Drake's Dad's Tattoo Artist Fires Back At Rapper's Criticism

BYAron A.7.7K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Recording artist Drake (L) accepts the Top Artist award with his father Dennis Graham during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on May 21, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Money Mike says he felt disrespected after Dennis Graham got his tattoo of Drake retouched by 16 other artists.

Drake's made an enemy out of tattoo artist Money Mike, who is less than pleased about the rapper's criticism of his father's portrait tattoo. Earlier this week, Drake shared a photo of a portrait tattoo that his father got on his arm of his son's face. The rapper commented, "I was sitting here thinking why you do me like this we family."


His father later chimed in and said he got it retouched 16 times after the initial tattoo but Money Mike, the man who added the ink to Dennis Graham's forearm, felt that it was incredibly disrespectful.

Drake's Dad's Tattoo Artist Fires Back At Rapper's Criticism

During a conversation with TMZ, he said that he met Dennis Graham through Magic Bishop Don Juan and attended Graham's birthday party. From there, Dennis Graham asked Mike if he could tattoo him, and a few days later, they scheduled an appointment. Mike said that he wasn't a fan of Drake but he felt it would be a good opportunity to gain more clients.

Unfortunately, the outcome of the tattoo was less than desirable -- atleast, for Drake. Mike said that Dennis Graham was rushing him, which is why the tattoo "isn't the absolutely greatest I've been able to do."

"Four hours into the tattoo, [Dennis Graham] was in severe pain and he was telling me, basically, just to wrap it up," he said, explaining that he was working on Drake's hair at that point. Still, Mike said that everyone, including Dennis Graham and Drake's sister, was stoked about the ink. "Once Drake found out about it, that changed," he said.

Mike said that another artist that was working with Drake ended up going over his tattoo, which he claims violates an unwritten code among tattoo artists. Ultimately, Mike doesn't think Dennis Graham had any malicious intentions, and even apologized for Drake's reaction. Check the video below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
...