Drake, Joe Budden, and a list of other rap stars have been named as potential witnesses in the upcoming murder trial of one of the men allegedly involved in the death of rapper XXXTENTACION. The defense for the suspected gunman, Dedrick D. Williams, is reportedly using the rappers’ disagreements with XXXTENTACION in order to create doubt in the minds of jurors that Williams is guilty.
This tactic would also introduce additional theories about who may have wanted XXXTENTACION dead other than Williams.
According to the Miami Herald, Quavo, Offset, 600 Breezy, 6ix9ine, Tankhead666, Ski Mask The Slump God, and incarcerated Toronto rapper Top5 were also listed by Williams’ counsel as potential witnesses. The prosecution has voiced their reservations about having the artists appear, since there is a lack of evidence connecting them to the crime. None of the rappers have been secured as witnesses by Williams’ attorney thus far.
Past beefs between XXXTENTACION and the aforementioned artists have result in heated exchanges, however. In 2017, XXXTENTACION accused Drake of jacking his flow for tracks on his More Life project. Prior to his death, X alluded to the “Sticky” artist attempting to have him murdered in a post on his Instagram Story. “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” XXX wrote, tagging Drake’s verified Instagram account. The “Look at Me” creator later claimed that his Instagram account was hacked at the time of the post.
In 2018, Williams and codefendants Michael Boatwright, Trayvon Newsome and Robert Allen were indicted by a grand jury on charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery with a firearm in connection to the late rapper’s death. The rapper was 20 at the time.