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Drake's New Tattoo Takes A Dig At The Beatles And 'Abbey Road'

It's kind of like Photoshopping your face onto Mount Rushmore.
Drake at the Uninterrupted Canada launch on Aug. 2, 2019.
George Pimentel via Getty Images
Drake at the Uninterrupted Canada launch on Aug. 2, 2019.

In what is perhaps an attempt to make you roll your eyes so hard that they fall out of their sockets and onto the floor, Drake got a new tattoo.

On Monday afternoon, he posted a photo to Instagram that displays a brand-new tattoo on his left forearm. It’s hard to make out, but the tattoo appears to show the four members of The Beatles crossing the street as on the iconic “Abbey Road” album cover ... with Drake on the other side, waving at them.

This might not seem particularly significant — the musician’s version of Photoshopping your face onto Mount Rushmore, maybe? — unless you know the context. In June, it was reported that the rapper beat out the legendary band for most songs in the Billboard Top 10.

When his song “Money in the Grave” entered the charts at number seven, it marked his 35th song in the Top 10. The Beatles, meanwhile, had 34.

Streaming music has dramatically changed how chart services like Billboard measure artists’ success. With physical sales representing a shrinking part of the music industry, there are new calculations to try to set a similar bar.

Those changes have meant longstanding records held by performers like Madonna, Michael Jackson and The Beatles have been handily smashed by contemporary performers.

A fan holds the cover of The Beatles' "Abbey Road" outside Abbey Road Studios in London on Aug. 8, the 50th anniversary of the album's release.
Will Oliver / EPA via The Canadian Press
A fan holds the cover of The Beatles' "Abbey Road" outside Abbey Road Studios in London on Aug. 8, the 50th anniversary of the album's release.

The “Abbey Road” cover Drake chose to replicate is one the most recognizable images in music history, but is especially identifiable right now, given that the album was released 50 years ago last week.

So far, there’s been no response from Paul McCartney, who has previously said he’s a fan of Drake’s music. In 2016, the Beatles frontman told Rolling Stone that he listen to hip-hop for “education,” adding “I’ve seen Drake live. It’s the music of now.”

Drake has gone after the band before. You might recall that during a guest verse on Meek Mill’s song “Going Bad,” Drake claimed to have “more slaps than The Beatles.”

It could very well be the Toronto rapper means no ill will to the Fab Four specifically, but that he’s simply pursuing the goal of angering every baby boomer musician currently alive. As previously reported, Drake is feuding with Paul Anka, but the details about what prompted the fight remain elusive.

Cringey as the tattoo is, though, it’s not the worst thing he’s done in the last week. Even the world’s tackiest and more regrettable ink isn’t as poor form as buddying up to Chris Brown.

With files from David Friend at The Canadian Press.

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