Drake spox: Hip hop star not at fault in NYC brawl

The Associated Press, Thursday, June 14, 2012, 9:44am (PDT)

NEW YORK (AP) -- A representative for Drake says the hip hop star was on his way out of a Manhattan nightclub when a brawl began between Chris Brown and others.

A statement released Thursday says that Drake did not engage in activity that resulted in injury to a person or property.

Police say five people suffered injuries in the fight at club W.I.P., where people from both entourages were tossing bottles. It's not clear what prompted the fight.

A representative for Brown has not returned a message seeking comment.

No arrests have been made.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

New York City police investigated a report Thursday of a bar brawl involving hip-hop stars Drake and Chris Brown and their entourages in which bottles flew and five people were injured.

Brown tweeted a photo of himself with a cut chin, then later removed it, as well as other messages about the fight, including epithets and taunts.

The other injuries were mostly minor cuts during the fight at the club W.I.P. (Work in Progress) in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood early Thursday. Police were looking at surveillance footage and talking to patrons who witnessed the melee. They said three women and two men were injured, but no arrests have been made.

Neither star was on scene when police arrived around 4 a.m. Thursday morning. It's not clear what prompted the fight. Both Brown and Drake at one time dated singer Rihanna.

Messages left for representatives for Drake and Brown were not immediately returned. Calls to the trendy hotspot, located in a basement near the Holland Tunnel, went unanswered.

Drake was scheduled to perform at Saratoga Springs Performing Arts Center Thursday night in upstate New York.

Brown had a violent relationship with "Umbrella" singer Rihanna and is still on supervised probation for attacking her on the eve of the 2009 Grammy awards, leaving her with a split lip, a black eye and other injuries. Police in Miami are also investigating claims made in March by a 24-year-old woman that Brown snatched her cellphone outside a nightclub when she tried to photograph him.

When Rihanna addressed the assault in an interview with ABC, she said Brown had "no soul in his eyes" and she had no idea how the beating would end. She also warned other women facing domestic violence to not let themselves become blinded by love.

However, the two have been on friendly terms for some time. They've tweeted each other, with him wishing her a happy birthday. She has also said that she is happy about his success and enjoys his music.

They both performed at this year's Grammy awards and also recently debuted two songs featuring each other. Brown sings and raps on the remix of Rihanna's sexually charged song "Birthday Cake," and she appears on a new version of his upbeat tune "Turn up the Music."

The singer dated Drake very briefly after Brown, but their relationship did not mature and she has said it was in part because she was "too fragile" from the split with Brown.

She also recently collaborated with him on his hit "Take Care" and appeared in his video.

Drake is known for playing the character Jimmy Brooks on "Degrassi: The Next Generation," and his hit "Run It."