We spoke to the 23-year-old who went to Madrid to get the viral tattoo and the artist who inked him
This week on the internet, a slim, blonde man’s back went viral because of the massive, incorrect Young Thug lyrics he’d tattooed on it. The tat took a cue from Young Thug’s 2016 hit “Digits,” but reads “Horses don’t stop, they keep going,” instead of the real Thug lyric, “Hustlers don’t stop.” It’s a common mistake, but a mistake nonetheless.
The rapper caught wind of the image and reposted it, noting that the mixup is why he plans to enunciate more on what may be his next album. “And that’s y I’m talking with more clarity UY SCUTI… dam bro…[sic],” he wrote on X. However, the popular Argentine tattooist Infrababy, who laid the ink, took to her Instagram story to insist it was not a mixup at all. “The first time I realized it was going around all over the internet was, a friend of mine sent me a message like, ‘What the fuck, did you just tattoo Justin Bieber?’” Infrababy, née Jasmine, tells Rolling Stone over Zoom, citing a rumor that had spread about who the piece belonged to.
In reality, the tattoo is on John Nelson, a 23-year-old Seattle, Washington native. He’s a well-traveled college student graduating this May, who does freelance video editing and social media management on the side. He made his way to Jasmine’s shop in Madrid, where she’s lived for five years, after he finished trekking the Himalayas in Nepal. “Once I returned to civilization I messaged Jasmine, set up an appointment, and flew to Madrid a few weeks later specifically for the tattoo,” he says from a flight back to the U.S. Though it’s been treated like a joke online, the “Horses don’t stop” tattoo is one that stems from heartbreak, and something he had thought long and hard about. Below, John and Jasmine break down exactly how we got here and where John hopes to go next.
So, John, did you intentionally choose to have the incorrect lyrics to “Digits” tattooed on you?
I feel like I shouldn’t even answer this question because nobody will believe me regardless, but yes, I intentionally chose the wrong lyrics to match the theme of the tattoo. I have been wanting a horse piece for a couple years now. Many people online think that it’s simply just a Young Thug tattoo with no deeper meaning, but in 2022, a childhood friend of mine took his own life. After I heard the news I didn’t really know how to deal with it, so I went on a solo road trip across the American southwest. About a week into the road trip, I found myself driving through a stretch of isolated land in southern Colorado and out of nowhere two wild horses walked in front of my car. For whatever reason, the beauty of these horses was oddly healing for me, so I wanted to get a tattoo that was horse-themed to kind of frame that memory. As for the other aspects of this tattoo, they were decided more impulsively.
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Why did you want such a large tattoo? Why in this style?
John: I have been wanting to get a tattoo from Jasmine, and she mostly specializes in large-scale back pieces. I randomly came across Jasmine’s Instagram page like a year ago. I thought she was super talented and had a unique style of tattooing that I hadn’t seen before. I had some extra money laying around and just decided to pull the trigger.
Jasmine, how did you develop your distinctive approach?
Well, I invented it by accident. I used to do silk printing, so the first tattoo design was actually for a sweatshirt in French. A friend of mine saw that sweatshirt and he was like, “Oh, I love this text. Can you translate it for me?” We were jokingly saying, “Hey, let’s do it like super big on your back,” and he was like, “Yeah, let’s do it.” It’s funny because a lot of people who hate this style keep commenting, “This looks like the back of a t-shirt,” and it’s like, yeah, that was the inspiration.
Were you familiar with “Digits” before John asked for the tattoo?
Jasmine: No, I had never heard of Young Thug before, I’m not going to lie. I hope it doesn’t let down a lot of people. It’s crazy for me that everybody knew him and I didn’t. Like was I living under a rock maybe? I always say that the most Latina thing I have on me is the taste in music. I love cumbia, reggaeton, Latin club. I had my rap phase when I was younger, but now it is everything in Latin.
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What does Young Thug mean to you?
John: Thug was the first artist that really made me a fan of music. Before I started listening to Thug, I didn’t really care that much about music; I didn’t have a favorite artist. Music just wasn’t a part of my life, but now it plays a major role. I am almost always listening to music. I credit that to Thug.
What about “Digits”?
John: I think everyone has that one song that brings back really fond memories whenever you listen to it, for me that song is “Digits.” I have a lot of good memories with my old friend group in middle school and early high school not just listening to “Digits,” but Slime Season 3, Barter 6, and just that era of Atlanta rap in general. Great memories playing basketball together in our driveways and riding bikes around. We almost always had a speaker bumping. Whenever I listen to these songs all these years later I always get reminded of my youth.
When and how did you start to notice the tattoo going viral?
John: I didn’t even know the tattoo went viral until the original video garnered millions of views. I woke up to a handful of texts from friends sending me the links to all of the posts and I was shocked. Now I’m getting people sending me new posts every 20 minutes.
How has it felt?
John: Honestly, I’m not used to getting this much attention. It’s a pretty surreal feeling knowing that tens of millions of people have seen my tattoo. I have had a lot of fun laughing at the ridiculous hate comments with my friends.
Jasmine: I got a lot of tattoos going viral, but nothing like this. This was crazy. I know I have tattoos that are not for everybody. I have one of a big vagina that went viral. I have one that [says] “Drugs” very big, and that also went viral. Then, one that I think is my favorite piece is with Ave María. I think my style is not for everybody, and that’s why a lot of pieces go viral, because it’s a battle in the comments between the people who understand and like it and people who don’t. But I always feel stressed for the customers, because it’s super dystopic, thinking that thousands of people are commenting on your body, even if there are a lot of positive comments.
When and how did you see Young Thug’s response?
John: I had just returned from a hitchhiking trip across the Sahara Desert, and was actually checking my phone in an elevator at my hotel in Marrakech when I saw his response. I was surprised that he even responded in the first place. I was joking around with my friends, talking about how funny it would be if he reposted my tattoo, and then boom like three hours later I check twitter and my tattoo is on his page. I couldn’t believe it at first.
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What did you think of people confusing you for Justin Bieber?
John: Definitely a confidence booster, I thought it was hilarious.
Have you ever been to a Young Thug concert or had any interactions with him?
John: No, unfortunately not. I have been to Rolling Loud three times, but he was never performing. I have been trying to see Young Thug live for years now. I am hoping that with this recent publicity surrounding my tattoo hopefully someone out there reading this can pull some strings so that I can get on stage with Young Thug when he plays “Digits” at the Lyrical Lemonade Summer Smash festival this June!
