Nobody realized Cardi B’s neck tattoo covers an ex-boyfriend’s name until the “Bodak Yellow” rapper made the big reveal on social media recently. In a new post to Twitter on Monday, June 29, the Bronx-born star showed off her before-and-after shot—and fans in the replies immediately began reading into the coverup.
“I never showed ya my cover tatt,” the Invasion of Privacy artist wrote on Twitter. “What ya think?” Cardi’s tweet had two photos attached: A photo on the left shows off the name “Samuel” written in cursive with red ink and framed by two calligraphy strokes. And on the right, Cardi’s new tattoo is on full display. The “Be Careful” star had her tattoo artist cover up the “Samuel” tattoo with a bright, multicolored butterfly—and while it doesn’t *completely* cover up every part of her old tat, it’s still seriously stunning.
“The color is so f*ckin [fire],” said one Twitter user. “I’m scared of tatts but all of your tatts make me wanna get one. They’re just so damn detailed & perfect.” Others weighed in with more compliments: “That’s dope af! Your tats look like MONEY,” reads one tweet, while another wrote, “Wow so beautiful cardi,” followed by at least a dozen heart emojis. We feel that.
Aside from the obvious admiration for Cardi’s new body art, users on Twitter began asking the million-dollar question: Who the heck is Samuel? One Twitter user brought up a good point: “she said that she have [sic] tattoos of her past boyfriends on ellen before,” wrote @NostaIgiaAgain. And it’s true: In an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Cardi revealed, I have like three different men tatted on me, you know what I’m saying? They gotta go!” While it’s pretty clear then that Samuel is probably Cardi’s ex, the rapper has yet to confirm or deny the speculation. But that hasn’t stopped fans from running with it.
“When you forget about her birthday,” joked one user, suggesting that tiny transgression is enough for Cardi to literally block that man’s name off of her body. Another wrote, “*Starts googling Cardi B and Samuel hoping to find some tea,” and honestly, same. But the biggest tea comes from Twitter user @sewnfruit, who made us realize that Cardi’s husband Offset has probably been seeing this man’s name on the back of Cardi’s neck for ages: “Can’t believe he’s been looking at that for 3 years,” they wrote.
Many fans also noticed that Cardi’s fresh ink matches the recent work she’s had done to update other tattoos on her body, including her massive back tattoo completed at-home while social distancing. The back-piece, which “took several months” to finish and extends from “the top of my back to the middle of my thigh,” according to Cardi, features the same vibrant colors and a similar design to her new butterfly. We wouldn’t be surprised if it was all carried out by the same artist, a.k.a. SoCal-based Jamie Schene. Writing about Cardi’s back-piece on Instagram, Schene revealed, “It was an awesome project and a crazy experience. Thanks for the dedication, strength, and hospitality.”