Octavian announces he's quitting music: “All this negativity is draining”
Octavian has announced that he’s quitting music, a year after he was accused of “physical, verbal and psychological abuse” by his ex-girlfriend.
The rapper’s ex-partner, known only as Hana, released a statement last November in which she alleged she had suffered physical attacks from the rapper and shared footage of one of the alleged incidents.
She claimed that Octavian attacked her with a hammer and screwdriver, pressured her into having an abortion and threatened to kill her.
The claims were made public a day before the release of Octavian’s debut album ‘Alpha’, which was subsequently pulled from release before he was then dropped by his record label, Black Butter.
Announcing his retirement on Instagram on Monday (October 18), Octavian wrote: “Quitting music. All this negativity is draining. Innocent or not doesn’t matter in my city. Not in a good place.
“Thank you to everyone who kept me mentally stable, thank you for all of your love. Thank you for your patience. Forever grateful. going away for now. Will see you soon.”
While Octavian, full name Octavian Oliver Godji, has denied the claims, Hana alleges she was asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) by the rapper’s lawyer in exchange for her silence.
In January of this year, two months after the allegations first surfaced, the rapper’s ex-girlfriend claimed she was offered £20,000 to stay quiet about the allegations of abuse she is said to have suffered at his hands.
“They were offering me £20,000 to never speak on anything that’s happened in our relationship,” she claims in new BBC Three documentary Music’s Dirty Secrets: Women Fight Back.
“Never tell any publications, never tell any family, never tell any friends, never say anything bad about Octavian or his career, or anything at all really. Delete all photos, all evidence, all videos. Just act as if I never existed.”
In a statement to the BBC at the time, Octavian said: “I wholly deny Hana’s allegations, which are only one – grossly distorted – side of a troubled relationship.
“Much of what she has said, and has been reported, has been manipulated or is simply untrue. I will not go on trial by media, but I will repeat that I have not been violent or coercive towards Hana, and I am not a misogynist.”
