Drake Splits with PR Firm After Rolling Stone Controversy
Drake has parted ways with his PR firm in the wake of his Rolling Stone cover debacle.
ID-PR had been handling Drake’s publicity for the past year and worked on the campaigns for his third album Nothing Was the Same and “Would You Like a Tour?” According to Billboard, ID initiated the split soon after the Rolling Stone controversy.
ID arranged the magazine feature, which prompted a series of tweets from Drake upon its release. The Canadian rapper slammed the publication for replacing his cover with a Philip Seymour Hoffman memoriam and for including his off-the-record comments about Kanye West’s Yeezus.
“I’m disgusted with that. RIP to Philip Seymour Hoffman. All respect due. But the press is evil,” he said in the tweet, which was later deleted. “I’m done doing interviews for magazines. I just want to give my music to the people. That’s the only way my message gets across accurately.”
He soon after apologized for his comments on his OVO blog. “Today I was forced out of my character and felt the need to react swiftly,” he said. “These days are the worst ones. Waking up after a great night in the studio and it’s your day to be picked apart. After dwelling on it for a few hours or days you will come to the conclusion that you brought it on yourself almost every time.”
In a statement to Billboard, ID said, “Drake is an incredibly talented artist and we’re proud of our results for Nothing Was the Same and ‘Would You Like a Tour?’ We wish him the best.”
According to multiple sources who’ve worked with Drake, the rapper has a history of being difficult when it comes to print interviews. He often schedules photo shoots and interviews at the last minute, forcing magazines to make difficult decisions at press time.
