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A Guide To 33 Mac Miller Tattoos and What They Mean
Mac Miller was one of the best rappers of the modern generation when he tragically died from an accidental overdose at the age of 26. The Pittsburgh rapper was known for his introspective lyrics that often addressed his struggles with addiction. As well as being a poster boy for indie rap, Miller was involved in a high-profile relationship with singer Ariana Grande and was a big tattoo lover. Many of his peers, including Lil Xan and Grande, got Mac Miller tattoos after he passed as a way to pay tribute to Miller and the impact he had on their lives.
Born Malcolm James McCormick, Miller began getting noticed after the release of his two breakthrough mixtapes K.I.D.S., released in 2010, and Best Day Ever, released in 2011. Signed to independent label Rostrum Records, Miller’s debut album, Blue Side Park, became the first indie number-one album to top the US Billboard 200 since 1995 when Tha Dogg Pound‘s Dogg Food took out the top spot.
Miller released one more album with Rostrum Records, Watching Movies with the Sound Off, before he signed a major label deal with Warner Bros. Records in 2014. This was when Miller’s career really took off, with the “Self Care” rapper releasing four more albums until his unfortunate passing; GO:OD AM, The Divine Feminine, Swimming, and the posthumous Circles.
As mentioned, Miller was a big tattoo fan and always willing to talk about his ink. Whether sitting down with MTV or chatting with Big Boy, he was always honest and open, especially when it came to how painful tattoos can be. “Sometimes, with tattooing, people get too lost in meaning. I’m more of [a] remember-the-moment [type of] person,” Miller was quoted as saying.
In tribute to Miller and his wide array of bodywork, we’ve dived deep into many of the tattoos that covered his body and found the details behind why he got them. Although, as quoted above, many of Miller’s tattoos were done on the spur of the moment, so not all of them have a deep meaning, but we’ve explored those that do in this article.
A Guide To 33 Mac Miller Tattoos and What They Mean
1. Lotus Flower Tattoo
One of Mac Miller’s most notable tattoos was a drawing of a lotus flower on the left side of his neck. Generally seen as a sign of purity, rebirth, and strength, the lotus flower is a tattoo many famous people have got inked, including football star Lionel Messi.
2. “P” Logo Tattoo
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Miller was brought up following the Pittsburgh Pirates, the city’s baseball team that plays in the MLB. In honor of his local sports team, the rapper got the team’s logo, a large “P,” inked on his right hand. He also had a small peace sign symbol near the bottom of his thumb on his right hand.
3. “Most Dope” Tattoo
Across his knuckles, Miller had the words “Most Dope” tattooed. Speaking about the tattoo he told MTV, “Every time I go to Cali, I just get hella tatted. I got ‘most dope’ [on my knuckles], which sucks at the airport… And I got my neck done. The neck tattoo hurt…”
The “Good News” rapper also added, “At first, we were like, ‘Most Dope,’ we can profit off it. But I didn’t want to, because it represents the people who are close to me. I didn’t want to exploit it into making money off it. To my fans, it’s Mac Miller, but to me, it’s more than that. It’s not something to make. But I am, actually, about to make some money off it. Just a little bit. On the side. To pay off some debts.”
Miller also got the phrase tattooed on the right side of his torso, with the letter “o” in the word “most” replaced by a smiling clown mask and the “o” in “dope” replaced by a sad clown mask, which is a nod to the famous Comedy and Tragedy symbols.
4. Native American Spirit Cigarette Tattoo
The rapper Mac Miller was known to enjoy a cigarette so in tribute to the Native American Spirit cigarette company, he got the brand’s logo tattooed across his chest. “We feel tobacco is a powerful herb worthy of the respect it has been shown in American Indian tradition,” the company has said about the design.
5. Cross and Heart Tattoos
On his left hand, Miller had a cross inked on his middle finger and a small red heart between his thumb and index finger. No information exists about their meaning, but cross tattoos generally have something to do with a person’s religious beliefs while the heart could have been a sign of Miller’s love for someone. 6. MCMXCII Tattoo
People really enjoy getting their birth date tattooed on their body and Miller was no exception. Written in Roman numerals, MCMXCII stands for 1992, which was the year Miller was born.
7. “No Woman No Cry” Tattoo
Above the Native American Spirit tattoo on his chest, Miller had the words “No woman no cry” inked. This is a famous line from the Bob Marley song of the same name, an artist who also enjoyed a good puff just like Miller.
8. Star of David Tattoo
Miller’s mother, Karen Meyers, is believed to be a follower of the Jewish faith, which explains Miller getting a tattoo of the Star of David on the ring finger of his left hand. The star is a hexagram compound of two equilateral triangles and is the common symbol used by those who identify as Jewish.
9. Hawk Tattoo
On the right side of his neck, Miller had a large hawk tattoo. The creature of the air plays a large role in Native American culture where it is seen as a symbol of strength and protection. Many people also get hawk tattoos as a way to ward off bad omens and protect themselves from evil.
10. Albert Einstein Tattoo
The man responsible for developing the theory of relativity, Albert Einstein will go down as one of the greatest minds in history. As well as being one of the smartest people on the planet, Einstein was believed to have had a good sense of humor, which was captured by photographers on March 14, 1951.
Having celebrated his 72nd birthday, Einstein was leaving the party and decided to pull a face at the waiting paparazzi, with Arthur Sasse being the one to take the now iconic image of Einstein sticking out his tongue. According to The Guardian, Einstein used the photo on greeting cards he sent to friends.
The photo became a defining image and one Miller must have liked, as he had it tattooed on his left shoulder.
11. Landscape Tattoo
On his left hand was a landscape tattoo of a sunset enclosed in a circle. It’s quite an artistic piece of work and one of the better designs Miller had inked on his body.
12. “Rain or Shine” Tattoo
The words “Rain or shine” were inked on the left side of Miller’s torso. Rumor has it Miller got the tattoo while he was dating his former girlfriend Nomi Leisure. He was said to be a big fan of the song, “Rain or Shine,” by British pop group Five Star. The song was a big hit in 1986.
13. Boxing Kangaroo Tattoo
The boxing kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia that has been in use for decades. It first came to international attention in 1983 when a flag featuring the animal was flown from the yacht, Australia II, during the America’s Cup.
The owner of the yacht, Alan Bond, also had the rights to the flag – which displayed a yellow kangaroo wearing red boxing gloves standing in a fighter pose against a green background – and mass-produced merchandise featuring the marsupial, making a heap of cash. Bond then sold the rights to the Commonwealth Games, who have since used the image frequently.
Why Miller decided to get this tattooed on his ankle is anyone’s guess, but he probably thought it looked cool and wanted to add to his extensive collection of ink. The tattoo was also accompanied by the word “based.”
14. Alien Riding a Submarine Tattoo
This weird tattoo is a tribute to both Daniel Johnston and the Beatles. It features the alien from the album cover of Johnston’s Hi, How Are You record riding the yellow submarine from the Beatles’ album of the same name.
Speaking about the ink in an interview, Miller said that the Beatles’ hit song “Yellow Submarine” helped him recover during a bad acid trip. As he was spiraling out of control, he put the song on and started laughing, changing his mood and helping him enjoy the trip.
15. “We Are Confused” Tattoo
Whenever Miller went shirtless, this was one of his most identifiable tattoos. Written in freehand cursive across his stomach were the words “We are confused.”
16. Blue Brontosaurus Tattoo
Check out Miller’s right calf and you’ll see a blue Brontosaurus tattoo. It’s believed Miller got this tattoo to help ease the stress of a relative who was going in to get his first ink done.
17. Heart Tattoo
This detailed tattoo on Miller’s lower left leg was of a heart accompanied by flowers, possibly roses, and fire spewing out of the top of the heart. It also appears to be surrounded by clouds.
18. Fairy Tattoo
Below his flowered heart tattoo was the ink of a fairy surrounded by roses. You can see the angel’s wings are spread, with her body is covered by the roses. This tattoo made up part of his leg sleeve and was a dynamic addition to the ink on his body.
19. Yellow Smiley Face Tattoo
On the lower part of his right leg, Miller had a smiley face tattoo inked.
20. “Streak Struck” Tattoo
On his left forearm, Miller had the words “Street stuck” tattooed. A big fan of the New York rapper known as Big L, “Streak Struck” was the name of one of his songs that Miller was said to have been a fan of.
21. “Beats, Rhythm and Life” Tattoo
This was another tattoo referencing one of Miller’s favorite albums. Tattooed near his right wrist, the phrase is the title of a record by the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest.
22. Crown Tattoo
As part of the sleeve inked on his right arm, Miller got a crown tattoo just above his wrist. The tattoo was done in regular black ink but had a red colored diamond in the center of the crown.
23. Wolf in Suit Tattoo
This rather crude tattoo was of a wolf dressed in a suit who appeared to be talking on a mobile phone while smoking. He’s also wearing a tophat.
24. Pinup Girl Tattoo
Striking Mayrlin Monroe’s famous pose, this tattoo of a pinup girl was inked on Miller’s left arm. Not the best tattoo, but it was one of the few colored tattoos Miller got, with the woman wearing a red dress and showing off her blonder hair.
25. Thumbs-Up Tattoo
On the inside of his left arm was a tattoo of a thumbs-up surrounded by stars and another small smiley face tattoo.
26. John Lennon Portrait Tattoo
A huge fan of the Beatles, Miller showed his love for the band by getting a large portrait tattoo of John Lennon on his right forearm. “The Beatles are something… I’ve listened to them my whole life,” Miller said. “And I identify with them because they came in the game with ‘I Wanna Hold Your Hand’ and ‘She Loves You,’ and then started doing artistic stuff.”
Miller also had the word “Imagine” in cursive on his right arm in tribute to Lennon’s famous song of the same name.
27. Buddha Tattoo
Although he never claimed to be religious, Miller believed in spirituality and a higher power, which might explain the religious tattoos he had on his body. On his left forearm was a large design of a Buddha sitting cross-legged and holding what appears to be a lotus flower.
28. Rose Tattoo
On his left arm and elbow, Miller had a large rose tattoo that carried on up and down his arm.
29. Tribal Face Tattoo
No, this isn’t a face tattoo but a tattoo of a face. Another tattoo that made up his right sleeve, near his elbow was a tattoo of a face with a tribal design. This was another of Miller’s tattoos that there was little information about.
30. “Only So Much Crazy in This World” Tattoo
This phrase is taken from the Outkast song, “Crumblin’ Erb,” another hip-hop group that had a big influence on the rapper.
31. Cat Face Tattoo
Miller had the image of a cat tattooed on his left leg for some reason.
32. Boy With Hat Tattoo
Resembling some sort of cartoon character, this tattoo was part of the sleeve on Miller’s left arm. It’s of a young boy with a hat and may have been inspired by one of Miller’s favorite cartoons.
33. Boombox Tattoo
The boombox was synonymous with hip-hop in the 70s and 80s. Every street party had one blasting out the latest hits and it was part of the culture. That could be the reason Miller got the image of one tattooed near his right wrist.
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