Drake Stiffed His Stylist for $70,000

Drake Image by Getty Images

By Anne Cohen August 27, 2013

Being a celebrity stylist has its ups and downs. On one hand, you get to see the dark underbelly (literally) of the rich and famous. On the other, there’s always that chance that they’ll be so wrapped up in their glitzy lives that they’ll forget to pay you.

Stylist Michael Raphael, owner of the high-end boutique Rest Store on Mulberry Street, has filed papers with the Manhattan Supreme Court alleging that ex-client Drake stiffed him for over $70,000 in fees, the New York Daily News reported

Drake briefly hired Raphael as his personal shopper last August and commissioned him to create a custom wardrobe for him. According to the Daily News, he was asked to rent an apartment in Toronto — where the Canadian-born rapper spends most of his time — and told that he would be reimbursed.

The suit also lists a whole slew of out of pocket expenses including thousands of dollars Raphael spent at Foot Locker, Nike and J.Crew — none of which were paid by Drake. The stylist even submitted receipts, including one for a $900 plane ticket to deliver a “custom designed chain and pendant” for Drake to wear at the American Music Awards.

Drake terminated his contract with Raphael in December, reportedly without compensating him for a whole month of work, and over $30,000 in expenses.

Raphael is asking for a grand total of $76,000 in damages.

Anne Cohen was the Forward’s deputy digital media editor. When she’s not looking for the secret Jewish history of Voodoo in New Orleans, or making lists about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she writes for The Assimilator. She graduated from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism with an M.S. magazine concentration in 2012.

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