Before he’s turned 18, Kiyan Anthony has indulged in a few tattoos. But the one on his left arm is the scene stealer. It’s the portrait of MTV host, BMF star, Carmelo Anthony’s ex, and his mom La La Anthony. On Unapologetically Angel, Kiyan revealed that he got his mom involved in the entire process. But if La La had her way, he probably wouldn’t have this tattoo until next year. Now that he’s got it, she’s indulging in his sweet gesture.

During his latest appearance on Angel Reese’s podcast, the 17-year-old flexed the ink on his left forearm and read out what it says. To the unaware, Kiyan wrote this message – “Dear Mom, you continuously put me before yourself. You are my why. I thank God for you every day,” – under a portrait of La La along with her name and his grandmother’s name.

Kiyan said he always wanted a tattoo on his forearm. “The concept was just like giving thanks to my mom. Then the tattoo artist, like, found the picture, I wrote the quote.” When Reese asked if that was Kiyan’s favorite picture of his mother, he said, “Nah, she picked it. She didn’t wanna look… she had glasses on, she didn’t want to look…” And Angel, who knows La La as a friend too, said, “Crazy?” 

La La has been sharing bits of her son’s appearance on Angel’s podcast for a few days. She specifically shared this tattoo discussion on her Stories writing, “ITS SOOO GOOD” and “love this two.”  She’s endeared by Kiyan’s tribute to her now. But previously, she was not on board with it anytime soon.

La La Anthony and Kiyan disagreed on tattoos

La La Anthony had a different stance on Kiyan getting inked two years ago. He’s clearly wanted this for a long time because he was asking his mom’s social media followers if he should get tattooed on his 16th birthday. At the time of that post, Kiyan was a month away from turning 15.

While he’s trying to get social media support, La La said, “No, you’ve lost your mind… What 16 year old has a damn tattoo!” And even though she was behind the camera, La La sounded mad. Kiyan was a bit defiant, making his case. But La La kept shooting him down. She first said, “Tattoo when you’re 21. Honestly maybe 18.” 

Kiyan ignored his mom’s irritation the entire time and kept asking fans to comment their responses. His determination to get a tattoo didn’t fade. He’ll turn 18 on March 7 next year and will probably commit to a college this month. But he’s already got his ink.

Surprisingly, La La went with it, as seen on Overtime. She still calls it “crazy” and reminded the artist he’s only 17 and still a baby. He unveiled the finished tattoo in July and it appears La La is cool with it.