Drake, who has a storied relationship with rapper XXXTentacion, could be forced to testify in the rapper’s murder trial. Lawyers for the Toronto superstar are asking a judge to overrule a subpoena requiring him to appear for a deposition in the case.
Drakes Alleged Part in this Case
The Canadian rapper was originally scheduled to be deposed on January 27, but he failed to show up. As a result, a judge has issued an ultimatum to Drake: sit for his deposition on February 24 via Zoom or face contempt charges.
In December, defense attorneys for Dedrick Williams – one of the three men accused of killing XXXTentacion – listed various artists as potential witnesses in the trial. They include Tekashi 6ix9ine, Offset, and late Migos rapper Takeoff, among others.
After the December list was revealed, it sparked a debate about whether or not Drake on trial for murder of XXXTentacion. The rapper argues that the defense team is simply trying to add more layers of celebrity and notoriety to the murder trial and has not proven evidence that Drake or anyone else was involved in the case.
Moreover, the filing alleges that Drake has close ties to people associated with gangs. It further cites a statement from XXXTentacion’s mother that the rapper was feuding with Drake and Migos.
Overview of XXXTentacion Murder
But the defense attorneys say that there is no proof that Drake ever even knew XXXTentacion or that he was involved in his death. They also claim that the state’s witness, Robert Allen, was intimidated by co-defendant Trayvon Newsome.
The prosecution claims that Newsome tried to intimidate Allen before he entered the courtroom on Monday, and prosecutors said that Newsome called him “Sucker.” In addition, Allen has told investigators that Boatwright and Williams tried to get him to change his story about what happened the night of the crime.
At the time of his arrest, Allen admitted to police that he was present during the robbery of XXXTentacion on June 18, 2018. He said that Boatwright and Newsome drove him and another man to Riva Motorsports, where they saw X withdrawing $50,000 from a bank and purchasing a Louis Vuitton bag. Allen also said that Newsome told him that he would kill XXXTentacion.
He then sped off in an SUV with Newsome and Boatwright, who jumped out of the vehicle and demanded jewelry from the rapper. They then killed XXXTentacion while he was driving his BMW i8 sports car.
According to the prosecutor, Allen had previously told investigators that he heard Boatwright and Newsome say, “I’m going to kill XXXTentacion.” The prosecution argued that the evidence against Boatwright and Newsome shows that they did not just want to kill XXXTentacion.
The robbery of XXXTentacion was just the latest chapter in a long and complex rap rivalry between the two. The two had a brief but storied battle on social media in 2017 when XXXTentacion claimed that Drake copied his flow on a song. During the fight, he also allegedly tweeted: “If anyone tries to kill me, it was [Drake]” and posted the hashtag “champagnepapi.” A year later, XXXTentacion was murdered.
