Meet the man behind Rihanna’s (and Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn’s) tattoos

By Lauren MacFarlane

Date June 12, 2014

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Check out all Keith “Bang Bang” McCurdy’s celebrity work »

Supermodel besties Cara Delevingne and Jourdan Dunn solidified their bond earlier this week by getting matching tats from New York City based celebrity tattoo artist Keith “Bang Bang” McCrudy. The once taboo form of defiance has morphed into an element of self-expression and personal style. Today getting inked is nbd, celebs and style setters are more covered than ever and McCurdy is responsible for some of the most famous ones.

The celeb tat artist bought his first tattoo machine when he was eighteen and tattooed his first celebrity, Rihanna, when he was twenty. Riri got wind of the ink master after seeing a Freddy Kruger piece he did online. The pop princess was only eighteen when McCurdy etched Sanskirt on her side and since then has brought a number of her a-list friends to McCurdy’s Lower East Side shop, Bang Bang Tattoos. The shop, which is set up much like an art gallery, includes a private room downstairs for celebrities, nudity, and nude celebrities.

McCurdy gets his elite clientele to return the favour by inking his right calf. His lower leg includes an umbrella from Riri, a heart from Cara Delevingne, and a dove from Rita Ora. McCurdy was also responsible for Bieb’s ink until he declined the pop star’s 3 a.m. hotel room tattoo request.