The Real Meaning Behind Chanel West Coast's Tattoos
Chanel West Coast, our favorite person on Ridiculousness, got honest on social media recently when talking about her career. On her Instagram Story in February 2020, she wrote, "If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me, 'WTF is going on with your music career? Why aren't you more poppin'?' I would be richer than if I actually had a hit song on the radio currently LMFAO," according to InTouch.
In a later series of Instagram Story posts, Chanel spoke more about her musical output and linked the topic to tattoos, saying, "Quality > Quantity. I may just get this tatted," according to another article from InTouch.
While Chanel isn't totally covered in tattoos, the rapper does have a few that pop up in music videos and pics on Instagram. In 2015, she got asked about tattoos by Chris Trondsen from Pacific Rim Video at the grand opening of Romeo Lacoste's new tattoo shop California Dream in North Hollywood.
Since the topic was ink, Trondsen asked Chanel if she was going to get a tattoo that night and she said she'd love one on her hand. He then asked Chanel what her first tattoo was and she explained, "It was a really stupid one that I actually just finished getting removed." She then showed off her second tattoo, which is on her middle finger, but said it was unfinished because it hurt too much.
Chanel West Coast shows California love through her ink
In her August 2019 music video "Anchors," rapper Chanel West Coast shows off the tattoos on her inner arms. One of her most prominent says "Blessed" over palm trees and the LA Dodgers logo, and the tatt shows up in several of her Instagram pics. The ink is clearly a shoutout to her Californian roots.
According to LA Weekly, Chanel — born Chelsea Chanel Dudley — lived in the San Fernando Valley with her mom where "she started listening to hip-hop and smoking weed at age 11," because her mother sold marijuana to pay the bills. But Chanel's childhood wasn't only contained in California.
The rapper lived a bi-coastal life for much of her youth, traveling to New York City to be with her father. Chanel's father Jamie, who worked as a DJ, apparently took her to clubs all over the city and hid her under his table while he was working when she was as young as eight.
Because of this exposure from her parents, she had a profound connection to music and said, "I've always been around music, and I knew it's what I'd do for the rest of my life. I didn't have a choice." Maybe she'll get more ink paying tribute to her deep connection to music.