Canadian rapper Drake has been ordered to give a deposition or make an appearance in court later this month for the XXXTentacion murder trial.
Mauricio Padilla, defense attorney for Dedrick Williams, one of three suspects on trial, attempted to subpoena Drake late last month. Per Rolling Stone, Padilla claims the Her Loss artist was served properly but was a no-show.
Rapper Drake Has Been Ordered.
The move to involve Drake stems from an Instagram Stories post where XXXTentacion wrote in all caps; If anyone tries to kill me, it was @champagnepapi (Drake). Im snitching on him right now.
The Florida rapper then claimed he was hacked. He was murdered four months later at age 20. In his opening arguments on Tuesday, Padilla explained (and paraphrased) before Xxxtentacion died, he said, If anybody kills me, it’s Drake. Do you think, sitting here years later, any detective has ever asked Drake or anybody like that? No.? He also noted This is one of the biggest celebrities in the world. Excluding an order from this court, we all know that I will never be able to take his deposition.?
Broward Country Circuit Judge Michael Usan granted Padilla’s petition on Thursday for an order to show cause.? A Feb. 24 date has been set for Drake to fulfill the order, which Billboard says will take place via Zoom.
?If deponent Aubrey Drake Graham does not appear for a deposition, he must appear before this court on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023, at 10 a.m. EST so [sic] the court can determine why he should not be held in contempt, reads the order, as reviewed by Rolling Stone.
A court filing from Padilla in December also cited comments from XXXTentacion’s mother, Cleopatra Bernard, who said a feud with Migos was also a concern.
?In [her] deposition, Bernard said that she asked one of [XXXTentacion] relatives to accompany him to the motorcycle shop the day he died because of the ongoing battle with Drake and Migos, RS writes.
Complex’s Jessica McKinney explains the situation: The suspected feud between X and Drake dates back to 2017 when Drake previewed a new song during a tour stop in Amsterdam. Some concertgoers suggested the new song sounded eerily close to XXXTentacions hit single Look at Me.
Drake, who has been accused of biting other artists’ sounds, denied all accusations. To be clear, Drake is not a suspect or on trial, but by mentioning the Canadian rapper, Padilla introduces someone other than his client to show reasonable doubt.
