![Rapper Sleepy. [Newsis]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/06/12/news-p.v1.20260612.6a7107352b154bdcafb42b2ca3c23246_P1.jpg)
Rapper Sleepy has decided to have his tattoos removed for his children.
A video posted Thursday to his YouTube channel "Sleepy Matayo" showed him visiting a dermatology clinic after making the decision.
In the video, Sleepy revealed the tattoos covering his arms, fingers and the rest of his body. "I started thinking I needed to get them removed after my kids began attending daycare," he said.
Earlier, Sleepy had opened up about his concerns in a conversation with the production crew.
"I have more tattoos than I realized — more than Jay Park," he said. "I feel embarrassed and ashamed going to the daycare because of them." He added that he worried about setting a bad example for his children. "Even when I wear long sleeves, the tattoos still show. I wanted to reach a point where they would not be visible at all," he said.
Sleepy then visited a dermatology clinic to begin the removal process.
When the dermatologist asked whether he really needed them removed, Sleepy said that while tattoos were fine in the hip-hop world, they felt out of place given his work as a broadcaster and trot music singer. He said he wanted to start with the tattoos on his hands, noting that he always wore bandages over them when appearing on television.
After being told that tattoo removal is more painful than getting a tattoo, Sleepy steeled himself. "I'm really doing this for my kids," he said.
Once the procedure began, he visibly struggled with the pain. "The spots that hurt when I got the tattoos hurt even more having them removed," he said.
After the session, he checked his faded tattoos and expressed satisfaction. "They're really gone," he said.
Sleepy urged anyone considering a tattoo to think it over hundreds or even thousands of times before deciding. "There were moments during the procedure when I wanted to give up, but I kept going by thinking of my kids," he said.
Meanwhile, Sleepy married a non-celebrity woman eight years his junior in 2022. The couple have a son and a daughter.
choigo@heraldcorp.com
