Drake has been ordered to take part in the ongoing XXXTentacion murder trial after the 20-year-old rapper was shot and killed in 2018.
There are four suspects on trial for the death of XXXTentacion, whose real name was Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, all of who are facing charges of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm.
Prosecutors have never claimed Drake, whose real name is Aubrey Graham, is involved in the rapper's death, but he was connected to the case by defense attorney Mauricio Padilla as he sought to offer an alternative theory to the rapper's killing.
Drake's alleged involvement stems from a 2017 argument which saw XXXTentacion claim Drake had ripped him off with his track 'Look at Me!'
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The following year, Onfroy's Instagram page shared a Story which read: “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi," referring to Drake’s Instagram handle.
Onfroy later claimed his account had been hacked, but Padilla referenced the alleged feud in his opening arguments in the case on 7 February.
"Do you think… any detective has ever asked Drake or anybody like that? No, they never did that," the lawyer told the court.
Padilla tried to subpoena Drake for a deposition at the end of January, saying he had previously been served but did not show up for the deposition as requested.
The lawyer then petitioned the court for an 'order to show cause', which the judge granted on 9 February.
The order states that Drake 'shall appear for a deposition' via Zoom on 24 February, adding: "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 [sic] the court can determine why he should not be held in contempt.”
The order against Drake comes after the defense team for one of the murder suspects listed him among a number of artists who could be potential witnesses in the case, with Quavo, Offset, Tekashi 6ix9ine and Joe Budden among those named in the filing.
Prosecutors later described the filing as a stunt, saying: "It is apparent from the deliberate, late disclosure of the defendant’s witnesses and comments made between the parties that [the] defendant intended to ‘surprise’ the state and create a trial by ambush."
When Broward Country Circuit Judge Michael Usan asked Padilla why the artists were relevant, Padilla said: "They are high-profile people. And it’s not easy for me to subpoena. I don’t have numbers, but it doesn’t mean I won’t be able to. Trying to subpoena Drake is not easy — you need a drone.”
UNILAD has reached out to a representative for Drake for comment.
Emily Brown