Last week I decided to grab some of my homies and head into Brooklyn to meet a man by the name of
@Tat2Slim (Slim) at Jaz Tattoo. I am not a person for pain but I will sit still for some ink. Tattoos are addicting and once you start, you don’t stop. I have to tell you that he is working on a piece for my thigh as we speak and I can’t wait to get it in. I don’t know how many of my followers are ink fanatics but Slim can definitely bring your ideas to light. Whether it’s an ass or finger, I am sure Slim can bring it to life and ink you right. While he was inking a client, I had a brief conversation with him. Brief because the master was hard at work and dammit a tattoo leaves no room for mistakes. When he was finished with that customer, it was my turn. He blessed my finger with “Sui Generis” (see pic below). Let me just say, I will be seeing him again soon. He does tat parties and house calls. If you are interested in seeing him for ink, hit him up
@Tat2Slim on Twitter or stop in the shop. Jaz Tattoo is located at 212 Greene Street in Brooklyn.
Check the interview...
LB: So.. How long have you been tattooing?
Slim: I’d say 2 years officially. Four years all together. A lil' bullshit in between because I had part time jobs here and there.
LB: What got you interested in becoming a tattoo artist?
Slim: Ahhh. Well I got a tattoo that I was drawing myself and everybody kept on complimenting me on it so I said 'Let me try it'. See what happens.
LB: Were you an art student?
Slim: I was always an art student but I never took it seriously. My mom was into art and shit but I was everywhere else besides art. So I did a little bit of everything and then I found this and was like “Oh Shit!” I like it. The rest is history after that.
LB: What does your family think about your choice of profession?
Slim: Well it was either between this or being a cop.
LB: Ohhhhhhhh (O_o) (LOL)
Slim: So... I decided to do this. They were with me. I never got any complaints about it. It was one of those things where you jump into it and you’re like “I don’t know if this is gonna be good because it takes a certain kind of person to deal with it.” But they never held me back from trying it so.
LB: What’s your favorite part of the job?
Slim: When a person is happy with their tattoo. There’s nothing better than that. They get what they want. They come to me trying to find an idea. Or they come to me with an idea, nothing on paper and I come up with an idea that matches what they’re thinking. And if they’re happy with it, that’s my favorite part.
LB: Are there any artists that influenced your career choice?
Slim: No. I don’t really know anything about the tattoo industry besides getting tattoos. I can’t really say anybody from the industry influenced me. Na'mean?
LB: At one time it was a stereotype that bikers, biker chicks, punks, freaks were the people to get tattooed. Is that true now? If it isn’t, how has that changed?
Slim: The stereotype is still there. But now everybody is getting 'em. It’s become so main stream. Little kids are coming to get tattoos. Fourteen year olds are getting their boyfriend's names tattooed on 'em so I mean it's not necessarily for everybody but it’s turning into that point where everybody is walking around with them. I figure in the next couple of years everybody is going to be tattooed so nobody can really hate on the fact that you have tattoos.
LB: So with that being said, do you thing tattooing is a fad, a trend? Considering it’s been around for so many years and people are still doing it. Do you think it’s going to fade?
Slim: Nah, I don’t think it’s going to fade. People are going to have children and they are going to want tattoos and so on and so forth. No, it’s not going to fade but the kinds of tattoos that people are going to get are going to change. There is always a point where a type of tattoo is popular.
LB: Where’s the weirdest place you’ve had to put a tat?
Slim: There isn’t one. I do tats in all kinds of places. I’ve done all kinds of places. Ass tats are my favorite though.
LB: So if and when you have children, are you going to allow them to get inked?
Slim: Absolutely!! And I wanna be the one to do it. And if I’m not, they are going to be in trouble! LOL!
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Catch the homie Big Stat at Toad's Place in New Haven, CT on February 14, 2010. Print out the pass and get a $9.99 admission. Canibus will also be in the house on the 14th.
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