Drakeo The Ruler fell victim to a stabbing in December of 2021. The incident occured at Live Nation’s Once Upon A Time In LA Festival, where Drakeo’s assailants somehow managed to attack him while he was backstage. He received a major injury to the neck area, leaving him in critical condition. Paramedics did their best to assist Drakeo, but were unfortunately unsuccessful. The same night as the attack, after a brief period in hospital care, he was pronounced dead.
Drakeo/HNHH
Family and friends of Drakeo The Ruler intend to hold Live Nation accountable for their blatant negligence and mishandling of artist safety. Tianna Purtue, mother of Drakeo the Ruler’s son, feels as though Live Nation was “completely knowledgeable of the potential dangers posed to both their guests and the performers they hired based on numerous past incidents of violence and death at their hip hop events.” Roughly a week ago, Drakeo’s family stated that lawsuits like these would be made known in the coming days.
The lawsuit continues on to detail the various ways in which Live Nation neglected to prioritize safety at the event. The suit states that individuals involved “should have known” about Drakeo’s altercations with gangs in the past. Although Drakeo was “not and never has been a member of any gang,” Purtues suit states that he was “constantly being challenged by various gangs for his refusal to ‘choose’ a side.”
The most prevalent and notable point in the lawsuit is that Live Nation cared more about revenue than paying for and implementing proper security. Purtue states that an “adequate security plan and sufficient security guards and law enforcement presence could have prevented the unnecessary and untimely murder of Drakeo the Ruler at the hands of over 100 deadly gang members who inexplicably gained access to a restricted area of the venue engaging in an unrelenting and unprevented attack for over 10 minutes.”
We’ll keep you updated on how the situation regarding Drakeo The Ruler’s death unfolds.
[Via]