It’s a new chapter in Kevin Durant’s life, so it makes a lot of sense that he’s celebrating this passage with expressive tattoos.
Durant signed with the Warriors after nine seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder franchise dating back to their previous incarnation as the Seattle SuperSonics.
During a tumultuous offseason where he has had to endure the unjustified backlash that comes with joining a team that was already historically talented, Durant has used his left leg as a canvas to commemorate his favorite artists.
Earlier this offseason, he got the Wu-Tang Clan logo and a picture of Tupac Shakur tattooed on his lower left leg.
It’s a nice representation of the geographic diversity of great hip-hop in this country, although Tupac was born in Harlem and lived in Baltimore, the Bay Area, and Los Angeles for extended periods of time, so despite becoming the archetype of West Coast hip-hop, the East Coast can also lay claim to him in some regards.
Durant recently added a picture of Rick James above the other two tattoos on his left thigh.
Straying away from hip-hop and towards funk and soul gives Durant a more eclectic limb, and James is a fantastic choice to fill that niche.
James has a complicated legacy. There was the musical genius he possessed, but also the assault and kidnapping conviction.
The drug issues were also troubling, but it’s certainly not a character to flaw to fall victim to addiction.
It ties into the debate of whether it’s ever possible to separate the artist from the person. I’ve argued with people that it is possible to enjoy a work of art without endorsing the lifestyle choices of the producer of said art, but I understand the points behind objecting opinions.
From a purely musical perspective, though, Durant undoubtedly made a great choice by adding James to the lineup on his left leg.
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