Metro Boomin, a prolific hip-hop producer who released two chart-topping albums with Future this year, was sued for an alleged sexual assault a woman says resulted in pregnancy, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday—allegations the producer’s lawyers are denying.
Metro Boomin, whose real name is Leland Wayne, was sued Tuesday in Los Angeles court for alleged ... [+]
Vanessa LeMaistre, 38, alleged in a lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of Los Angeles that Metro Boomin, whose real name is Leland Wayne, sexually assaulted her in September 2016 after inviting her to the studio to watch him work.
LeMaistre alleged Wayne had given her a shot of alcohol immediately after arriving at the studio and that she took half a dose of Xanax, which she had used to cope with the recent loss of her nine-month-old son, after which she said she blacked out and later woke up to Wayne sexually assaulting her while she was unable to consent to sexual activity.
LeMaistre claimed she found out she was pregnant several weeks later and the pregnancy must have been from Wayne’s alleged assault, as she had not had sex with anyone else during that period.
LeMaistre said she chose to terminate the pregnancy in November 2016 because of the “recent loss of her son and the traumatic cause of her pregnancy.”
She alleged a song Wayne co-wrote and produced in 2017, “Rap Saved Me,” referenced the sexual assault and her pregnancy in the lyrics: “She took a Xanny, then she fainted/I'm from the gutter, ain't no changing/From the gutter, rap saved me/She drive me crazy, have my baby.”
Wayne’s lawyer, Lawrence Hinkle II, told The Washington Post LeMaistre’s lawsuit contains false accusations, stating Wayne will defend himself in court and “file a claim for malicious prosecution once he prevails” (Forbes has reached out to lawyers for Wayne and LeMaistre for comment).
LeMaistre said she was “raped by someone who pretended to be her friend for months,” alleging Wayne attempted to gain her trust by bonding with her over the loss of her son, who died in February 2016. She said a friend introduced her to Wayne while on a trip to Las Vegas about a month or two after her son died, during which Wayne, LeMaistre and their friends went to a party and a nightclub together. Wayne and LeMaistre had discussions about life and music, the complaint states, and LeMaistre told Wayne and her friends about the loss of her son. Wayne invited LeMaistre to visit him at the studio in California, which she visited several times over the next few months, according to the complaint. LeMaistre said the studio became an escape from her grief, and that Wayne also confided in her about the recent end of his long-term relationship. She said she felt safe with Wayne, though she alleged he would sometimes become less predictable after “excessive codeine use.”
The lawsuit references the highly dramatic feud between rappers Drake and Kendrick Lamar that unfolded earlier this year, which Wayne was involved in, claiming the incident shot him to newfound fame, after which “dozens of misogynistic tweets that Wayne wrote resurfaced.” The lawsuit cites tweets Wayne allegedly posted, several of which have been deleted, including one that appears to reference coerced sexual activity under the influence of drugs: “She gon suck me whether she like it or not. That’s what the molly for.” Wayne was the producer of “Like That,” a song in collaboration with Future and Lamar that was the catalyst for Lamar’s feud with Drake because of a diss in his verse. Wayne also produced “BBL Drizzy,” an instrumental beat he released in May as a diss at Drake, referencing allegations that Drake had gotten the Brazilian butt lift surgical procedure.
Wayne rose to fame in the Atlanta rap scene, producing for artists including Future and Gucci Mane. He produced several hits throughout the 2010s, including Drake and Future’s 2016 song “Jumpman” and Migos’ “Bad and Boujee,” which became Wayne’s first No. 1 hit. He has released a string of No. 1 albums, including his solo ventures “Not All Heroes Wear Capes” (2018) and “Heroes & Villains” (2022). This year, he released “We Don’t Trust You” and “We Still Don’t Trust You,” two collaborative albums with Future, both of which topped the Billboard 200.
Metro Boomin Addresses Kendrick Lamar & Drake Feud: ‘Stan Culture Makes It Kind of Weird’ (Billboard)
Drake Raps Over ‘BBL Drizzy’: Trolls Critics—But Not Kendrick Lamar Directly (Forbes)