This post was originally on Noisey U.K.
The widened popularity of grime over the last eighteen months has turned into somewhat of a social phenomenon, as music fans of every taste slowly migrate to a genre that never actually left. I was in a pub in Aldgate last week, and a bunch of men in suits bundled in loudly, ordered a round of pints and took over the jukebox. They put on Skepta “Shutdown”.
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With this new found popularity has come a sub-phenomenon: the grime tattoo. Once, British kids would hit the littered shores of Spain and Cyprus to sink fish bowls and get “Maga 09” printed on their ankle to mark the experience, but now more and more are choosing to commemorate their weeks abroad by getting their favorite MC carved into their flesh for life. There was the guy who had “That’s Not Me” on his foot, closely followed by the much lauded bloke whose pelvic nod to Skepta managed to get him dumped by his girlfriend. Following these trailblazers, certified #LAD Drake jumped straight on the bandwagon – like that kid at school who used to buy the same creps as everyone else, but two months later – and got BBK tattooed on his arm.
You’d have thought that this illustrious addition was as good as it was going to get, surely? Well, not yet. There is patch of skin to add to this pantheon of men celebrating the best of London’s MC’s. A lad named Kane, who, it has recently come to light, is the latest revelation in this never ending story. Feast your eyes on this…
Kane first got his tattoo in Ayia Napa last summer, and Stormzy even tweeted about it. But as a soldier of this new phenomenon, we decided to get in touch with the man himself to find out what life is like with a permanent grime tattoo, now we’re almost a year on from those halcyon Napa nights. Why Stormzy? Why a tattoo? Why the arse?
In order to get to the bottom of these questions, and mere hours before I left the office to go and get “Novelist” tattooed on my gooch, I reached out to Kane. Here’s what took place when we went Parkinson over the phone.
Noisey: Hi Kane mate, how’s it going?
Kane: Yeah good thanks.
I guess we should get straight to it then – when did you get the tattoo done?
I met Stormzy on the first night I was in Ayia Napa. He came into a club where DJ Russke was playing and got up on stage. I was a bit drunk with my mate and on the way back I just went into a tattoo parlour and got it done.
Were you still drunk?
Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
Did it hurt?
I can’t remember to be honest. I was paralytic. I remember being there with my mates but I don’t remember any pain or anything.
What about the design?
I just got it in bold, normal letters. My mate drew it up for the artist.
Was he drunk as well?
Yeah he would have been.
How did you feel in the morning when you woke up?
I didn’t have a clue it had happened until my mates told me.
Do you regret it now?
I do. And I don’t.
Did you get a chance to show your tattoo to Stormzy?
The next day I went to the Kandi beach party and watched him there, live, and went to the strip afterwards. I heard he was in a club called Ice Bar, so I ran downstairs, and ran through the VIP and past all the security. All his security and that were grabbing me, but I just pulled my pants down and showed him my tattoo and he dragged me into VIP with him.
He liked it then?
Yeah. When he saw I was getting my backside out he was backing away from me, but when he saw the tattoo he grabbed me, and him and all his boys got their Snapchats out. He put me on his Snapchat story. Then he poured me a drink. I was a wreck, it was crazy.
What a life lol pic.twitter.com/Aa4VD8gzsp
August 1, 2015Is this your first tat?
No, I’ve got a couple of initials on my other arse-cheek.
Have you got a girlfriend? Was she pissed?
No, but my mum wasn’t happy. All my mates think it’s hilarious but she went crazy. She didn’t even know who Stormzy was. I had to show her some videos. She said I’m crazy but, I’m young aren’t I?
This is true. But if we fast-forward, to you, aged 40, catching the reflection of your sagging cheek in the mirror, will this tattoo bring back fond memories?
Yeah, it will bring back good memories. It’s a good story to tell.
Will you do this with other grime artists?
It depends. I’m going to Hideout this year. Stormzy’s there again. I don’t think I could get another one of him but we’ll have to see who else is playing?
So you just get the tattoo of any MC that impresses you… That’s dedication. Did you hear about the guy whose girlfriend dumped him over his Skepta tattoo?
Yeah that was crazy wasn’t it! Hahaha. I think one of my mates has got Skepta [tattooed on his body] as well, from when he went to Napa two years ago.
What if you go off Stormzy?
I don’t think I will. I like the guy and that.
Legend.
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