Tattoos

If Nicki Minaj and her boyfriend are still together, then he's got a weird way of showing the love ... having 2 of his 3 Nicki tats covered up with new ink.

Check out the pics for yourself ... Safaree Samuels had some work done on his chest -- though it's unclear when -- and he clearly covered up Nicki's name/mug.

Not only that, but his forearm ink looks drastically faded as well.

Neither have commented on rumors of their breakup, but Nicki definitely hinted at one back in May when she tweeted "SINGLE N READY TO MINGLE."

At the time, sources told us it was just a temporary argument and that the 2 were still together.

But healthy couples don't typically deface their better half's face, do they?

Man, love hurts.

Nick Cannon showed off his new cover-up tattoo Sunday in Studio City ... and it's perplexing.

Cannon hit up the gym ... and on the way out we finally caught a glimpse of his crucifixion back piece -- but what's above Jesus' head has others scratching theirs.

We got 3 guesses ...

1) An angel

2) Some kind of bird

3) a cherub

Got a better guess? We'd love to hear it in the comments. So would Mariah Carey.

Nick Cannon will be divorcing Mariah Carey ... yet he's turned her into Jesus Christ.

Cannon was at Playhouse in Hollywood Thursday night to celebrate his birthday. As celebs are known to do, Nick took off his shirt at one point and revealed the massive new ink.

It's hard to make out the details from the photo, but our Nick sources say the tattoo shows Jesus on the cross with angel wings coming off the end the cross.

And in the smoke department ... Amber Rose was there.

"Tattoos After Dark" star Asaru Mushavu put his mark on a woman's face -- in the form of a nasty bruise -- after he cold-cocked her for no reason outside of his tattoo parlor ... according to a new lawsuit.

Corey Fortenberry claims Mushavu attacked her last year while she was helping a drunk friend who was puking in front of "House of Ink" -- the Venice tattoo shop featured on the TV show.

According to the police report, Mushavu saw the woman throwing up, came out of the shop and yelled, "What the f*** are you doing? Who the f*** is going to clean that up?" ... and then pushed Fortenberry and punched her in the face.

Fortenberry claims Mushavu left a bruise that's still visible a year later.

A rep for Mushavu tells TMZ ... it's a frivolous lawsuit and he expects it to be dismissed.

The Anthony Weiner scandal just climaxed in the most ridiculous of ways ... Sydney Leathers got a tattoo celebrating the 1st anniversary of her outing the former NY Congressman.

It's the number 23, which ... Sydney tells TMZ ... has a special meaning. It was the 23rd of July when she leaked the Weiner photos to the media ... changing her life and his forever.

Of course, that new life has been dedicated to porn. And now, as all porn stars eventually do, she's going back to college!

A degree in broadcasting you say, Syd? ... Genius.

Naturally, to pay for school she's signed a new 3 skin flick deal.

So it seems the more things change, the more things stay the same.

I believe we can now officially close the book on "As the Leather Turns" for good.

You're welcome America.

Travis Barker says he's finally gonna fix the tattoo on his leg that burned off in the 2008 plane crash that left 4 dead and Travis badly burned.

The Blink-182 drummer was talking tattoos on his way out of Brooklyn Projects in Los Angeles (confusing name, we know) ... and told us his plan for the area of burned off ink.

Travis has said in the past it was extremely painful to re-tattoo that part of his leg.

For those who don't remember ... Barker and DJ AM were the only two survivors when a private jet blew a tire while taking off and crashed into an embankment. The plane burst into flames.

Colin Kaepernick's giant new tattoo took 27 long painful hours to complete -- over 3 days -- with one of the top celebrity tattoo artists in L.A. wielding the needle ... TMZ Sports has learned.

As we previously reported, Colin recently had biblical imagery symbolizing "money is the root of all evil" tatted on his left torso. Now, we've learned the guy who applied the tat is Carlos Torres of Timeline Gallery tattoo shop in L.A. ... an artist who's worked on huge stars like 50 Cent and Nas.

Torres tells TMZ Sports ... Colin initially reached out on Instagram to inquire about a session, after being referred through a friend.

"He sent me a drawing of his idea ... There was a lot going on so I simplified it. Not every piece of art makes a great tattoo, so I refined it so it'd be a great tattoo. But Colin came up with the concept."

Torres explains ... "We did three sittings. They were each eight, nine hours long. The side of the ribs are a painful area, but Colin laid there like a rock."

Torres wouldn't tell us how much Colin paid for the art work, but says he usually runs around $250 per hour ... and he still has a few hours of work left before Colin's tat is complete. So, figure CK's total bill will run upwards of $7,500.

Miley Cyrus will never forget her deceased dog ... because it's now emblazoned on her rib cage.

Miley inked the memoriam Saturday at a house party in Los Angeles. For some reason ... her good buddy Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips and another friend tatted the same design in honor of Floyd -- an Alaskan Klee Kai that died when he was only 2.

Floyd's death ... along with a bad reaction to antibiotics and hard partying ... led to Miley's meltdown earlier this year.

It looks like Floyd's mug is the centerpiece of the tat with the words, "with a little help from my fwends."

We'll always remember Floyd ... because we have to now.

Jeremy Meeks can't erase his criminal past ... but he can erase his gang-style tats with the help of a tattoo removal company that's offering him free laser treatments ... and cold, hard cash for his bail.

The honchos at LaserAway say they've been following Meeks' story ... and were touched by comments from his mom ... about how her son has been stereotyped by the ink on his body.

But the convicted felon should think twice before accepting the offer ... as we reported, he's getting bites from modeling companies that like the body art ... because it's gangster-chic.

If he goes through with the removal ... the company says it will also pony up $20K toward his $900,000 bail.

The company may do better with Melanie Griffith.

Melanie Griffith has a problem ... she's divorcing the husband whose name is emblazoned on her arm and she wants it removed ... which takes time, so Melanie has now figured out a shortcut.

Antonio Banderas' soon-to-be ex-wife is sitting for photos right now in NYC. She's doing a magazine spread showcasing her newly decorated Central Park West apartment.

Sources connected with the shoot tell TMZ ... Melanie has laid down the law -- Antonio MUST be Photoshopped out.

Our sources say Melanie -- who used makeup to cover the tattoo last week -- plans on having it lasered off, but has yet to find the time.

Melanie Griffith is still carrying Antonio Banderas in the form of a tattoo on her right arm ... and she flat out showed it off yesterday in Santa Monica.

As TMZ first reported, the "Working Girl" filed for divorce from Antonio after 18 years of marriage. Griffith wants custody of their daughter and spousal support.

A referral to a good tattoo removal doc wouldn't hurt either.

However the divorce plays out, it's clearly going to take some time for Melanie to entirely erase Antonio from her life.

You know you're a legend when you end up on Wiz Khalifa's thigh -- at least that's how the guys from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are taking it after seeing Wiz's new ink.

TMZ spoke to a bunch of the Bones after Wiz revealed the tattoo in an interview earlier this week. Bizzy Bone told us he thinks the tat is a great homage ... especially considering it comes from another great hip-hop artist.

Wish Bone said he feels blessed that Wiz looks at them as "his idols in the hip-hop game," --and Flesh said seeing the tat blew his mind.

Krayzie predictably described it as "crazy" ... but Bizzy probably wrapped it up best, saying this is "proof they are legends in the hip-hop game."

For her sake, we hope Amber Rose is as big a fan as Wiz.

The only thing rich about Rick Ross' new chin tattoo is the irony.

Ross just posted the ink pic on Instagram -- but clearly, the Boss isn't familiar with the #1 rule of the universe ... tattooing the phrase "Rich Forever" on your face pretty much guarantees you will NOT be rich forever.

It's true, Ross is rich -- reportedly worth around $30 million -- but he's not rich enough that he doesn't have to worry about money for the rest of his life ... especially the way he spends it.

Then again ... "Rich for the next few years" doesn't really have the same ring to it.

Kylie Jenner helped tattoo her initials on the hand of Lionel Richie's son ... which is both stupid and not entirely legal ... and TMZ has the video.

It all went down at a recording studio in Hollywood on Friday night. According to our sources, Kylie was there with sister Khloe Kardashian, French Montana and Miles Richie.

We're told Miles (who is 19) was getting ink from John Petro, who has tatted up the likes of Soulja Boy and Lil Wayne ... when Kylie decided she wanted to help out.

Sources say Kylie threw on some gloves and put her hands on top of Petro's as he administered the tat -- sorta like when a father lets his kid sit in his lap and "drive" a car.

But according to the LA County Dept. of Public Health, only people over 18 can give tattoos -- or even participate in the process -- and Kylie is only 16.

If authorities decide to go after Jenner, she could be hit with a misdemeanor and fined up to $1,000 ... and Petro could have his license suspended.

As for Richie ... well his punishment lasts for eternity.

Justin Bieber has joined a very exclusive mile-high club that does not involving banging ... but it does involve body parts and a little prick.

It's true ... TMZ has learned Bieber got fresh ink on a flight to Canada just five days after his infamous Miami Beach arrest. The new tat was done by New York City tattoo artist Bang Bang, who has tatted up the likes of Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry and many other big celebs.

Bang Bang tells TMZ the work was done at 40,000 feet (which he thinks might be a record for highest altitude tattoo) and during terrible turbulence. He called it "the most difficult tattoo I’ve ever done for sure."

In case you're wondering ... a rep for the FAA tells TMZ there is nothing illegal about getting a tattoo aboard a plane, as long as it doesn't interfere with the safety of passengers and crew.

As for the significance of the tattoos ... Bang Bang says Bieber sent him a text afterward, explaining, "Forgiveness is powerful, forgive as Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins."

Or strike a plea bargain. Whichever works best.