Kevin Liles Fires Back at $30M "Extortion" Claims from Former Def Jam Artist Lady Luck

In this stunning reversal of fortune rattling the hip-hop world, music exec Kevin Liles has taken center stage not for breaking a hot new act or cutting a new deal but for bombshell charges and dogged denials.

Liles jumped the gun before a pending sexual misconduct accusation from rapper Shanell Jones, aka Lady Luck. The ex-Def Jam artist, who Liles signed in 1999, reportedly asked for a ridiculous $30 million payment or else she would write a tell-all book and pursue legal action, according to sources.

But Liles issued a strong written statement, calling the whole thing an "extortion attempt." He set up a website, ladylucksownwords. Com is devoted to denying them and posting what he calls the truth, with Lady Luck's previous statements and the records.

"None of this is true," wrote Liles, adding, "None of this ever happened." "Her threatened claims are false." And they are belied by Ms. Jones's numerous public statements regarding me and what she says has been her experience at Def Jam."

The allegations include that he groomed Lady Luck 26 years ago, showed her his penis, and forced her to perform oral sex on him in a parked car, Liles said. He categorically denies it all and offers what he considers a record of mentorship and support, even noting that he aided her recently as last year.

Liles and his colleagues provided Lady Luck's criminal record to read. She has felony convictions for armed robbery and heroin distribution. He referred to previous interviews and podcast appearances as recently as 2023, in which Lady Luck had spoken positively of him and denied inappropriate relationships with older men.

What Liles does is sketch a portrait of an artist whose career didn't exactly go as planned. He says Lady Luck is motivated by anger and money, not the truth.

That's the worst timing, though. Liles already faces a separate civil lawsuit brought by Jane Doe, who claims Liles sexually assaulted her from 2000 to 2002. The defendant in that suit also includes Universal Music Group and Def Jam as co-defendants. However, the defense argues that those allegations were settled years ago and are being revisited under New York's temporary law, which allows older cases to be filed.

"I will not be extorted," he continued, "or blackmailed by anyone saying that they will release footage of me on New Year's. These scammers have released footage of other artists on the same New ̶Years week in the past."

Whether a well-orchestrated smear tactic or the surfacing of long-hidden truths, this war of words has just started, and the greater hip-hop world is watching.