Drake’s Tattoos and Their Meanings

Though he typically only shows them off when he is on vacation, Drake has a plethora of portraits and script designs on his back.

Drake’s Mother’s Portrait Tattoo

Drake dedicated another piece of ink to his mother with a portrait of her on the right side of his back.

Drake’s Uncle and Grandma’s Portrait Tattoos

On the upper central part of his back, Drake got the portraits of his late uncle and maternal grandmother. They gleefully posed for the picture while hugging. The heartfelt family portrait was done by Nikko Hurtado in 2012.

Drake’s Harry Potter Portrait Tattoo

Drake is a huge self-proclaimed Potterhead, and to solidify his love for the universally beloved wizarding world, he got a portrait of Harry Potter and his pet owl, Hedwig, on the lower right side of his back.

Drake’s Songbird Tattoo

Drake’s tattoo collection mostly features black and gray pieces, except for a couple of colorful exceptions. The eye-catching songbird design that sits on his left shoulder blade is one of the few colored-ink designs. The red, brown, black, and white bird is in flight, flapping its wings open, with “XO20” written in black and red beneath it. The letters “XO” might be a reference to The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye), whose record label’s name is XO.

They also mention this in the duo’s 2012 collaboration, “Crew Love,” with the lyrics reading, “That OVO and that XO is everything you believe in, I know.” The same song also features the lyric “Tell them I’ma need reservations for twenty,” likely referencing Drake’s number of close friends, which might explain the “20” in the tattoo.

Drake’s Aaliyah Portrait Tattoo

A portrait of the late R&B singer Aaliyah is situated directly below the songbird tattoo on his back. Drake has never shied away from expressing his admiration for Aaliyah and her inspiring artistry, which translated into this ink tribute in 2011.

Drake’s Noah “40” Shebib Portrait Tattoo

Drake has another portrait dedicated to his longtime music-producing collaborator and close friend Noah “40” Shebib, which sits on the lower left side of his back.

Drake’s “I Love You” Tattoo

On the left of Aaliyah’s portrait, he has the words “I Love You,” followed by another unknown word, which is hard to read. The script tattoo is prefaced with a peace sign and ends with the female gender symbol. The script tattoo runs vertically down the length of his back. The inspiration behind it remains unspecified.