Canada’s most talented export, Drake, was scheduled to grace the cover of Rolling Stone this week; however, due to the untimely death of the beloved Phillip Seymour Hoffman, the Toronto-born hip-hop star was unceremoniously bumped from the cover.
Drake did not take kindly to this, going on Twitter to rant about the famed publication. He complained that Rolling Stone misquoted his comments about the lyrical content on fellow rapper Kanye West’s latest effort Yeezus. Drake is quoted in the magazine as saying, “There were some real questionable bars on there. Like that ‘Swaghili’ line? Come on, man. Fabolous wouldn’t say some s**t like that.” Drizzy later took to Twitter, claiming that he was “disgusted with the magazine for misrepresenting him, and that he never said any of those things about ‘Yeezus’.”
Drake later retracted his comments regarding Hoffman, however the rapper was still distraught over the whole situation. On Twitter he denounced the press as “evil” and said that he was done giving interviews to magazines for good.
Another interesting component to the interview was Drake’s comment regarding Macklemore’s behavior after beating out Kendrick Lamar for Best Rap Album at the Grammys. Drake described Macklemore’s decision to issue a public apology to Kendrick Lamar via Instagram as “wack as f**k.” He explained that he felt in order for Macklemore to gain respect in the rap community he needed to own up to his art and be proud of his accomplishment, not apologize for being lucky.
Drake’s comments have been seen as universally offensive and he has been having a rough week in the media. The interview in itself is not the problem; yes, the comments were inflammatory, but that’s nothing the general public can’t forgive. The larger issue at hand for celebrities is how impetuous, heated comments can have such long legs because of social media. Initial impulses and unwise comments reach the ears and eyes of millions of fans as they proliferate via social media. Every time Justin Bieber does something reckless even people on the other side of the world have to know about it.
Being a celebrity in this day and age is much harder than it used to be. The amount of scrutiny placed on stars is increased tenfold due to their easy accessibility. Social media completely revolutionized what being a celebrity means, sometimes for the better but often for the worst. True, it affords ordinary people the opportunity to showcase their talents and gain fame, but often this fame is unfounded, meaning it is without any real merit. It also relinquishes celebrities of the little privacy they have. Celebrities have such instant access to the public that it makes publications and journalists less relevant - they can promote themselves.
Beneficial or not, one can’t deny the powerful differences that social media makes. Celebrities and public figures have to tread lightly these days, as they are constantly being watched, judged and measured. Drake’s antics are just an example of how social media can change a celebrity’s image so quickly, but there are countless other instances.
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