What's Black And Gray And Inked All Over?

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2018

⏱️ 24 minutes

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Summary

Black-and-gray tattoos have become increasingly popular over the last four decades. But many people don't realize that the style has its roots in Chicano art, Catholic imagery and "prison ingenuity." (Yes, they were called Prison-Style tattoos for a reason.) Freddy Negrete, a pioneer in the industry, started tattooing fellow inmates in the early 1970s. And while he's no longer tatting people up with guitar strings and ballpoint pens, he's still using some of the same techniques he mastered back in the day.

Transcript

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0:00.0	These are tattoos I did when I was in prison.
0:02.2	On yourself?
0:03.0	Yeah, I got to do this arm.
0:04.4	Because you're right-handed, so you did your left arm.
0:06.6	I had other people do this arm, but the hands and the handcuffs with the butterfly on top.
0:13.7	You did that yourself?
0:15.3	The butterfly represents freedom.
0:17.4	Smile now, cry later.
0:29.4	You're listening to Code Switch.
0:30.6	I'm Shireen Marisol Maraji.
0:32.4	And I'm Jean Demby.
0:34.1	Jean, imagine yourself jumping in your low rider impala, blasting some oldies like smile
0:40.1	now cry later by sunny in the sunliners and holding your ruka close with your right
0:45.0	arm that's all tatted up.
0:47.7	This sounds like how I live my life.
0:49.0	Actually, not true at all.
0:50.8	I don't drive.
0:51.8	I don't have any tats.
0:53.9	I don't even know what a ruka is.
0:54.9	What does a ruka?
0:55.9	A ruka is a girlfriend.
0:58.2	It's like old school cholo slang for girlfriend.
	...

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