Drake To Testify In XXXTentacion Murder Trial

Drake has been compelled to give a deposition or appear in court for the XXXTentacion murder trial later this month.

Late last month, Mauricio Padilla, the defense counsel for Dedrick Williams, one of three accused on trial, attempted to subpoena Drake. According to Rolling Stone, Padilla alleged that the Canadian artiste was legally served but did not appear.

The move to implicate Drake originates from an Instagram Stories post where XXXTentacion stated in all caps, “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi. Im snitching rn.”

The Florida rapper later claimed he had been hacked. He was assassinated four months later, at the age of twenty.

Padilla explained (and paraphrased) in his opening statements on Tuesday, “Before X 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.” 

On Thursday, Broward County Circuit Judge Michael Usan granted Padilla's motion for a "order to show cause." Drake has been scheduled to execute the order on February 24 via zoom, according to Billboard 

“If deponent Aubrey Drake Graham does not appear to deposition he must appear before this court on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023 at 10 a.m. EST at so the court can determine why he should not be held in contempt,” reads the order, as reviewed by Rolling Stone.

Padilla's court statement in December also mentioned comments from XXXTentacion's mom, Cleopatra Bernard, who stated that a conflict with Migos was also a concern. According to Rolling Stone, Cleopatra said in her deposition that she asked one of X’s relatives to accompany him to the motorcycle shop the day he died because of the ongoing battle with Drake and Migos.

In an explainer on the situation, Complex’s Jessica McKinney writes, “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 X’s hit single Look at Me. Drake, who has been accused of ‘biting’ other artistes’ sounds in the past, denied all accusations. To be clear, Drake is not a suspect or on trial, but by mentioning the Canadian rapper, Padilla is introducing someone other than his client in order to show reasonable doubt.”