After Dave East lost his longtime friend and fellow artist Kiing Shooter in addition to Nipsey Hussle, the Harlem-bred rapper has memorialized both men in ink.
On Wednesday (May 27), the Def Jam artist shared the first round of what will be a massive back tattoo featuring both Shooter and Hussle. Two separate images of each rapper appear in the extremely detailed portrait done by famed tattoo artist Ricasso Reek.
“Part 1 @ricassoreek Love Y’all,” East captioned the photo on Instagram with a blue heart. “My Niggas Know How I’m Roccin 630…”
Reek shared East’s new ink on his Instagram as well, naming the piece “Thug Paradise.”
“West Coast | East Coast… @daveeast,” Reek wrote. “Thug Paradise: @nipseyhussle x @kiingshooter @inkstudio”
Kiing Shooter passed away on May 5 at the age of 24 after suffering complications of liver failure. COVID-19 has been rumored to have contributed to his death but hasn’t been confirmed.
On May 21, East was taken into custody by the New York Police Department following a memorial for Shooter at the Queensbridge Housing Projects.
NYPD alleges the SUV the Paranoia 2 rapper was riding in failed to signal, and insisted he and one other individual became “combative” when asked for identification. After searching the vehicle, cops found six bags of marijuana and detained East. He was cited for marijuana possession and disorderly conduct.
Nas & Jungle Mourn Kiing Shooter’s Death
East later reposted a video of himself getting detained and denounced the NYPD while paying homage to his fallen friend.
“REST IN PARADISE SHOOTER,” he wrote. “SHIT DONT STOP FUCC NYPD TILL I SEE U AGAIN.”