Dave East’s 55 Tattoos & Their Meanings

David Lawrence Brewster Jr. popularly known by his stage name Dave East, is an American rapper and actor from Harlem. He started rapping in 2010. Dave began his career by selling drugs to support himself and his career choice and thus releasing six mix tapes. Dave has multiple tattoos on his body, most of them include the inks of the people close to his heart, followed by the religious tattoos. He came into limelight through his album, ‘Black Rose. Dave, before coming to rapping as his career, he used to play basketball and football at Springbrook High School in Silver Spring, MD near Washington, D.C. Let us explore his heavily tattooed body.

Dave East

When asked if he regrets any of his tattoos.

“Nope, because when I look at them they all bring me back to a time in my life. I might have waited because I got a lot of tats when I was dead broke. I had to mess with the tat dude around the corner and the work he had and when I got a couple of dollars I could get some official tat people. So I might have waited. I would’ve waited until I got a doper tattoo artist.”

1. ‘Logo on Right Arm’ Tattoo

Dave Arm Tattoo

2. ‘Basketball’ Tattoo

Dave Basketball Tattoo

Tattoo: On the top left shoulder Dave has got a tattoo of a basketball inked. On the top and bottom of the ball we can see the letters, ‘D’ and ‘B’ inked, respectively.

Meaning: This basketball tattoo tells us about his link to Basketball sport, which he used to play before becoming a rapper. The letters ‘D’ and ‘B’ are the symbols used for his own name, Dave, and ‘B’, is used to denote ‘Basketball’. Before landing into the rapping career, Dave was known as a very dedicated player and also had a very impressive career.

3. ‘Date’ Tattoo

Dave Birthdate Tattoo

Tattoo: On the corner of his left eyebrow Dave has a date inked as, ‘3.9.16’.

Meaning: This date tattoo is dedicated to the day when his daughter, Kairi Chanel Brewster, was born on March 9, 2016.

4. ‘ERROL’ Tattoo

Dave Brother ERROL Tattoo

Tattoo: On the inner side of his right forearm Dave has got the tattoo of the word that says, ‘ERROL’.

Meaning: ‘ERROL’ is the name of the musical artist (ERROL VIBE) with whom Dave has also recorded the song, ‘Godfather 4’. Dave shares a brotherly bond with Errol.

“With Esco! And Green Lantern did that beat. You know what’s dope about that? It was only me, Nas, my blood brother Errol — same mother, same father — and Jungle, his blood brother. Nobody else was in the studio. Usually when I’m the studio I’ve got homies around, a few people. But that night was just me and my brother, Nas and his brother, and a bottle of VSOP!”

5. ‘DIRT GAME’ Tattoo

Dave DIRT GAME Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave carries another word ink on his inner left bicep that says, ‘DIRT GAME’.

6. ‘El Barrio Tattoo

Dave E L Barrio Tattoo

Tattoo: On his left inner arm we can see another name inked which says, ‘El Barrio’.

Meaning: El Barrio (the stage name) is Spanish Harlem, whose full name is José Luis Figuereo Franco. He is a Spanish flamenco singer. Dave East and El Barrio have collaborated and produced songs together. This tattoo is Dave’s dedication to their relationship, professionally and otherwise. They share a good bond.

7. ‘Bob Marley’ Tattoo

Dave East Bob Marley Tattoo

Tattoo: On the front of Dave’s right leg lies a big portrait of Bob Marley.

Meaning: Dave East said that Bob Marley had a great musical influence over his career. To pay homage to his favorite artist he got him inked forever on his body.

8. ‘Rolex Crown’ Tattoo

Dave East Crown Tattoo

Tattoo: Above his right eyebrow we can see a Rolex Crown inked.

Meaning: The Rolex crown is the symbol of honor, prestige, and power.

9. ‘DARES’ Tattoo

Dave East DARES Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave has got another word inked on the inner side of the left bicep that can be read as ‘DARES’.

Meaning: This tattoo symbolizes Dave’s personality that he is open to challenge, whosoever wants to compare his talent with him.

10. ‘DAVE EAST’ Tattoo

Dave East Finger Name TAttoo

Tattoo: Across the knuckles of his both hands, Dave has got his own full name (DAVE EAST) tattooed as we can see in the picture.

11. ‘GEMINI’ Tattoo

Dave East GEMINI Tattoo

Tattoo: On the left side of his neck, Dave wears a very interesting ink which says, ‘GEMINI’.

Meaning: Dave was born on 3 June 1988. GEMINI tattoo represents his own zodiac sign.

12. ‘Mugga’ Tattoo

Dave East Mugga Tattoo

Tattoo: Towards the right side of his forehead we can see a tattoo as ‘Mugga’.

Meaning: ‘Mugga’ was the nickname of Dave’s cousin, Malik Carter, who was stabbed to death. Dave had a very close relationship with his cousin and this tattoo is his dedication of love for him. Dave has also penned down few lines for Malik Carter.

“Malik Carter, my cousin, could never bother
I remember smoking; him telling me about his father
I remember talking about bitches that we could party
Freaky did Bi-cardi, I was lit up like the Marley
You were nice and bald, talked shit…”

13. ‘NFL’ Tattoo

Dave East NFL Tattoo

Tattoo: On the top of his left part of his chest there lies a tattoo that says, ‘NFL’.

Meaning: NFL stands for National Football League. The relevance of the tattoo has not been revealed by Dave but as per our belief, it symbolizes his love for the sport since he used to play Basketball and Football before becoming the Rapper.

14. ‘REBEL’ Tattoo

Dave East REBEL Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave’s left forearm carries a tattoo that reads ‘REBEL’.

Meaning: This is another tattoo on Dave’s body that he has received to show everyone about his another personality trait. Dave is known to be a rebel and stands against everything that he feels is not required or acceptable.

15. ‘Rosary Bead Necklace’ Tattoo

Dave East Rosary Beads necklace

Tattoo: Coming from his neck and going down towards the cleavage Dave wears a tattoo of the rosary beads necklace which has the Cross as the pendant.

Meaning: The rosary beads necklace with a cross is the symbol of Dave’s religious beliefs. Christians are the common wearers of rosary beads tattoo on their body. They believe it to be the symbol of protection and also believe Mary and Jesus to protect themselves. The rosary itself represents the Virgin Mother of God.

16. ‘Overlapping R’s’ Tattoo

Dave east RR Tattoo

Tattoo: On the center of his chest there is a tattoo in bold ink that shows us two overlapping R’s.

17. Stomach’ Tattoo

Dave East Stomach Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave’s stomach is tattooed with the letters, ‘B.B.W.L.G’. It represents  BBMLG / L.G.M.G labels.

18. ‘Rose on Neck’ Tattoo

Dave East

 There is a big rose tattooed on the center of Dave’s neck.

19. ‘Jesus Christ’ Tattoo

Dave Easy Jesus Christ Tattoo

Dave Jesus Chris Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave’s religious sentiments and beliefs are visible from his inks. There lies a big portrait of Jesus Christ on Dave East’s right bicep. Jesus Christ is in a sitting posture along with the rays that can be been rising from the back of Jesus’ head. There are dark clouds tattooed under the portrait of Christ. Dave got a small addition done to it by getting the black birds inked on the left side of Jesus’ portrait.

Meaning: The tattoo of Jesus Christ tells us about the religious beliefs of Dave and how he feels connected to Jesus for his divine blessings upon him.

20. ‘Egyptian Face’ Tattoo

https://bodyartguru.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Dave-Egyptian-Tattoo.jpg

21. ‘EVIL PAYS FOR EVIL WAYS’ Tattoo

Dave EVIL PAYS FOR EVIL WAYS Tattoo

 Tattoo: There is a money tattoo with a banner wrapped around Dave’s right forearm and carries a quote inside it as, ‘EVIL WAYS EVIL PAYS’.

Meaning: Evil ways Evil Pays is a very popular money tattoo that denotes the fact that if you use Evil ways to earn money you will.

22. ‘FINEST’ Tattoo

DAVE FINEST Tattoo

Tattoo: There is a word inked on his left forearm that says, ‘FINEST’.

Meaning: This tattoo denotes Daves’ working abilities and his idea of living his life, he wishes to use finest of means and ways to live his life diligently.

23. Flag Tattoo

Dave Flag Tattoo

24. ‘FTD’ Tattoo

Dave FTD Tattoo

Tattoo: On his right leg beside the Bob Marley tattoo there is a batch logo which says, ‘FTD’.

 “Started My Own Company FTD/Def Jam(From The Dirt) Entertainment And I’m Excited To Announce My First Artist My Brother @joeyfatts Real One 💨🍾💨🍾 #CUTTHROAT #LongLiveYAMS”

25. Word Tattoo

Dave Hand Tattoo

26. ‘HNLC’ Tattoo

Dave HNBC Tattoo

27. Daughter’s Name Tattoo

Dave kairi Tattoo

Tattoo: Above his left eyebrow Dave has got his daughter’s first name tattooed as ‘Kaira’ (Kairi Chanel Brewster).

Meaning: Dave dedicates this tattoo to the most precious bond which is actually the one he shares with his daughter who was born on March 9, 2016.

28. Green Leafy Stem Tattoo

Dave Leafy Stem Tattoo

Tattoo: Near his left shoulder there is a big green leafy stem inked diagonally.

29. Left Arm Tattoo

Dave Left Arm Tattoo

Tattoo: On Dave’s left arm we can see few buildings inked along with the number 11:99.

30. Notorious B.I.G. Tattoo

Dave Left Leg Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave’s left leg is inked with the portrait of the Notorious B.I.G. Rapper.

Meaning: Dave declared in his interview that there are many musical artists who have been a significant influence over his rapping career. The Notorious B.I.G. is one of them. This tattoo is his tribute to B.I.G.

31. Left Chest Tattoo

Dave Left Pec Tattoo

32. ‘LOLA’ Tattoo

Dave LOLA Tattoo

Tattoo: On the hem of his left hand, Dave has got the word ‘LOLA’ inked.

Meaning: It is his dedication to the music artist Lola Plaku. She is one such person who always has a very supportive hand behind every music artist and rapper. Plaku runs a company named Lola Media Group in New York, which is specialised  in artist marketing and brand development.

33. ‘LOYALTY’ Tattoo

Dave LOYALTY Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave has got the word, ‘LOYALITY’ inked on his right forearm.

Meaning: This tattoo denoted Dave’s principles and beliefs of being loyalty towards everyone in his life, professionally, and otherwise.

34. ‘MAGNUM 30’ Tattoo

Dave MM 30 Tattoo

Tattoo: On the center of his chest he has got Magnum 30 Rifle inked.

35. Musical Strings Tattoo

Dave Musicial Strings Tattoo

Tattoo: Behind his left ear there are musical notes tattooed.

Meaning: The tattoo of musical notes undoubtedly relates to his professional musical career as a Rapper.

36. Naked Woman Tattoo

Dave Naked Lady Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave’s inner right bicep is inked with a tattoo of a naked lady lying on the beachside. Naked woman tattoos are not always considered to the sexually explicit ones, many a times people get it done in respect of the beauty of the art, and we hope, Dave got for this reason too.

37. ‘DAVID’ Tattoo

Dave Name on Left Arm

Tattoo: On his left forearm, Dave carries his own name tattoo as, ‘DAVID’.

38. Word Tattoo

Dave Name on Right Arm

39. ‘NIGGA’ Tattoo

Dave NIGGAZ Tattoo

Tattoo: Above his rifle tattoo on stomach, there is a tattoo that says, ‘NIGGA’. This tattoo is just a swag.

40. PABLO Tattoo

Dave PABLO Tattoo

Tattoo: Near Dave’s right ear there is a word, ‘PABLO’ tattooed.

Meaning: This is Dave’s honor to his another song named, Don Pablo which was released in 2016. This song was the part of his album, Kairi Chanel. 

41. Character Portrait Tattoo

Dave Portrait on Stomach

42. ‘Red Rose on Left Elbow’ Tattoo

Dave Red Rose Tattoo

43. Checkered Flag Tattoo

Dave Right Wrist Tattoo

44. ‘R.I.P Malik Carter’ Tattoo

Dave RIP Malik Carter Tattoo

Tattoo: On his left hand, Dave carries a tattoo which is his tribute to his cousin, Malik Carter.

Meaning: This is Dave’s second tattoo dedication to his cousin ‘Mugga’, (Malik Carter), who was stabbed to death. Dave had a very close relationship with his cousin.

45. Rolling Dice in Flames Tattoo

Dave Rolling Dices Tattoo

Tattoo: On the left-side of his neck, there is a tattoo of rolling dices with flames.

46. Rose on Neck Tattoo

Dave Rose on Neck

Tattoo: On the center of his neck, Dave has a huge black rose inked.

Meaning: Black Rose tattoo is Dave’s honor to his own album named, ‘Black Rose’ which was released on 22 July 2014.

47. Rose on Bicep 

Dave Rose Tattoo

Tattoo: Another black rose is tattooed on Dave’s left bicep.

48. One Eyed Skull Tattoo

Dave Skull with one Eye Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave’s right hand is inked with a skull which is one-eyed. Skulls are the symbol of death and mortality.

49. ‘Statue Of Liberty’ Tattoo

Dave Statue of Liberty Tattoo

Tattoo: On his left forearm, Dave has got the tattoo of the Statue of Liberty inked.

Meaning: The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of freedom, liberty, and most importantly represents the United States. It is also assumed to be the symbol of friendship between the people of France and the U.S.

50. Tattoo on Stomach 

Dave Stomach Tattoo

Tattoo: Below his navel, Dave has an ink that says, ‘Born Broke Die Rich’.

Meaning: It is the name of the Album by Dave East and Kur.

51. Tattoos Near Eyes

Dave Tattoos near eyes

52. ‘Three Cross’ Tattoos

Dave Three Crosses

Tattoo: There are three crosses inked vertically near Dave’s left ear.

Meaning: The three crosses are used to symbolise Jesus Christ’s humanity how he was crucified along with two others who were common men. Second, it also symbolises the three aspects of God in the Christian faith: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. 

53. Trophy Tattoo

Dave Trophy Tattoo

Tattoo: On the right side of his neck, we see a trophy cup inked. The trophy might relate to any of the professional victory in Dave’s life because he has never revealed its relevance, ever. Interestingly, there is a flying swan tattooed on the top of the trophy.

54. ‘Milagrito’ Tattoo

Dave East Neck Tattoo

Tattoo: Dave East and his baby’s mother, ‘Millie Colon’, always shared an on and off relationship. When they got together after a great rift, Dave made it forever for them by getting a tattoo on his neck of his wife’s name, ‘Milagrito’. Millie revealed the same on her Instagram story.

55. ‘Dominican Flag’ Tattoo

Dave Flag Tattoo

Tattoo: Under his right ear we see a Dominican flag inked.
Meaning: This tattoo is Dave’s tribute to the fact that he is of African-American and Dominican descent as he was in Harlem, New York.

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