The Real Meaning Of Post Malone's Hand Tattoos

At first glance, you might think that Post Malone is a millennial version of Eminem, but he's far from a resurgence of the Detroit rapper. Since getting his start in 2015 with the release of "White Iverson," the singer-songwriter has paved a unique path for himself through his music, described by Clash Magazine as a "melting pot of the country, grunge, hip-hop and R&B that he's grown up on." 

While his songs have surely made a mark on the music industry, it's almost impossible to miss the marks all over Malone's body. The "Congratulations" artist is practically covered in tattoos from head to toe, including a face full of ink. While each piece of ink is significant to the artist in one way or another, overall, Malone credits the art to his insecurities. 

In an March 2020 interview with GQ, he confirmed, "It does maybe come from a place of insecurity, to where I don't like how I look, so I'm going to put something cool on there so I can look at myself and say, 'You look cool, kid,' and have a modicum of self-confidence when it comes to my appearance."

While Post Malone may consider himself an "ugly-a** motherf**ker" who only got the tattoos to "piss [his] mom off," per Spin, his body art tells a different story, each representing a beautiful, meaningful, and sometimes deep side to the complicated artist. His hand tattoos alone tell multiple tales, starting with his fingers.

At the top of his fingers, close to his fingernails, fans can read "REST EASY" spelled out (excluding his thumbs). This, along with the tattoos reading "Always Tired" under his eyes could be a nod to his many years of sleepless nights considering the fact that he struggles with anxiety.

"Middle school, I would cry myself to sleep every f**kin' day," he said in his March 2020 GQ interview. "High school, the same thing. I tried to drink some beers to get rid of that s**t, but it just never goes away. And I don't think that's anybody's fault; it has to do with something predisposed in you."

Under the "REST EASY" mantra, Post Malone has portraits of multiple music artists and musicians. On six of his knuckles, Malone has the faces of Elvis Presley, Kurt Kobain, John Lennon, George Harrison, Dimebag Darrel, Bankroll Fresh, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, respectively. During an August 2016 interview with GQ, Malone said without those artists, "[he] wouldn't be making music right now."

Outside of the musical inspirations, the soft-spoken rapper also has a portrait of John F. Kennedy Jr. on his hand by his left thumb. In an interview with The Breakfast Club in December 2016, Malone said that the 35th president was "really the only President to really speak out against the crazy corruption stuff that's going on in our government nowadays."

To add to the patriotic tattoo, he also added an eagle — presumably an American bald eagle, the United States national emblem — right next to the tattoo of JFK, per Body Art Guru. In addition to the eagle that found a spot next to the JFK potrait, as of this writing, the rapper has two additional eagle tattoos.

Along the tops of his knuckles on both hands, the "Sunflower" artist has a set of barbed wire, similar to the wire along his forehead. In an August 2016 interview with GQ, Post Malone claimed that a lot of his tattoos were "spur of the moment" and the barbed wire was just as spontaneous. "I just think barbed wire's cool!" he told the outlet in March 2020. "It was a cool idea to do it as a trim. I'm going to regret it when I start balding," he joked.

One of his earlier tattoos, an open-mouthed Grizzly bear — which apparently was inspired by Justin Bieber – may have been piece of ink that was a little more thought out. While there is no official explanation for the cool tat, it's possible that it could represent strength and courage. Malone has explained in interviews and in his music that he struggled with both in the past. Honestly, the barbed wire could easily represent the same, possibly on a subconscious level.

Whatever the meaning of the tattoos, fans surely love seeing the new pieces on the creative rapper, and it doesn't look like he's slowing down anytime soon — he still has a lot of skin to go!

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).