TRIBUTE

Denzel Washington on Drake’s Tattoo of Him: ‘That’s Crazy’

The acting legend sat down with Jimmy Fallon and addressed the tattoo the rapper Drake got of him as his jazz musician Bleek in the 1990 Spike Lee film ‘Mo’ Better Blues.’

If you get down with Drake, you’re gonna have plenty of strange faces staring back at you. 

You see, beyond the sorta-pecs and shaved chest, the multiplatinum rapper’s bod is a monument to those he loves and respects, courtesy of his longtime tattoo artist Inal Besekov.

There are tattoos of his father Dennis Graham, Sade, Lil Wayne, and his late friend Fif. And in September, it was revealed that the Toronto musical artist had added a tattoo of Bleek Gilliam, Denzel Washington’s jazz musician character from the 1990 Spike Lee flick Mo’ Better Blues. The tat, which Besekov shared on his Instagram, depicts Denzel/Bleek in a dapper suit clenching his trumpet.

On Wednesday night, the legendary Denzel joined Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show to promote his upcoming film Roman J. Israel, Esq., and naturally, was asked to address Drizzy’s curious ink.

“People just love ya,” Fallon told Denzel. “Drake recently got a tattoo of you. Did you know this?”

“I heard about this. Of me. Yes,” Denzel replied.  

Fallon then showed the Oscar-winning actor—and his studio audience—a blown-up photo of the Bleek Gilliam tattoo, pondering where exactly it is on Drake’s body.

“You got me wondering now, where is that?” asked Denzel, staring at the photo. “That’s crazy. I think he got some other, like, people he admires’ tattoos as well.”

“Oh, well maybe I’m on there,” cracked Fallon.

Denzel was, understandably, in stitches: “Oh, that was good!”

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