Kevin Liles Calls Lady Luck's Grooming Claims "Extortion"

Kevin Liles, a longtime music executive who previously worked for Def Jam Recordings and The Island Def Jam Music Group, is speaking out against one of his former artists. Kevin Liles issued a statement shooting down claims of grooming brought by former Def Jam signee Lady Luck, framing her attempt to gain a massive payout as "extortion."




Kevin Liles posted a statement on his Instagram page Tuesday (May 27), opening by stating that he was contacted by Lady Luck, real name Shanell Jones, and her legal team three weeks prior. Jones alerted Liles that she was publishing a book pushing forth claims that the executive tried to groom her and force her to perform oral sex.




Liles pushed back at the claims, calling Jones' charge a "fabrication" and adding in his statment that he is "publicly addressing what I view to be an extortion attempt."




The statement highlights that Jones was seeking a $30 million payout to prevent the claims within her book from coming out under the public eye, which Liles believes is motivated by the "current news environment."




Liles went on to explain his signing of Lady Luck and doing what he could to advance her career, including adding her to the remix of Pharoahe Monch's smash hit, "Simon Says," and the "Symphony 2000" track from EPMD, featuring then-labelmates Method Man and Redman.




The statement goes on to shine a light on Jones' arrest record and criminal history, but added that he continued to try and assist her in the music world by connecting her with a distributor for a record she wanted to push last year.




Kevin Liles did show some compassion for Jones' struggles with addiction, writing, "I pray for her healing and well-being."




The full statment can be read below.

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Photo: Robin Marchant / Getty



via: https://hiphopwired.com/2721810/kevin-liles-lady-luck-grooming-claims-extortion/