The family of late rapper Drakeo the Ruler plan to file a $20 million wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against promoters who organized the L.A. concert where the rapper was murdered last month.
Drakeo, whose real name was Darrell Caldwell, was to appear in the Once Upon a Time in L.A. music festival when he was stabbed to death by an unknown assailant in December.
According to the attorney representing the family, James Bryant, the lack of security and police officers present contributed to the fatal attack.
“Mr. Caldwell had no security,” said Bryant, who says the suit will be filed on Monday. “This would never have happened if those promoters had the proper security protocol. The world lost an amazing artist, a beautiful human being, a father.”
The news about Drakeo’s death shocked fans and the music community, as many questioned the circumstances that led to the South Los Angeles rapper’s death.
Drakeo was one of the many high-profile performers— including Snoop Dogg, Al Green, and 50 Cent— scheduled to perform at the festival at the Banc of California Stadium in Exposition Park.
In a video posted on Twitter taken right before his death, Drakeo is seen being swarmed by half a dozen men dressed in red, while waiting backstage at the venue.
The army of men repeatedly assaults the 28-year-old, who then falls to the ground from the crushing blows.
The rapper, who suffered stab wounds to the neck, was transported to a nearby hospital where he died a couple of hours later.
Police are still investigating the death and no arrests have been made.
“Mr. Caldwell was essentially lynched by over 40 to 60 people,” said Bryant about the circumstances that led to his death.
“That video ran for a full minute and you didn’t see one security officer there. The video you saw was one of the last few moments of Darrell Caldwell’s life,” he added.
The attorney is alleging that the rapper was only permitted to have a small entourage, but once he arrived dozens of men were able to enter the backstage area.
“It should have never have happened,” said Bryant, claiming that there was no security personnel around Drakeo when he was corralled by the mob.
“The concert Once Upon a Time in Los Angeles had 50 of the most iconic music artists in the industry, but … you also knew there could be an element of danger. You had Bloods. You had Crips and affiliations amongst them. We all know those groups don’t go together,” he continues.
While Drakeo was not openly affiliated with any gangs, he had a long-standing beef with fellow West Coast rapper and blood-member YG.
“How did these people get through? How did these people get access, backstage, to an artist” said Tianna Purdue, the mother of Drakeo’s 5-year-old son Caiden, during a news conference on Thursday.
Purdue says she has been having difficult conversations with their son about his dad’s passing.
“It’s been hard,” she said to reporters. “It has been a real tragedy for him. … How can I explain his dad is not coming back? … He is gone and we not going to see him again.”
Attorneys said the suit will be filed against promoters, which include Live Nation and Bobby Dee Presents.
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