Tattoos are everywhere these days! They are a fashion symbol, a symbol of rebellion- of defiance and solidarity. But even the hardest of the hardcore tattoo-lovers would shudder at the thought of getting inked on their face.
Not only would it be excruciatingly painful, but it would also effectively make them a pariah in society. But it seems like more and more people are going the extra mile: people like Kehlani,Tekashi 6ix9ine, and the like.
Another person who is hot on the heels of that controversial trend is 23-year-old rapper Lil Xan. The singer/songwriter seems hell-bent on having his entire body- face and all- covered in tattoos.
In this article, we look through the 40+ tattoos adorning the rapper's body and the meaning behind some of his favorite ones.
The word "XANARCHY" makes a repeat appearance on his skin. The phrase appears on both his arms and above his left eyebrow.
Lil Xan gets his name from Xanax, a prescription drug for anxiety and depression. He used to be addicted to it and an assortment of other drugs. But the death of rapper Lil Peep in late 2017 prompted Xan to take stock of his life and change his lifestyle. He started the movement "Xanarchy" to raise awareness against drug abuse.
The phrase holds profound meaning to the rapper, and he celebrates sobriety with his tattoos.
Speaking of Lil Peep, Lil Xan got 'PEEP' tattooed across the fingers on his right hand to pay homage to the deceased rapper and his friend Lil Peep.
The tattoo takes inspiration from the 12:21 verse of the Holy Bible of the Romans that reads: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
'ZZZ' is the universal colloquialism for sleep. Lil Xan has admitted that it is the only tattoo on his body that holds no meaning.
Directly under his 'ZZZ' tattoo is the tattoo reading 'LOVER.' The tattoo was originally a cover-up for his previous tattoo reading 'LOW.'
Things worked out well in the end, as combined the two tattoo reads: 'ZZZ LOVER,' which, as the rapper would himself admit, is an apt description.
"Last night I had a girl come over and I didn’t even do anything. I just literally, like, fell asleep on her. Like, twice.”
The tattoo reading 'Candy' marked Lil Xan's first face tattoo.
Candy is his mother's name, and he thought the tattoo would spare him a tongue-lashing from his mother.
This tattoo sits directly beneath the 'Candy' tattoo under his left eye. Heartbreak Soldiers is the name of Lil Xan's July 8, 2018 mixtape. He also released a second part of the mixtape on March 20, 2019.
The tattoo across his left temple is representative of Lil Xan's birth year. He was born in 1996- September 6, 1996, to be exact.
He also has a '96' tattoo on his right hand.
While the meaning behind this tattoo has not been disclosed as of yet, Lil Xan does have a tattoo with the word '32' on his neck.
Speaking of tattoos whose meanings have not been disclosed, Lil Xan has 'BABYGIRL' written on his left hand.
The ripped skin design on the rapper's right cheek is symbolic of an unraveling of inner personalities, and the tears... well the rapper had this to say about his tears tattoo:
"... f**k this, f**k that, f**k everything, I’m getting some dramatic tears inked under my eye!”
Pretty self-explanatory, huh?
Lil Xan dated the Instagram model Annie Smith in 2018. They had a turbulent relationship that ended in accusations of infidelity and fake pregnancy, but the memory of Annie lingers with the 'Annie' hand tattoo.
Lil Xan has had his fair share of heartbreaks in his life, whether that be the death of his friend Lil Peep, his addiction, or his breakups with Noah Cyrus and Annie Smith.
As a symbol that everyone hurts, Xan got a broken heart tattoo on his right hand.
This one is pretty self-explanatory!
The dots along his nose and his eyebrows are purely aesthetic and are among the many face tattoos the rapper has gotten in his lifetime.
The '909' on the rapper's wrist and left hand is the area code of Redlands, California- Lil Xan's hometown.
One of the more controversial pieces of art adorning the 23-year-old rapper is the upside-down cross, symbolic of satanism and a general contempt of Christianity.
The rapper has since gone on to explain that he was not anti-Christian.
CITGO is the name of Lil Xan's September 2016 EP.
A hummingbird tattoo is typically a metaphor for joy, freedom, luck, and prosperity. 'Memento Mori' Tattoo above Right Eyebrow
The Latin phrase Memento Mori can be translated to 'remember that you must die' and is a grim reminder of the brevity of life.
The ink is a sobering reminder about the death of one of Lil Xan's heroes, Mac Miller, on September 7, 2018, due to an overdose.
The way the word is phrased has a double meaning. It is pronounced as "evil," and it is "love" spelled backward, perhaps alluding to his failed relationships and how love can be evil.
In a show of self-awareness, Lil Xan got a tattoo of the word "paranoid" on his right forearm.
A common track from both Lil Xan and XXXTentacian, the tattoo is a memento for one of Lil Xan's heroes in light of his death on June 18.
"We both have tracks called ‘Moonlight’ — I like his a lot better, So I thought it’d be cool to get ‘moonlight’ and then get the day, unfortunately, we lost a legend, June 18.”
This controversial tattoo is also a tribute to XXXTentacian, who had a similar tattoo with the exact words on his hand.
Another homage to a fallen friend, December 3, marks the death of his best friend, Brian.
On the three-year anniversary of Brian's death, he tweeted:
"3 Years ago today I lost my best friend, miss you every day Brian ! Can’t wait to see you again one day.”
Most people don't like to share their battles with mental illness, but Lil Xan is not one of them. He went all-out with a giant tattoo that read 'ANXIETY' on the side of his neck.
The tattoo that started it all! Xan's first tattoo is a character from the Japanese animated movie Spirited Away, No-Face.
Lil Xan also has doodles and an assortment of unidentified tattoos all over his body. Some of the more prominent ones include a hand holding a revolver on his left hand, barbed wire on his left hand, "YOU" near his right eyelid, ‘NO HEART’ on his left forearm, and ‘NO RULEZ’ near his right thumb.