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“shades of Kendrick’s flow and Wiz’s charm, and quite a backstory–it appears the spacey “Yeah” is another step towards Tuki carving out his own corner” – The FADER
“One of the most talented artists in the hip-hop industry” – HotNewHipHop
Tuki Carter is more than just a rapper—he’s an artist. For more than a decade, the Atlanta-based visionary has lived and breathed art, embracing audio and visual mediums through his love of hip-hop and tattooing and beyond. In turn, he’s established himself as one-of-a-kind in an industry where status quo is far too familiar, touring across the country and crafting creatively forward-thinking projects while living life as an entrepreneur, running the parlor franchise City of Ink as co-owner and giving artists including Rick Ross, Usher and Young Jeezy some of his fresh designs.
[wpex click for full bio]“I don’t think you’re supposed to get into the music industry to just do music,” says Carter, who is currently signed to Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang. “You get into the music industry, you gain a fan base, your fan base is going to become your solid foundation which becomes your capital which becomes your business. Rappers that own businesses and promote any other talent that they do is rappers that I respect.”
As a solo artist, Carter has released a pair of mixtapes including 2012’s Atlantafornication and last year’s Tuki, which scored tens of thousands of downloads across the Internet and spawned the singles “Chirp,” “Good” and “Yeah” that each made the Billboard/Twitter Emerging Artists list in 2014. But that was just a preview for his next venture. Carter is set to release a mixtape entitled Tuki Toka—the more “weedhead” side of his personality—as a lead-up to his official debut album Flowers & Planes, which digs deeper into his personal narrative and the road he traveled to get here.
“You get your history about me, where I’m from,” says Carter of Flowers & Planes (also the name of his lifestyle brand), which features guest appearances from Khalifa, Juicy J, Emilio Rojas, Project Pat, Chevy Woods and more. “I represent Atlanta being out here so long, I’m a tattoo artist that’s frustrated at times, juggling businesses, all of that’s put out there. I don’t have problems touching on subjects and putting out personal things about myself that people need to see or hear about. All my cuts are a little more serious in subject.”
His journey has been extensive, dating back to his days growing up in Carson City, California. Raised on a diverse array of music spanning Gil Scott-Heron to De La Soul, Carter spent his time chiseling his rap and breakdancing skills, squaring off in B-boy battles with Black Eyed Peas and The Pharcyde at local warehouse parties. Art was always an interest for Carter, and in 1999, he chased his dreams down to Georgia to attend the Art Institute of Atlanta. Soon after, he got his first taste of rap stardom as one-fourth of the hip-hop group Hollyweerd, laying down tracks with the collective as a creative side hustle to his growing tattoo business.
By 2007, he had opened City of Ink, which went on to establish two locations, and served as the conduit to network with some big names. Rick Ross introduced Carter to Khalifa at the shop, which prompted Khalifa to fly him out to Vegas, put out his first solo project and take him on the “2050” tour in 2012 as well as two “Under the Influence” tours through the next year. By then, Carter had already established himself as a unique force in the rap game, tattooing artists backstage before they hit the stage and becoming one of the few to mix his passions so seamlessly.
Today, his work is prominent everywhere you look, and has even become part of history. Carter gave Canibus the infamous microphone tattoo that sparked the beef between him and LL Cool J, and after years of building his reputation by providing tattoos to patrons spanning Khalifa and Big Meech, he’s still the one that musicians call on and trust in his creative vision—Gucci Mane, for example, had Carter come to his house two days after getting out of prison to give him some new ink.
But beyond tattooing and rapping, Carter is a bona fide visionary, one who’s dabbled in designing clothes for boutique streetwear brands, put a brush to canvas for his many paintings, and conceptualized designs for bongs. What makes Carter such a promising force, though, is his intention to build an empire. Flowers & Planes may be the first official step, but he’s already laid the groundwork. “I have to keep using my music to gain popularity to gain business from the people that I attracted through words and sounds,” he says. “My whole purpose is to expand me as a business brand. I don’t want to be the next big something—I want to be a staple in the world for art and music.”
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Press Releases
Tuki Carter Reveals His Origin Story with Wiz Khalifa and Chevy Woods in “Flowers & Planes,” Debuted by XXL
Taylor Gang’s Tuki Carter Takes a Trip to NYC with Ted Park in “Nobody,”Premiered by VIBE
Rapper/Tattoo Artist Tuki Carter Perfects His Work-Life Balance in “Make A Way” Video
Taylor Gang’s Tuki Carter Fulfills His Artistic Vision on Wavy Debut Album Flowers and Planes
You Can’t Knock TGOD Inkmaster Tuki Carter’s Two-Way Hustle on “Make A Way”
Tuki Carter and Juicy J Turn Up in the Hedonistic “Jerry Maguire” Video
Tuki Carter and Juicy J Show Us The Money in “Jerry Maguire”
Ever Get So High You Think You’re Drinking Weed? Tuki Carter Has. 🍁🍁
TGOD’s Tuki Carter Embraces His Inner Rock Star in Effervescent “Commando” Video
Taylor Gang’s Tuki Carter Channels John Rambo, Goes “Commando” on the First Single From the Upcoming Flowers and Planes Album
Tuki Carter Faces Off With Femme Fatales in “Like Me”
Tuki Carter Toasts Trees on The Tuki Toker Tape
Taylor Gang’s Inkmaster Tuki Carter Announces Tuki Toker Mixtape, Premieres “Texting and Driving” Video
Press Photos
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