Drake is no stranger to the tattoo chair with over 30 different pieces of body art. Examine some of his most visible and impressive tattoos and gain insight into what they mean.
Musicians and rock stars have been sporting tattoos for decades; nothing quite captures the way pop icons live life on their own terms than big and bold ink.
One musician who continues marching to the beat of his own drum is Toronto born, rapper, actor, producer and songwriter, Drake. From his early start on television, to his penchant for creating hit songs, to his eclectic sense of style, Drake does things his own way. His tattoos are no different.
His tattoo collection features numerous different styles, although judging by the number of black and gray portraits he has, it’s safe to say he has a soft spot for photo-realistic pieces. The inspiration for his ink also reflects his diverse and unique tastes and sensibilities: from amazing tributes to friends and family, to his favorite cologne, if it’s important to Drake, he might get it inked on his body.
1. Back Piece
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From the family members that shaped his upbringing, to the musicians that inspired and influenced him, Drake tats commemorate the important people in his life.
His largest group, the black and gray big tattoos are a collection of different portraits that were organized into a cohesive piece over the years. At the center of the piece is an excellent portrait of his Grandmother Evelyn Sher, and his Uncle Steve, two family members instrumental in Drake’s continued pursuit of music.
To the left is a portrait of his Mother, Sandi Graham. The role she plays in his life is obvious to fans: Drake has taken her on tour and brought her out on stage with him during multiple performances. Opposite his mom, is the other female muse in Drake’s life, the late singer and actress, Aaliyah. A longtime fan-boy, this Drake tattoo got inked December, 2011.
On the back of his left arm Drake sports a CN Tower tattoo in tribute to Toronto.
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2. Dennis Graham
Adding to Drake’s collection of black and gray portraits, he has a tattoo of his father and musical inspiration, Dennis Graham, located on his right bicep.
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3. Sade and Denzel
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4. Sade
A new tattoo to Drake’s tattoo collection is a large, photo-realistic celebrity tattoo portrait of legendary R&B singer Sade. After meeting with her in 2017 while on tour in Europe, Drake decided to get the artist’s image along with a small line of script tattooed on his left side.
The inscription reads “With love, Sade X” and was taken directly from an autograph. The Sade piece slaps and was done by Toronto tattoo artist Inal Bersekov, who also inked a Denzel Washington piece from when he starred in the film Mo’ Better Blues.
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5. Lil Wayne
The latest of Drake’s tattoo portraits comes in the form of a tribute to the New Orleans legend, Lil Wayne. Drake has regularly expressed his admiration for the music that Wayne has made and his contribution to hip hop. Located on his left triceps, it is an exceptional piece that uses smooth black and gray shading to capture the unmistakable appearance of Lil Weezy.
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6. Flaming Skull
Just above Lil Wayne and located on his left shoulder, Drake has a stylized, flaming skull applied in smooth black and gray ink. Beneath the skull is clean script that reads “Unruly”. Most fans believe the piece is a shout out to collaborator and Dancehall star Popcaan. Drake debuted his single of the same name shortly before the tattoo was unveiled.
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7. Praying Hands, “6” and Jack-o-Lantern
Below the prayer hands, Drake has a black and gray jack-o-lantern tattoo. People have suspected the meaning behind the piece may relate to this California neighborhood, Calabasas (Spanish for pumpkin) as well as his birth month, October.
Drake originally had the praying hands emoji tattooed on his right forearm, facing forward, next to the number 6. He later had the emoji covered by a more detailed and stylized interpretation of prayer hands.
While he has mentioned this “leveling up” of his ink, he has never detailed the meaning behind the piece.
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8. Forever Fif
A small, yet impressive piece again etched by Drake’s tattoo artist Inal Bersekov is the Forever Fif piece found on his upper left arm. It’s a beautifully crisp, fully detailed portrait done with great skill and concentration
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9. Rihanna, his Son, A Compass, and Warriors tattoo
Drake has an eclectic mix of tattoos on both arms. On the right is a Rihanna tattoo, , and a portrait of his son Adonis. On his left;
the CN Tower tattoo, a fine line black compass and numerical/script references to superstar Golden State Warrior Steph Curry (30). He also has another, Kevin Durant tattoo(35), a former Warrior that has since signed with Brooklyn.
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10. Camo Shark
Drake has a shark tattoo Inspired by a trip to Ripley’s Aquarium with on-again-off-again cohort, Rihanna, on Drake’s forearm. Rihanna has a matching tattoo on her leg.
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11. Owl Tattoos
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One of Drake’s larger pieces is a full realistic owl tattoo that stretches across his chest in black and gray.
Located on his right shoulder blade, next to his portrait work, Drake has a simple black line ovo owl tattoo of the symbol for his crew, music collective and brand, October’s Very Own, or OVO. You can see the ovo owl in the top most back tattoos in this gallery.
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12. Houston Astros
Given Drake’s love of everything Houston, it is no surprise that Drake got this dedication to H-Town on his right shoulder. He’s given Houston shout outs in songs, letting the world know, “H-Town my second home, like I’m James Harden.”
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13. “Oktober Lejonhjärta”
On his left forearm Drake has a black and gray lion face applied in a photo-realistic style, surrounded by script that translates from Swedish as “October Lionhearted”. The meaning behind the “October” is clear thanks to Drake’s regular references and the connection to his birthday. However, there is a juicy rumor that “Lejonhjärta” was the last name of two Swedish models that he was carousing with back in 2015. According to the sisters, they convinced an intoxicated Drake to get the tattoo.
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14. Drakkar Noir
Before he changed it to Champagne Papi, Drake’s twitter handle was @drakkarnoir. A play on his own name and a shout out to his favorite cologne, Drake took his love of the old-school-cool scent to the next level. Located on his left shoulder, the cologne bottle is created using dense black ink and negative space.
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15. Flower & Bee
Located on his right shoulder, and a major departure from his other pieces, Drake has a pink flower with a bee. This piece is a celebration of his More Life playlist. The flower and bee emoji was used by OVO to promote the project.
16. Abbey Road
Drake has a tattoo of the iconic Abbey Road beatles record cover photograph of the four Beatles on the pedestrian crossing on his left forearm.
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17. The 416
Drake has a killer rib tattoo repping his home city of Toronto, with a vertically etched black big number of the city’s 416 area code on his right side. It’s a great example of simply drawn clarity in design.
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18. All Kinds Friendship Ink
Drake has a small quote from one of his friends repeated mantras inked on his inner right upper bicep. The simple text reads: ALL KINDS
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19. Eye of Horus Tattoo
His friend Rihanna loves an Egyptian inspired tattoo, and Drake must as well. He has a stylized Eye of Horus tattoo tagged in fat, thick black ink on his left inner bicep. The Eye of Horus is a protection symbol dating back to some of the earliest periods of Antiquity.
As the variety in style, placement and application demonstrate, Drake’s tattoos are as diverse and unique as the approach he takes to music and art. With plenty of blank space left to fill, this won’t be the last time we see Drake using Instagram to unveil exciting new ink designs.
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As the variety in style, placement and application demonstrate, Drake’s tastes in tattoos are as diverse and unique as the approach he takes to music and art. With plenty of blank space left to fill, this won’t be the last time we see Drake using Instagram to unveil new and exciting designs.