Former Def Jam govt Kevin Liles took to social media on Tuesday to disclaim sexual assault allegations introduced towards him by the label’s former signee, Woman Luck.
Liles, 57, in his prolonged assertion on Instagram additionally claimed that Woman Luck, whose actual identify is Shanell Ayana Jones, and her attorneys had been making an attempt to extort $30 million from him. The New Jersey rapper was simply 17 when she inked a cope with Def Jam.
“Three weeks in the past, I acquired a letter from former Def Jam artist, Shanell Jones (a.ok.a Woman Luck) and her authorized staff, threatening to publish a guide and file a public lawsuit riddled with completely false and horrendous accusations if I didn’t pay them $30 million {dollars},” Liles wrote.
“Ms. Jones threatened to allege that, virtually 26 years in the past when signed as a recording artist to Def Jam, she was ‘groomed.’ Ms. Jones additionally threatened to allege that I uncovered myself to her and pushed her head in the direction of my genitalia in an try and power her to carry out oral intercourse whereas she was allegedly sitting within the driver’s seat of my automotive.”
Liles in his assertion claimed that “none of this ever occurred.” “Her threatened allegations are completely false. And they’re contradicted by Ms. Jones’s many public statements about me and her expertise at Def Jam. They’re additionally at odds along with her continued outreach and relationship with each my household and me for the previous 26 years,” he stated.
Liles additionally described her story as a “fabrication,” including that “fairly than pay her and her authorized staff, I’m publicly addressing what I view to be an extortion try.”
“It appears Ms. Jones hopes to leverage the present information atmosphere to stress me into writing an exorbitant verify with the intention to keep away from the detrimental publicity that can probably end result from her false claims. I intend to vigorously combat any criticism she could file and can take no matter authorized motion is critical towards her and the attorneys who’ve participated on this tried shakedown.”
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Liles in his assertion additionally touched on how he signed Woman Luck, 42, in 1999 after listening to her rap on Scorching 97.
“As I’ve at all times performed, I gave a proficient younger artist a chance with a profitable deal, entry to recording studios, and introductions to the most well-liked hip- hop artists of the time,” Liles stated earlier than bearing on some hit songs she featured on after she was signed.
Liles stated that Woman Luck had beforehand spoken very extremely of him and the efforts he put in to propel her profession. “Sadly, Ms. Jones’s profession by no means reached the heights she or I hoped for and she or he requested to be launched from her contract with Def Jam a couple of years later,” he said. “In lots of interviews, she has blamed many individuals for her failure to turn out to be a family identify.”
Liles said that Woman Luck “regrettably turned to a lifetime of crime” after she left Def Jam. Regardless of that, Liles claimed he by no means stopped serving to the rapper as he even did so when she reached out to him final yr for help with distribution.
“After connecting her with the top of my former distribution firm, she did an interview stating that I used to be serving to her with distribution, describing it as a ‘full f**king circle’ second. In one other interview in February 2024, Ms. Jones stated ‘I really like Kevin Liles. I simply spoke to him,’” he wrote.
Elsewhere in his assertion, Liles emphasised that no matter his “empathy” for Woman Luck, he was not going to be “extorted, nor will I pay a greenback to those who threaten to destroy my status or the legacy I intend to depart the tradition I’ve spent my life serving.”
Liles stated he’ll “meet the false allegations (and any frivolous lawsuit filed towards me) with all of the instruments that the regulation supplies.”
Liles’ feedback come after a former worker introduced a sexual assault lawsuit towards him in addition to Common Music Group and Def Jam. He has additionally maintained his innocence in that case.
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