Tupac Shakur’s 21 Tattoos & Their Meanings

“I would share the definition of ballin’ with you white folks, but now the game is to be sold not told so fuck y’all.”

10. ‘Smile now and Cry later’ Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Smile now and Cry later’ Tattoo on both sides of his back.

Meaning: Tupac had got inked a happy face mask with a smile now text below it on the left side of his back and a sad face mask with cry later text below it on the right side of his back. Both of these tattoos specifies Tupac’s passion for acting and theater. These masks are well known as sock and buskin, are the ancient symbols of comedy and tragedy. On his ‘Scarface’ song ‘Smile’ Tupac said,

“There’s gonna be some stuff that you’re gonna see, That’s gonna make it hard to smile in future, But whatever you see, Through all the rain and pain, You gotta keep a sense of humor, Gotta be able to smile through all this bullshit.”

11. ‘Panther Head’ Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Panther Head’ Tattoo on his left arm.

Meaning: Tupac had got a black panther head inked on his left arm. Panther tattoos are basically the sign of power and strength. Tupac had inked black panther head on his left arm as a tribute to The Black Panther Party, in which his mother Afeni Shakur was an active member. The Black Panther Party was founded on October 15, 1966, with the aim of protecting black people and giving them justice in every field. Many members of the Shakur family were involved in this party, some of whom were even imprisoned for serious criminal offences, including his mother Afeni Shakur.

12. ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ Tattoo

Tattoo: ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ Tattoo on his left arm.

Meaning: Tupac had got Jesus on burning cross tattoo with a text ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ on the left side of his arm. He believed that he was answerable to only God and no one else in this world. He also has a song titled ‘Only God Can Judge Me’ from the album ‘All Eyez On Me'(1996) featuring Rappin’ 4-Tay.