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Mi Vida Loca Tattoos - Los Angeles | Fotos/Letras by Sal Rojas
Nene de Mi Vida Loca Tattoos | Photo by Salvador Rojas Photography
Nene de Mi Vida Loca Tattoos – Los Angeles, California Fotos y Letras por Salvador Rojas
In the City of Compton where Gangster Rap was born and raised, a young
Chicano kid named Nene grew up in the killing fields made infamous by the lyrics
of some of Hip-Hop’s greatest.
Many of Nene’s older brothers and
extended family members were caught up in the California State Prison System.
They would mail letters back home decorated with Chicano-based prison art. Nene
would collect all the envelopes, letters, and cards he could get his hands on.
He would then recreate all the art work until he mastered the style.
Nene de Mi Vida Loca Tattoos | Photo by Salvador Rojas Photography
Barrio life is not easy when you’re a teenager in Compton, especially in
the turbulent nineties. Nene found his calling in life when he started
tattooing. Using his homegrown drawing skills he started making a name for
himself tattooing “Compton” on the skin of his homies. He then started refining
his techniques and extended his tattooing arsenal to include black and grey fine
line tattoos and realistic portraits. Having a deep love for his “Cultura” some
of his best tattoos represents his “Orgullo Café” with tattoos of Aztec/Mexica
Warriors, Mexican Revolutionaries, and Mexican Day of the Dead themes.
Day of the Dead Tattoo by Nene / Mi Vida Loca Tattoos | Photo by Salvador Rojas Photography
Thirteen years strong in the professional tattoo game he runs his own
tattoo studio in West Los Angeles appropriately named “MI VIDA LOCA TATTOOS”.
Nene bases his industry and street reputation on “guts y ganas” rather than
“glitz and glamour”, noting that fame comes and goes in a flash.
Using
his tattoos as permanent billboards, most of his business is based on word of
mouth and returning customers who want the most authentic Mexican tattoos
possible. When he’s not in his own personal tattoo studio located on West Pico
Boulevard in L.A. you can find him traveling the world, from Tokyo to New York
City, slanging ink and wearing his “Compton” shirt with pride.
La
Cultura Cura! Salvador Rojas
Photography
Mi Vida Loca Tattoos - Los Angeles, CA | Photo by Salvador Rojas Photography
Mi Vida Loca Tattoos (on the second floor) 5653 West Pico
Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90019 tel:(323)939-7426ý website:www.mividalocatattoos.com myspace:www.myspace.com/mvlta2
Nene's Tattooing Hand with Zapata and Day of the Dead Tattoo | Photo by
Salvador Rojas
Photography
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