Drake now agrees with Rolling Stone cover swap for Philip Seymour Hoffman

Toronto rapper Drake has apologized on his blog for lashing out against Rolling Stone magazine's decision to drop him from its cover in favour of a tribute to the late actor Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Drake, 27, took to Twitter on Thursday to complain about the perceived snub in the March issue of the magazine. He has since deleted some of the related tweets, including one that said "RIP Phillip (sic) Seymour Hoffman. All respect due. But the press is evil."

• Drake fumes over Philip Seymour Hoffman's Rolling Stone cover

In one of the now-deleted tweets, the singer said Rolling Stone misquoted him, a claim the magazine denied.

In a blog entry posted Friday and titled "Tough Day At The Office," Drake said he "completely" agrees with Rolling Stone, but felt "violated" over how the cover decision was made.

He called Hoffman "one of the most incredible actors of our time" and a man who "deserves to be immortalized" by the publication. However, he said Rolling Stone ran the issue without giving him a "choice to be in it or not."

"I would have waited until it was my time," the rapper said.

Melissa Bruno, a spokesperson for Rolling Stone, told CBC News in a telephone interview on Thursday that the magazine generally does not comment on its cover decisions.

"I once again apologize to everybody who took my cover comments the wrong way," Drake wrote on his blog. "I respect Rolling Stone for being willing to give a kid from Toronto a shot at the cover. I guess this is a day to learn and grow."

Hoffman, 46, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment earlier this month. He had a needle in his arm and dozens of packets of heroin were found nearby.

The Oscar winner had faced struggles with addiction during his life.

The tragic nature of his death, juxtaposed with the perceived insensitivity of Drake’s complaints about the magazine cover, led to a torrent of negative tweets aimed at the rapper.