Tattooing him was an unforgettable and very significant experience in my life. I tattooed one of his best friends, did a realistic portrait of him, and when Drake saw the tattoo, he suggested I stay with them in London for a few weeks. How did you exactly end up going on tour with him? It’s interesting to learn you’ve had a real long relationship with Drake. Last year, a tattoo done for Drake commemorating Virgil Abloh went viral. But I have never stopped working on perfecting my technique and improving as a professional. The beginnings were difficult and sometimes slower than we want. How did you develop this hyper-realistic style that has garnered you an impressive list of celebrity clientele? Whenever I can, I leave my circle to discover the art that exists throughout the world. During my career I have tried to meet artists from different parts of the planet and learn from different cultures. It has been 15 years of hard work and a lot of perseverance to achieve it. One of my dreams since I started tattooing was to have my own studio in Los Angeles. I peeped you traveled to New York, Miami, California, Thailand, Dubai, and Germany before opening your own studio in Los Angeles? Why did you travel around the world to pursue this artform and how long did it take for you to get to where you’re at today? Each artist has their motivations to express themselves in one way or another, in my case, it was an evolution in my artistic career. Let’s say it’s a way of making art come to life on a person’s skin, or at least I see it that way. Generally, I know so many graffiti writers who have transitioned to become tattoo artists. I believe that every artist must find a way to bring their creative concerns to the world, whether through graffiti, on canvas, tattoos, sculptures, etc. Later I discovered the art of tattooing and I wanted to take that creative path. As a teenager I found in graffiti a way to show my art to the world, a way to express my feelings outside of paper. As a child, I spent hours drawing at home and at school. I have always been interested in the world of art. How did you transition from graffiti writing to tattooing? It’s interesting to hear that you actually were a graffiti artist in Spain before diving into this industry when you were 17. Obviously, you’ve been in the tattoo industry for quite some time. The tattoo is really just a creative idea and has nothing to do with the Yakuza. We thought that a mask in a realistic style would look great at that size and it turned out to be a hit. What was he going for exactly? It reminds me of what I’ve seen on members of the Yakuza.Īfter a creative process in which we considered several proposals, we ended up choosing a design that was in line with Lil Uzi’s tastes. The client has to be very focused and aware of the development that a tattoo of that size entails. It is certainly a long and painful process. Whether it’s a tattooing a portrait of Tupac for Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers or an image of Virgil Abloh throwing a kite for Drake, Ganga’s meticulous tattoos speak for themselves.Ĭomplex emailed Ganga to learn more about Uzi’s new ink, how he became Drake’s personal tattooist during the More Life European tour, why he puts some of his clients under anesthesia to complete his most expansive tattoos, and more. Since getting his start in body art as a teenager growing up in Spain, the 30-year-old tattooist has inked everyone from Lebron James to Lil Durk-the latter bragged about how he spent $200,000 for Ganga to tattoo his thighs on the song “Federal Nightmares.” Ganga has built an impressive list of celebrity clientele because of his hyper-realistic style that doesn’t skimp on the details. Ganga, who runs his own tattoo studio in Los Angeles, is currently one of the most in-demand tattoo artists. The client has to be very focused and aware of the development that a tattoo of that size entails.” “It is certainly a long and painful process. “The complete work lasted 16 hours, which we divided into two 8-hour sessions,” Ganga tells Complex via email. It was done by a highly specialized tattoo artist named Joaquin Ganga, who tells Complex that Uzi’s latest tattoo cost well over six figures and was an arduous task. Uzi’s latest ink wasn’t a run-of-the-mill tattoo job. We’re talking about those insanely detailed tattoos of a Japanese oni mask and samurai helmet that cover his entire chest and back. No, we’re not talking about his Kodak Black-esque haircut or those head-to-toe Balenciaga fits he’s posted on Instagram recently. Lil Uzi Vert recently appeared at the music festivals Summer Smash and Something In The Water with a bold new look.
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