Aubrey Drake Graham is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor who is well-known around the world.
He started his career as an actor in television series in the 2000s. Later he pursued his career in music after leaving the television series in 2006. Now, Drake has become one of the most popular celebrities not only because of his music style but also for his portrait tattoos. Unlike other celebrities, Drake has only a limited number of tattoos on his body. Most of his tattoos have been inked on his big muscular arms which have different meanings. Let’s read further to know more about Drake’s love for tattoos along with their meanings.
1. ‘Lil Wayne’s’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Lil Wayne’s’ Tattoo on his upper left arm.
Meaning: Drake has got the portrait of famous rapper Lil Wayne on the upper portion of his left arm. Drake has been very close to Lil Wayne. Drake climbed the stairs of success because of the support of Lil Wayne. So, in order to show his respect and love towards him, Drake has inked the portrait of Lil Wayne on the upper portion of his left arm.
2. ‘Flaming Skull with word Unruly’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Flaming Skull with word Unruly’ Tattoo on his upper left arm.
Meaning: Drake has got a tattoo of a flaming skull with the word untruly below it, on his upper left arm. This tattoo is inspired by Jamaican dancehall star Popcaan. The tattoo is inked by the very famous tattoo artist, Dr Woo, featuring a small burning skull with the word unruly below it.
3. ‘Flower and a Bee’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Flower and a Bee’ Tattoo on the top part of his arm.
Meaning: Drake got a ‘pink-colored flower with a bee pollinating the flower’ inked on the top part of his arm. This tattoo has been a part of promotional artwork for his playlist More Life. This tattoo of Drake is inked by award-winning artist, Niki Norberg of Gothenburg, in Sweden.
4. ‘BBK’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘BBK’ Tattoo on the left side of his shoulder.
Meaning: To express his tribute towards north London grime group and record label, Boy Better Know, and the leader of the crew, grime legend Skepta, Drake got the word BBK inked on his shoulder. The tattoo is inked in black and grey Gothic font. Drake shares great ties with Skepta and his Boy Better Know brand, so he got the letters BBK inked on the left front side of his shoulder.
5. ‘Father’s Mugshot’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Father’s Mugshot’ Tattoo on the backside of the upper portion of his right arm.
Meaning: Drake has always been sharing a strained relationship with his father Dennis Graham. Drake’s parents got divorced when he was very young, and his mother Sandi Graham raised him, while his father spent time in prison. The two have since had made peace with each other and shares a strong bond now. He has got a mugshot tattoo of his father on the backside of the upper portion of his right arm, which reminds him of the darker times his father had faced in his life.
6. ‘Drakkar Noir Cologne’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Drakkar Noir Cologne’ Tattoo on the backside of his upper left arm.
Meaning: Drake got a classic black Drakkar Noir bottle inked on the backside of his upper left arm just near his flaming skull tattoo. The tattoo is inked by Swedish tattoo artist, Niki Norberg, who earlier had inked flower and a bee tattoo on is the body. Speculations have been made that this cologne tattoo is inked on Drake’s body as he is a great fan of French cologne or it’s just like that the name is very similar to his own name. No official announcement has been made by him till today.
7. ‘Sade Adu Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Sade Adu Portrait’ Tattoo with a text, with love Sade on the left side of the torso.
Meaning: A portrait of Helen Folasade Adu, professionally known as Sade Adu, is inked on the left side of his torso. Drake had met the singer on his European tour and was completely mesmerized by the aura of Nigerian singer Sade. Drake even said,
“Her brand is so strong and she’s such an amazing woman, but the melody she chooses to use and her voice has that dark, and sexy feel that a lot of So Far Gone has.”
Rumors about the couple dating each other had even spread. According to sources, Drake doesn’t like her, he adores her. He thinks she’s a legend and not only he respects her, but he also worships the ground she walks on.
Later in 2017, Drake got one more tattoo of Sade just above the previous one. Belgian tattoo artist Inal Bersekov shared the picture on Instagram, writing,
“More life–More tattoos–Was honoured to continue this piece based on @sade started by an amazing artist by @niki23gtr on @champagnepapi Excited to continue.”
8. ‘Jack-O-Lantern’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Jack-O-Lantern’ Tattoo on his left forearm.
Meaning: Being born on October 24, and founder of the record label October’s Very Own, October has always been a special month for Drake. Since his birthdate is very close to Halloween, so he got Jack-O-Lantern inked on his left forearm.
9. ‘Eye of Horus’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Eye of Horus’ Tattoo on his left arm.
Meaning: An Eye of Horus Tattoo is inked on his left arm. The Eye of Horus, also known as Wadjet or Udjat, is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, royal power, and good health.
10. ‘East Side Compass’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘East Side Compass’ Tattoo on his left arm.
Meaning: East Side Compass Tattoo is inked on his left arm just near his Eye of Horus tattoo. The east side of the compass represents his favorite city Toronto eastern Canada, where he has been born and brought up.
11. ‘Oktober Lejonhjarta’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Oktober Lejonhjarta’ Tattoo on his left forearm.
Meaning: The Swedish words ‘Oktober Lejonhjarta’ meaning, October Lionhearted is inked on his left forearm. We have already mentioned that the month of October has always been very special for Drake. The word Lejonhjarta has been inspired by twin Swedish models, Elizabeth and Victoria Lejonhjarta, with whom Drake was seen hanging around. Even the twin Swedish models on their social media account uploaded a photograph with Drake by captioning,
“That time we got some Canadian dude drunk and had him get a tattoo of our name.”
12. ‘OVO Owl’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘OVO Owl’ Tattoo on the right side of his back.
Meaning: On the right side of his back, near his shoulders, Drake got his music record label, October’s Very Own, Owl symbol inked on his back. It represents his love and dedication towards his music industry.
13. ‘All Kinds’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘All Kinds’ Tattoo on his right arm.
Meaning: All Kind is a word that is being used by Drake towards his friends. He got this word as a symbol of his love and bond with his friends.
14. ‘EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON SWEET THING’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON SWEET THING’ Tattoo on his left forearm.
Meaning: These words of wisdom are inked on his left forearm.
15. ‘CN Tower’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘CN Tower’ Tattoo on his right bicep.
Meaning: Since Drake is born and brought up in Toronto, Canada, so he got the CN Tower inked on his right bicep and uploaded a picture on his social media account with a caption,
“Toronto with me always.”
Later Drake modified this tattoo and got inked some musical symbols over it.
16. ‘Camouflage Shark’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Camouflage Shark’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: Just like Rihanna, Drake has got the camouflage shark tattoo on his right forearm. The camo shark is supposed to be a cute reference to one of Rihanna’s dates with the Degrassi alum, who took her to an aquarium in Toronto and bought her a stuffed animal shark.
17. ‘Rihanna eating ice cream’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Rihanna eating ice cream’ Tattoo on his right bicep.
Meaning: Drake and Rihanna share a very close bond with each other. Their relationship has always gained a lot of popularity. To express his over towards her, he got a portrait of her, eating ice cream on his right bicep.
18. ‘416’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘416’ Tattoo on his right torso.
Meaning: Drake got 416, the area code of his hometown, Toronto inked on his right torso.
19. ‘Houston Astros Logo’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Houston Astros Logo’ Tattoo on his right shoulder.
Meaning: Drake considers Houston as his second home. His love for Houston and its music scene is well documented. He once even rapped,
“H-Town, my second home like I’m James Harden.”
20. ‘Uncle Steve Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Uncle Steve’ Tattoo on his back.
Meaning: Drake has always been very close to his uncle Steve. Drake got his uncle’s tattoo inked because of the guidance given to him by his uncle for pursuing his career in music. On December 18, 2012, he even uploaded his childhood picture with his uncle Steve with a caption,
“without this man, there is no me…Uncle Steve”
21. ‘Grandmother Evelyn Sher Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Grandmother Evelyn Sher Portrait’ Tattoo on his back.
Meaning: Drake always considered his grandmother as his lucky charm for always guiding him to pursue his career in the music industry. Drake’s grandmother took her last breath on November 22, 2012, to which he tweeted,
“Rest in peace to my grandmother Evelyn Sher. What a day to go…thankful to have had the times we did.”
Drake used to share a very close bond with his grandmother and even rapped,
“I heard they just moved my grandmother to a nursing home/ And I be actin’ like I don’t know how to work a phone”
on “The Resistance”, an album cut from official 2010 debut “Thank Me Later”
22. ‘Aaliyah Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Aaliyah Portrait’ Tattoo on the left side of his back.
Meaning: Drake got Aaliyah’s portrait inked on the left side of his back in December 2011. Drake has always been obsessed with Aaliyah that he even admits publicly that he will admire late Aaliyah until the day he himself leaves this earth. He even wrote a letter in memory of Aaliyah.
So for the constant reminder of his undying love for her, he got her portrait tattooed on his back.
23. ‘Mother Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Mother Portrait’ Tattoo on the right side of his back.
Meaning: It has been evident that Drake has always inked the tattoos of his loved ones. Drake’s love towards his mother Sandi Graham is clearly shown by the way he has always taken her mother to his different tours, to the stages while performing and even in different lyrics. For being a constant lady love in his life, he has got his mother’s portrait inked on the backside of his body.
24. ‘Songbird XO20’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Songbird XO20’ Tattoo on his left shoulder blade.
Meaning: Songbird with pinkish feathers and a word XO20 in black and red colour is inked on his left shoulder blade. An early piece that nodes to The Weekend (XO), once dubbed the “Songbird of his Generation” and the number 20 refers to OVOXO’s crew of 20 friends.
25. ‘Number 6 with Praying Hands’ Tattoo
Tattoo: Number 6 with praying hands’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: Number 6 with the praying hands is inked on his right forearm. A number of speculations were made regarding the meaning of this tattoo but no official statement has been given by Drake on it. This tattoo has been inked by Dr Woo of Mark Mahoney’s Shamrock Social Club in Hollywood. The number 6 is Drake’s album title “The 6” which is supposedly referenced to Toronto based on its area code 416. Some even said that since Drake is not so religious person, so two hands is an emoji of high five.
26. ‘Denzel Washington Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Denzel Washington Portrait’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: A portrait of Denzel Washington is inked on his right forearm by a very famous tattoo artist, Inal Bersekon. Inal Bersekon shared a picture on his official social media account depicting Denzel Washington’s character Bleek from Spike Lee’s 1990 film Mo’ Better Blues. captioned,
“Mo’ better blues” first session on my brother @champagnepapi, thanks as usual for your trust. “Clark: ‘Cause mo better makes it mo better.”
27. ‘OVO Affiliate Anthony Fif Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘OVO Affiliate Anthony Fif Portrait’ Tattoo on his left forearm.
Meaning: In order to pay tribute to his friend and OVO Affiliate Anthony Fif Soares, Drake got inked his portrait on his left forearm just above his compass tattoo. Drake was in deep grief after the sudden death of his friend who passed away in Toronto after being shot. He uploaded the picture of his friend on his social media account stating,
“RIP to one of our family members…our brother…I still can’t believe this morning was real. It was honoured to have shared years together and I will always keep your memory alive. Forever Fif.”
This portrait is inked by Inal Bersekov, who uploaded a picture on his social media account by captioning,
“Was honoured to pay tribute tattooing “FIF” on my brother @champagnepapi, Rest in peace.”
28. ‘Huge Owl’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Huge Owl’ Tattoo on his chest.
Meaning: Tattoo of a huge owl catching a mouse is inked on his chest. It’s a symbol of Drake’s company October’s Very Own and record label OVO Sound, but an owl catching a mouse. Belgian tattoo artist Inal Bersekov is the man behind this beautiful ink on Drake’s chest.
29. ‘Son Adonis Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Son Adonis Portrait’ Tattoo on his right forearm.
Meaning: Drake welcomed his baby boy Adonis with former adult film star Sophie Brussaux in October 2017. Drake admitted he was a father on the track “Emotionless”, rapping those famous lyrics,
“I wasn’t hidin’ my kid from the world. I was hidin’ the world from my kid.”
30. ‘Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant’s Numbers’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant Numbers’ Tattoo on his left arm.
Meaning: Drake has been seen with two number tattoos 30 and 35 on his left arm. These tattoos are a tribute to Warrior Stars Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Below the number jersey number 30 of Stephen Curry, it has been tattooed “gifted” in cursive writing, with an angelic demeanor over it. For Kevin Durant’s number 35, the word “snipe” in bold letters has been inked. This has been a tribute to celebrate the greatest NBA team of his generation.
31. ‘Portrait’ tattoo on his right arm
Tattoo: ‘Portrait’ tattoo on the backside of his right arm.
Meaning: Drake has got the tattoo of the portrait of his father, Dennis Graham, with an equal sign and his own portrait as a child on his right arm.
32. ‘Jesus Malverde Portrait’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘Jesus Malverde Portrait’ Tattoo on his right arm.
Meaning: Jesus Malverde, popularly known as the ‘Angel of the poor’, ‘Cjuba Lord’, and ‘narco saint’, who belonged to the Mexican state of Sinaloa. He used to steal from the rich to give to the poor.
33. ‘An Undefined Design’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘An Undefined Tattoo Design’ on his right arm.
Meaning: A very unique form of design is inked on his right arm, but no information about this is available.
34. ‘I Love You with Different Symbols’ Tattoo
Tattoo: ‘I Love You and Different Symbols’ Tattoo on his back.
Meaning: An unclear text specifying ‘I love you, peace and gender symbol’ are inked on his back just near Aaliyah’s portrait tattoo. It has been said that this tattoo is being inked by Belgian tattoo artist, Inal Berskov, but no official statement has been made about this.
35. Ahead of ‘The Beatles’
After breaking a few records of ‘The Beatles’ in 2019, Drake got an illustration inked on his forearm which has the famous photo of ‘The Beatles’ in which the Fab Four are crossing Abbey Road, the tattoo shows Drake ahead of them waving back at ‘The Beatles.’
