Flanked by two of the largest, angriest-looking bodyguards we've ever seen ... Drake went out in D.C. today ... looking safer than usual.

With their baby-sized black tshirts stretched to the brink, Drake's hired muscle was constantly on the lookout for danger while Drake hit up some local shops.

At one point, a cameraman asked the rapper if he was concerned about his image following the Chris Brown brawl at W.i.P. nightclub in NYC ... to which Drake casually replied, "My image [is] good, man."

As we previously reported, Drake went clubbin' last night and no one messed with him -- and now that we've seen his security team, it's pretty obvious why.