Octavian dropped by label over accusations of physical, verbal and psychological abuse by former partner
Octavian has been dropped by his record label following accusations of “physical, verbal and psychological abuse” made by his ex-girlfriend.
The label, Black Butter – which is a subsidiary of Sony Records – dropped Octavian following the accusations which he has denied. His debut album, ‘Alpha’, which was set to arrive tomorrow (November 13), will now no longer be released on the label.
As reported in The Independent, a spokesperson for Octavian’s label said: “We at Black Butter have taken the decision not to continue working with Octavian and we will not be releasing his album. We do not condone domestic abuse of any kind and we have suggested Octavian seeks professional help at this time.”
The rapper’s former partner of three years, who is known as the musician Emo Baby, shared a statement on Instagram yesterday (November 11) in which she said a police report had been filed.
She went on to say she is currently “in a different country for my own safety and well-being”, alleging that the first instance of physical abuse came shortly after she became pregnant with Octavian’s child.
“After pressuring me to get an abortion he attacked me for the first time, kicked me in my stomach, burst my lip, attacked me with a hammer and threatened to kill me,” she wrote.
It’s claimed that the musician’s former girlfriend was subsequently asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in return for £20,000, to which she declined.
The statement then alleged that the abuse continued up until April of this year, when she left the rapper. She added that “the abuse became routine and was often prompted by his cocaine use”.
“I was frequently kicked, punched, strangled, and dragged out the house with my clothing or hair, he would smash furniture and threaten me with a bat, or attack me with other items like a screwdriver.”
In yesterday’s statement, it was claimed that ‘Alpha’ features a song called ‘My Head’ which is “about violently killing me with a machete”. It’s also said that another track, ‘Rock Smiles’, “is about two men attacking me”.
“I felt I had to share this and speak my truth before these songs are out,” the statement concluded, adding that these claims were “just a fraction” of her experiences with Octavian.
Shortly after the allegations began gaining traction on social media, Octavian shared a message on his Instagram Stories feed in which he denied the accusations made against him.
The rapper said he will deal with the situation “legally and properly”, and that “the truth is coming.”
Octavian also said the claims are “the biggest defamation of character in history.”
“All this cause I broke up with a girl,” one post from the rapper read. “Evidence that the girl will never [leave] me alone or let me win coming soon.”
He added: “I will not speak without evidence. What u are witnessing is real life abuse. Good will win.”
Pattern Publicity, the press company who had been representing Octavian ahead of the release of his new album, said in a statement that they have also now severed ties with the artist.
“After these allegations have come to light, we have stopped all work with Octavian as we cannot condone, nor support, abusive behaviour,” they wrote.
If you’ve been affected by domestic abuse, you can contact Refuge’s freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. You can also donate to Refuge here.