Back in 2011, a Los Angeles woman went viral for tattooing Drake's name across her forehead. "She had the shitty font all picked out on her iPhone ready to go and was pretty adamant about putting it on her forehead," the tattoo artist responsible for the work of art later told Vice. "She didn't say a word about what it meant to her."

Sure, we all make mistakessome more than othersbut sadly for her, a mistake like this is permanent. With an estimated 30+ tattoos on his own bodysome likely more regrettable than othersDrake knows what that feeling's like. We compiled all of his tats and the reasons behind the ink. Some are for ex-girlfriends (ahem, Rihanna), some are to honor friends and family, and some we just tried our best to explain.

Below, a compilation of Drake's tattoos and their explanations...so you can make your own informed decision before permanently inking your body.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

Let's begin, shall we? On his right arm, the former Degrassi star has at least a dozen tattoos. On his tricep is a tat of his dad's mugshot the rapper had inked in January 2014. "Mini portrait of my father," he captioned an Instagram post. Reason? Why not. Above this is a pink flower with a bee at its center, an apparent reference to his 2017 More Life mixtape.

Next up: a tattoo on his bicep reading "All Kinds," in caps. Reason unclear. Also on his bicep, an image of the CN Tower (in music symbols), from his hometown of Toronto, Canada. Lower on his bicep, a portrait of a woman who looks very much like Rihanna eating ice cream. The two had an on-again, off-again relationship from 2009 to 2016. On his right forearm, an image of a shark which Rihanna later imitated, an apparent inside joke among the two exes. On his shoulder, an image of Jesus Malverde, a 19th century Mexican figure known as a Robin Hood-like figure. Reason for tattoo is unclear.

On his forearm, praying hands and the number, 6. Drake famously refers to himself as the "6 God," a reference to his Toronto roots (area code 416). Beneath that, a portrait of Denzel Washington from the 1990 film, Mo' Better Blues. In a November 2017 interview with Jimmy Fallon, Washington described discovering his face on Drake's body as "crazy." Perhaps most prominent on his arm is the portrait of his son, Adonis, born in 2018. Also on his forearm, a carved jack o' lantern. (Zero explanation provided by Drake.)

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

One arm down, one to go. On the rapper's shoulder, a bottle of Drakkar Noir cologne, his apparent preferred scent. (He loves it so much his original Twitter handle was @drakkardnior.) To the left of that, a burning skull with the word, "Unruly" written beneath it. (Social media sleuths have determined that the tat may allude to a collaborator of Drake's who had a 2016 called Unruly.) Also on his shoulder, "BBK," allegedly for his friend and UK rapper Skepta.

On the rapper's tricep, you'll notice a massive portrait of none other than Lil Wayne, who signed Drake to his label back in 2009. On his bicep, the Eye of Horus. No explanation provided by Drizzy, but the Egyptian symbol represents good health. Lower down on his bicep, a compass pointing east, another reference to his Toronto roots. Beneath that, two numbers, 30 and 35, in honor of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry's jersey numbers. On the inside of his forearm, a lion with the words Oktober Lejonhjarta' around it (meaning: October Lionheart). He owes this tattoo to an apparent drunken night with Swedish supermodels.

On his forearm, a tattoo of himself waving at the Beatles in an Abbey Road-inspired tat (allegedly over surpassing a Beatles-held record for most Hot 100 top 10 songs in one year on the Billboard Charts).

Also on his forearm, a portrait of his friend and OVO collaborator, Anthony Fif, who was murdered in 2017. "RIP to one of our family members...our brother... I still can't even believe this morning was real," Drake captioned an Instagram post.

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

On Drake's left torso, two portraits of R&B singer Sade. The two are longtime friends. On his right side, 416. Explanation not needed.

On his chest is a prominent tat of an owl catching a mouse. The owl is the logo for OVO, and took 12 hours to complete, according to Refinery29.

First, a portrait of the late singer Aaliyah beneath what appears to be a dove on his left side he got done in 2011. (He's a longtime fan.) Beside that, "I love you, peace" written out. No explanation provided, though it may relate back to Aaliyah. Beneath that, a portrait of Drake's producer, 40 (real name: Noah James Shebib). The two co-founded OVO together and 40 has produced some of the rapper's greatest hits, including "Headlines" and "Hold On We're Going Home."

Men's Health

On the middle of his back, portraits of his late uncle and grandma. (The former passed in 2011, the latter in 2012.) To the right of his grandmother's portrait, a tat of Drake's mom, Shandi Graham. (The two apparently remain close.) Beside his grandma's portrait, another image of an owl, paying homage to OVO. Beneath that, two portraits of unidentified men who look very much like they're from an '80s movie. Toward his left right hip, another portrait of an unidentified man (which may have been a very recent addition).

And toward his torso, many on social media believe Drake actually tatted Harry Potter on himself...and it's a damn good guess.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io

See original here:

A Guide to All of Drake's 35 Tattoos and Their Meanings - menshealth.com