Just four months after inking a shout-out to Aaliyah and his home town with his “416” side tattoo, Drake paid tribute to two other important people in his life with another back tattoo. On December 27th 2012, Drake’s tattoo artist, Nikko Hurtado, shared some pics on Instagram from the singer’s tattoo session, during which Drake got a portrait of his late uncle and grandmother tattooed in the middle of his back, between his shoulder blades. The very nicely detailed tat features a rather large black and white image of Drake’s beloved grandmother, Evelyn Sher, hugging his uncle, who the rapper credits for his success in the music industry. Drake’s tattoo of his uncle and grandmother is inked in between the singer’s infamous tattoo of the late singer Aaliyah’s portrait and the songbird tat on the left side of his back, and the OVO owl tattoo he has inked on his right shoulder blade.
Drake Loses His Uncle and Grandmother
Drake’s maternal grandmother passed away on Thanksgiving Day in 2012, and it was a difficult time for the singer, who was very close with his mom’s mom. After her death, Drake took to Twitter to share his feelings, posting the following heartfelt message on November 22, 2012: “Rest in peace to my grandmother Evelyn Sher. What a day to go…thankful to have had the times we did.” Less than a year and a half before losing his beloved grandmother, Drake canceled a concert in Orlando, Florida on July 15, 2011, after the sudden death of his uncle. It’s clear that his uncle and grandmother meant a lot to Drake, and he has now immortalized them both in his back tat. Drake’s family portrait tattoo was inked by Nikko Hurtado at his tattoo shop in Hesperia, California. “Rad experience with @Drake he sat like a champ,” Hurtado tweeted after what must have been a painful couple of hours. “Late night session @Drake thanks dude it was an honor.”
Drake Pays Tribute to Family in Back Tattoo
Family is obviously very important to Drake, and he has shown his love for his grandmother and uncle in the most permanent of ways. Drake was so fond of his grandmother in fact, that he mentions her in his song “The Resistance,” an album cut from his official 2010 debut Thank Me Later, rapping rather guiltily, “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.” Again, in his unreleased song “The Winner,” Drake raps, “Yeah, and in the name of Evelyn Sher / I’ll forever forgive anybody that never was there / For me, no other woman could ever compare / My angel I hope heaven’s prepared for whenever you there.” More recently, Drake featured both his uncle and grandmother in his song “Look What You’ve Done,” from his album Take Care. Referring to his uncle, Drake sings, “Know that I’m your sister’s kid but / That still don’t explain the love that you have for me.” It’s clear that Drake misses his uncle and grandmother dearly, and even though they aren’t around anymore, they’ll always have his back.
