretation: No explanation was given as too why XXXTentacion got this tattoo. Some fans speculate that it could be dedicated to his ex-girlfriend Geneva, who was known to call herself ‘The Lonely Star’.
‘Symbols’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Symbols on the fingers of his left hand.
Interpretation: All of XXXTentacion tattoos hold meanings special to him, after all he did say in an interview that, “Every tattoo on me is a story, I don’t have a pointless tattoo”.
It can be hard to work out what exactly these symbols mean to XXXTentacion as he never gave an explanation, but it clearly held some significance.
‘Theatre Masks’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Theatre masks on his upper right arm.
Interpretation: These are one of the most well-known symbols dating back to Greek mythology. It is the central representation for creative arts.
The masks of Comedy and Tragedy mainly represent drama and are used across the world.
‘Transmutation Circle’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Transmutation circle on his inner right hand.
Interpretation: It is no secret that XXXTentacion was intrigued with Alchemy, so it is no surprise this is a piece within his body art collection.
He studied this in his spare time, and his interest began from anime, Fullmetal Alchemist. He was also interested in Wicca and Witchcraft.
‘VR’ Tattoo
Tattoo: VR on the abs, right side.
Interpretation: This acronym stands for Very Rare. It is derived from the American Hip Hop collective, Members Only who were acquainted with the VR all-stars and because of this, both share the same name.
Members Only began after XXXTentacion and Ski Mask the Slump God met in a juvenile correction center.
‘VR with Dots’ Tattoo
Tattoo: VR with Dots, inked on the inner side of the left forearm.
Interpretation: XXXTentacion’s tattoo again, is a dedication to his Members Only group, also known as Vary Rare and is one of three tattoo tributes.
‘WING RIDDEN ANGEL’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Wing Ridden Angel on his outer right arm.
Interpretation: Wing Ridden Angel is said to describe a human who is so angel-like, they just come without wings. Florida rapper, Denzel Curry inked the same tattoo on his skin as a tribute to his friends passing.
‘WRAC’ Tattoo
Tattoo: WRAC just above the knuckles on his left hand.
Interpretation: This tattoo is dedicated to Cinthia and stands for Wing Ridden Angel Cinthia. It was inked to show his appreciation for her always being by his side.
A first love XXXTentacion just couldn’t let himself forget. In 2017 XXXTentacion released a song ‘I’m Alone, I’m Sorry Cinthia’.
