Drake and his Hollywood p.r. firm ID have reportedly parted ways after the rapper was bumped from a recent Rolling Stone cover for late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman. But Page Six has learned it was just the latest behind-the-scenes drama between the artist and his reps.
Insiders say the “Started From the Bottom” performer also had a beef with Hollywood agency ICM Partners and another of his former p.r. firms, The Chamber Group.
Billboard on Friday reported Drake and ID split after he ranted on Twitter over losing a Rolling Stone cover to Hoffman after his tragic death: “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.”
But we hear that was the last straw for ID, as well, after Drake hadn’t shown up for several other magazine shoots and TV appearances the firm had arranged, leaving editors and execs grousing about Drake’s management team, composed of cronies from his hometown of Toronto who call themselves “October’s Very Own.”
“It’s a shame that someone with so much talent is surrounded by kids who are burning bridges left and right,” a source told us.
ID also reps Alicia Keys and Ben Stiller.
We also hear Drake had an ugly split with another firm, The Chamber Group, after he got into a screaming match with a female publicist and ordered her out an elevator they were riding in at New York’s London/NYC Hotel.
The rapper had left ICM in late 2011 to join WME after he grew frustrated that the firm only brought him roles in urban movies, sources said, as opposed to mainstream films. But we hear ICM got Drake a role in the Richard Gere Wall Street thriller “Arbitrage” and that he committed, then backed out after signing a contract.
Drake’s rep Oliver El-Khatib didn’t get back to us. ID took the high road and issued the statement: “Drake is an incredibly talented artist, and we’re proud of our results for [his new album] ‘Nothing Was the Same’ and Would You Like a Tour? We wish him the best.”