Ray J has opened up about his sister Brandy’s reaction to a tattoo he got in her honor. During an appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast with Shannon Sharpe, the 43-year-old singer recounted how his 45-year-old sister, an R&B icon, was “pissed” at the “gothic” tattoo on his leg.
Despite having other tattoos of Brandy, she was upset with this particular one, which depicted her with bloodshot eyes and a face covered in phrases like “Best Friends” and “From Ray with Love.”
“I think the tattoo went viral the wrong way,” Ray J admitted on Sharpe’s podcast. “I think the tattoo was not it… for the world.”
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Ray J recounted how he requested tattoo artist Alexey Mashkov, known for his gothic, hip-hop, and graffiti-style art, to add his “signature touch” to the tattoo of his sister Brandy. However, the resulting “really gothic” tattoo, which depicted Brandy with red eyes, caused an unexpected internet frenzy. Although Ray J liked the tattoo, he conceded that the red eyes might have been a mistake.
In July 2022, the singer unveiled the controversial tattoo of his sister Brandy in an Instagram post, stating he intended to cover his leg with themes like “music,” “love,” and “family,” starting with his “best friend.”
Following the post, which has since been deleted, Ray J received messages from several people, including India. Arie, advising him to pray.
“I explained to her what it was and she like, ‘OK’” Ray J recalled on Club Shay Shay, “but a few people hit me up mad at me about it [saying] it seemed demonic to them.”
Initially, Brandy appeared to approve of Ray J’s tattoo tribute, commenting enthusiastically on his Instagram post “Brooooooo♥️♥️♥️♥️,”.
However, in a later interview with TMZ, the “Full Moon” singer admitted she didn’t fully understand the tattoo at first.
“It’s like a Basquiat-type of style,” she explained to the outlet. “I didn’t understand it at first … but then he explained it to me and showed me the tattoo artist’s whole page, and it was amazing.”
“It could’ve been a different tattoo,” she continued. “I’m just glad he got a tattoo of me.”
