.

Drake Sued by Ex-Girlfriend Over 'Marvin's Room'

Ericka Lee claims she co-wrote hit from 'Take Care'

February 3, 2012 2:50 PM ET
drake
Drake performs at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Steven Lawton/FilmMagic

Drake is being sued by a woman who says she is the voice on the other end of the phone call in his hit song "Marvin's Room." Ericka Lee, who says that she is the rapper's ex-girlfriend, has filed a suit claiming she was excluded from sharing co-writer royalties for the song, which is featured on his best-selling album Take Care.

According to papers filed by Lee in Los Angeles, she and Drake had a romantic and business relationship between early 2010 and mid-2011. Lee claims the two traded poems and lyrics over the course of their relationship and discussed collaborative projects. Drake allegedly agree to work with her on "Marvin's Room" and split the earnings. She was originally intended to record a hook for the track and perform a monologue that would frame the lyrics. The rapper supposedly acknowledged her contributions to the piece in several texts, including one that apparently reads "U basically made that song."

Lee and Drake's relationship ended completely after the song was released. The rapper reportedly offered her 2 percent of the publishing royalties for the song, and later raising the offer to 4-5 percent along with a $50,000 settlement. Lee is now seeking a co-writing credit for the song as well as undisclosed damages.

Watch a video for the finished version of "Marvin's Room" below.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

prev
Music Main Next

blog comments powered by Disqus
Daily Newsletter

Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
marketing partners.

X

We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

Song Stories

“Help Me”

Joni Mitchell | 1974

Joni Mitchell wrote and recorded this song for her album Court and Spark, but she had to switch from her regular band to make the song sound exactly the way she wanted. "I had attempted to play my music with rock & roll players," she told Rolling Stone. "They’d laugh, 'Awww, isn't that cute? She's trying to teach us how to play.'" Mitchell switched to a jazz band, Tom Scott’s L.A. Express, and scored the biggest hit of her career in the process.

More Song Stories entries »