Hours after a woman claiming to be Young Money star Drake’s ex-girlfriend and the victim of a copyright violation, the rapper’s camp has stepped up to respond.
According to Drake’s spokesperson, Ericka Lee’s accusations are completely false.
“This claim is entirely without merit and our client has not engaged in any wrongful conduct. Ericka Lee consented to the use of her voice in the song “Marvin’s Room” prior to its release. Lee asked only for the credit she received as “Syren Lyric Muse,” and she did not ask for any compensation,” a spokesperson for the rapper told Pop & Hiss on Friday. “It was only after she retained a lawyer that there was a demand for payment. Drake tried for months to resolve the matter amicably, and he now looks forward to being vindicated in court.” A source close to the performer also stressed the two were never engaged in a romantic relationship, despite her claims. (Los Angeles Times)
Details of Lee’s claims and legal action hit the Internet early Friday (February 3).
Ericka Lee, revealing herself to be Drake’s ex-girlfriend, has stepped up, saying she was the voice on the other end of the phone call. The woman is now suing Drake for excluding her from sharing co-writer royalties on one of his biggest recent hits. Lee filed the lawsuit on Thursday in California federal court claiming the two had a romantic and business partnership between early-2010 and mid-2011. During the relationship, the two are said to have traded poems and song lyrics and discussed joint creative projects. (The Hollywood Reporter)
Following an alleged messy break-up, Lee later contacted an attorney to put the suit into motion.
By November, Lee hired a lawyer, which allegedly caused Drake to make threatening phone calls. “What the f–k is your problem?” he said to her, according to the complaint, then offering her “4-5%” of publishing monies plus a $50,000 payout to go away. Instead, Lee has filed a lawsuit over “Marvin’s Room,” which has been viewed more than 39 million times on YouTube. She demands a judge declare her as co-writer of the song. She’s also seeking damages and disgorgement of profits on allegations of breach of fiduciary duties and unjust enrichment. Lee is represented by Neville Johnson, who previously filed a lawsuit against Drake on behalf of a Playboy Enterprises for sampling an unauthorized sound recording it owned on “Best I Ever Had.” (The Hollywood Reporter)
The record premiered last summer and features production from Noah “40” Shebib.
Get excited, Drake fans. According to his website, his sophomore album, Take Care, is due out in October and we should be hearing the first single in July. And if that isn’t enough for y’all, he has also come through with a brand-new track called “Marvins Room.” It’s far less rap-heavy than “Dreams Money Can Buy” and instead features Drizzy throwing on his R&B sad-man/storyteller hat throughout the nearly six-minute-long track. The result is a pretty epic cut that includes a track-ending piano solo and producer Noah “40” Shebib’s trademark watery 808s. A single this is not, but I’ll be d*mned if it won’t make for a killer deep cut. (Prefix Mag)
