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Scott Stinson: Drake's Toronto ice ‘sculpture’ a grim, confusing lesson in viral publicity

No longer do people rush downtown because Drake might be doing something cool like holding an impromptu concert. Now they rush there because he made viral content

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There might be no better way to make yourself feel old than by trying to understand the story of Drake and the ice sculpture.

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It begins with the Toronto-born hip-hop superstar posting a photo of a giant pile of ice, in a parking lot downtown, on his social media account. “Release date inside,” he captions it.

Scott Stinson: Drake's Toronto ice ‘sculpture’ a grim, confusing lesson in viral publicity Back to video

OK, fine. It’s a publicity stunt for his new album, the title of which is Iceman. Well played.

That was on Monday. By Tuesday, the scene near the Eaton Centre had become chaotic, as dozens of people descended on what keeps being called a sculpture, which seems a stretch for what was a giant pile of ice blocks, in an attempt to, well, destroy it.

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There were chisels and axes, sledgehammers and blowtorches. Video from the scene shows at least one fire that was successfully started on top of the ice pile.

Why were people doing this? Why didn’t everyone just let the damn thing melt, as Drake, rapper of God’s Plan, intended?

That’s where the feeling-old part comes in. No longer do people rush to a downtown parking lot because Drake might be doing something inclusive and cool like holding an impromptu concert or even playing some snippets from his soon-to-be released album. No, now they rush down there, sledgehammer and Molotov cocktail in hand, because Drake made viral content. And if something is viral, and the opportunity presents itself to be part of that viral moment, the lure is evidently too much for a great number of people to resist.

What did all those ice smashers receive for their efforts, other than to assist in the promotion of an album for a fabulously wealthy musician? Not much, unless you count the social media currency of who knows how many TikToks and Instagram reels.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. According to a CBC recap of the events, a YouTube influencer with more than nine million followers — sorry, I just died a little inside as I typed that — threw a set of car keys on to the ice pile and declared to his legions that whoever found the keys would be gifted a new car.

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In other words, someone who is famous for being online piggybacks on the online stunt of an even more famous person, both increasing the online exposure of both of them, and somewhere in there a car company gets some free publicity.  Earned media, they call it in the business. This feels like end-of-times stuff.

This is also a good spot to point out that, in addition to his (reportedly) 50,000-square-foot mansion in Toronto’s chi-chi Bridle Path neighbourhood, Drake, who routinely posts images of his six-figure sports wagers on his socials, recently bought a 313-acre ranch in Texas that boasts an organic farm, several haciendas and “world-class equestrian facilities.” (I should hope so.)

The man doesn’t really need his fans to do his publicity for him, is what I’m saying.

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To the surprise of no one other than possibly Drake, the excitement created by his giant pile of ice lasted less than 24 hours before the Fun Police — sorry, Toronto Police — stepped in.

Concerns about all of those people with their open flames and their pointy sticks must have been the stuff of nightmares for public safety officials. This was running with scissors, but on a much grander scale.

The police called the fire department, and before long the crowds were cleared out, the somewhat-less-giant ice pile had been fenced off, and fire fighters were dousing the gimmick with water to hasten the melting process. I suspect some of them found the experience of just being able to blast their hoses at an ice pile very satisfying. Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow declared herself not too fussed about the cost of the cleanup operation, saying Drake meant well. (I am paraphrasing.)

All that was left was space for some very earnest reporting on the success of Drake’s giant ice pile as a marketing ploy. ““If you look at the return on investment, it’s probably very good based on the amount of coverage he’s getting,” one analyst told the Toronto Star. No kidding. And yes, I realize I am part of the problem.

I don’t claim to be a big fan of Drake’s work (not enough guitar), but I know enough of his whole deal to be aware that this is something of a comeback. He got in a very public feud with fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar, which included Drake suing his own music label (awkward), and ended, so to speak, with Kendrick’s diss track being performed at the Super Bowl halftime show. Serena Williams was there, dancing to the Drake-related insults. This was, as I understand, the Vesuvius of rap-feud endings.

Which I guess helps explain why someone as successful as Drake felt the need to do all of this instead of just telling his millions of followers the date on which his new album is released.

The date was indeed in the giant ice pile, by the way. But you can look it up for yourself. No more free publicity. Buy an ad, fella, like they used to do it in the olden days.

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