And just like that, puff’s career and millions gone…he wont survive this
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Care to remember R. Kelly?
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This should be an eye opener that some people are after him the lady is just being used… Diddy kwisha
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Highly sus. There’s a time aliropokwa on camera akiwa mlevi.
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Normally ningesema lets wait for evidence but ikikuja kwa Diddy these allegations are very believable. Huyu mse akona to many scandalous stories.
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diddy-cassie.pdf (368.7 KB)
Ndio hii kesi hapa na allegations. Huyu jamaa atafute RKelly mapema amuulize kuhusu Onyi ajuange mapema
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What the abuse lawsuit against Diddy, one of hip-hop’s most powerful men, means
NOVEMBER 17, 20234:15 PM ET
Ventura’s suit demonstrates how wealthy and influential men leverage their positions to abuse and restrict their victims. It alleges that the people who work for Combs not only concealed his behavior but helped him control her. As Louder Than A Riot reported, the rampant mistreatment of women in the hip-hop industry has been normalized by peers who refuse to hold them accountable, and the deafening silence has led to a toxic culture that enables powerful men.
Some of the women who were once signed to Bad Boy have since voiced support for Ventura. Dawn Richard tweeted, “praying for Cassie and her family, for peace and healing. You are beautiful and brave.” Richard’s former groupmates, Aubrey O’Day and D. Woods, of the Making the Band-winning Danity Kane called for greater transparency. “I am in full support of Cassie. It isn’t easy to take on one of the most powerful people in this industry and be honest about your experience with them,” O’Day told Entertainment Tonight. “May her voice bring all the others to the table, so we can start having more transparent conversations about what is actually happening behind the scenes. There is a lot more to all of our stories!”
Ventura’s lawsuit has once again ignited the public desire to see a greater reckoning around sexual assault in the rap community. Activist Tarana Burke told Louder that hip-hop was left out of the MeToo movement in 2017, not simply because of denial, obfuscation and apathy, but because there is a feeling among Black men that admitting such abuse and engaging with the justice system to hold offenders accountable is an inherent betrayal, given the racist roots of that system.
“No matter what we do, you have some way in which men will silence [us], will not recognize we have these moments where we get diminished. And you’re going to have people who will excoriate me. They’ll be like, ‘You just want to take down our men,’” Burke explained. “If we love hip-hop, accountability is a part of love … If we really love hip-hop, then we would hold ourselves accountable. We would hold it accountable. Those two things can happen at the same time.”
“We need the men,” the rapper Latto told Louder Than A Riot reporters. “We need them to call these ns out when they do some lame s. That might be your partner. Y’all might be from the same hood. Y’all might got a mixtape together or a feature, whatever. But we need them to speak up for us, because the s** these n****s be doing and getting away with publicly and nobody speaks up, that’s foul. We all have to work together to rewrite that.”
In this troubling reality, we have also seen a malicious pattern play out, where corroboration from men holds more sway than the female victims’ accusation. In the case where Tory Lanez was found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in 2022, many still did not believe Megan until guilt-stricken jail calls of Lanez surfaced. In this lawsuit, one claim from the complaint seems to be gaining more traction than the others: A 2012 incident in which Combs allegedly threatened to blow up the car of Ventura’s then-boyfriend, the rapper Kid Cudi, and his car exploded in his driveway shortly thereafter. This is, in part, because Cudi backed up Ventura’s assertion. It is important for men to stand with women, and to speak up in support of their claims, but it is even more important to let the word of the survivor hold its own weight.
The suit being brought forth feels like a potential beacon for those survivors, a way to let them know they are being heard and action is coming. A case of the stature, taking on a man this visible and powerful, could set off a chain reaction that reverberates throughout the community and leads to the accountability movement in hip-hop that many have been waiting for.
Guy has settled the case within 1 day
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Diddy ameona ni kubaya amelipa hio kunguru
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Hio part ya Puff daddy kufungua maboyz boot ndio sijafurahia
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o, peep this game, fam. I’ve always kept it real, never let myself get caught up in situations where I ain’t holdin’ the reins, especially 'round them heavy hitters with deep pockets. You feel me? Them cats can pull some crazy tricks out their magic hats, and you never know what’s gonna pop off.
When you get an invite to them parties or link-ups, make sure you’re on point, know what the deal is, or you might end up playin’ somebody’s spouse, runnin’ errands like you some kinda lackey, or worse, be the punchline of all the jokes. It don’t matter if they blood, homies, or whatever – you gotta be in a spot where you holdin’ it down, no questions asked. Period.
Stay woke, cuz you never know what’s up behind them closed doors. Ain’t nobody got time to be playin’ themselves. Keep your game tight, rep your own, and let them haters know you ain’t playin’ around. It’s your world; make sure they know you runnin’ it.
Boss up, stay true, and let the world know you ain’t here to be anyone’s sidekick. You the main event, playa. Period.
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Alifungua Fabulous boot mdomo ikakwama side moja. Kile mi hujiuliza kama Ma$e alifunguliwa pia
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The statement said they had reached a deal "to their mutual satisfaction” Friday evening, but no terms of the agreement were disclosed and no further statements would be issued beyond those made by Ventura, Combs and Wigdor in the email distributed by the lawyer.
In her statement, Ventura said: "I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Combs said: "We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
Ben Brafman, an attorney for Combs, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. On Thursday, he said in a statement that Combs “vehemently denies” the allegations.
The lawsuit alleged Combs brought the singer into his “ostentatious, fast-paced, and drug-fueled lifestyle” soon after she met him and signed to his label in 2005, when she was 19 and he was 37.
Ventura, now 37, said Combs, now 54, began a pattern of abuse as soon as their on-and-off relationship began in 2007.
The lawsuit alleged that, “prone to uncontrollable rage,” Combs subjected Ventura to “savage” beatings in which he punched, kicked and stomped her. It alleges he plied her with drugs and forced her to have sex with other men while he masturbated and filmed them.
According to the lawsuit, as Ventura was trying to end the relationship in 2018, Combs forced her into her Los Angeles home and raped her.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Ventura has.
Combs is among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades. The founder of Bad Boy Records and a three-time Grammy winner, he has worked with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, Faith Evans and 112.
This year, he released his fifth studio album, “The Love Album: Off the Grid,” which earned two Grammy nominations this month. It was his first studio album in 17 years.
“The bad boy of entertainment is getting the key to the city from the bad boy of politics!” Mayor Eric Adams said in September as he presented a giant key to Combs in Times Square. Combs was born in New York City and raised in nearby Mount Vernon.
Ventura gained fame with the Ryan Leslie-produced hit single “Me & U,” which rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart in 2006. It was her only studio album. As an actor, she was in several projects including Fox’s “Empire,” “Step Up 2:The Streets” and “Spenser Confidential.”
Brafman’s statement on Thursday said Ventura had for the past six months persistently demanded $30 million while threatening to write a damaging book about her relationship with Combs. The lawyer said the demands were rejected as “blatant blackmail.”
Ventura withdrew the initial threat before filing a lawsuit "riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr. Combs’s reputation and seeking a payday,” Brafman said.
Wigdor responded Thursday in a statement saying Combs had offered her “eight figures to silence her" and prevent the lawsuit from being filed.
"She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all woman who suffer in silence,” Wigdor said.
Wigdor praised his client in a statement included in his email announcing the settlement on Friday.
“I am very proud of Ms. Ventura for having the strength to go public with her lawsuit. She ought to be commended for doing so," he said.
Associated Press Writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Already settled out of court. Kesi kwisha.
Old news
Post in thread ‘Diddy Opens up a can of WHOOP ASS on Cassie’ Diddy Opens up a can of WHOOP ASS on Cassie | Lipstick Alley
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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is Now accused of drugging, and sexually assaulting another woman when she was in college
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been hit with a new lawsuit by a woman who alleges the music mogul drugged her, sexually assaulted her and recorded the assault without her knowledge when she was a college student in 1991.
The suit was filed in the New York Supreme Court on Thursday, one day before the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act, which allows adult sexual assault survivors one year to sue regardless of when the original statute of limitations expired. 
It’s also the third suit in the last week filed against Combs or one of his companies that alleges sexual abuse by him or someone associated with him.
The suit centers on an alleged interaction between Combs and Joie Dickerson-Neal on Jan. 3, 1991, when she was a student at Syracuse University studying psychology.
Dickerson-Neal said in the filing that she went to dinner “reluctantly” with Combs at a restaurant in Harlem in New York City and accompanied him as he ran errands. At the time, she was on winter break from school, according to the suit.
The complaint alleges Combs “intentionally drugged” Dickerson-Neal, leaving her unable to stand or walk. The suit said she left her drink unattended with him at the restaurant and afterward, under alleged pressure from Combs, she took a hit of a blunt.
They then drove to a music studio, the suit stated. When Dickerson-Neal couldn’t exit the car, Combs allegedly took her to a place he was staying to sexually assault her, according to the filing.
The suit said Dickerson-Neal recalled feeling “humiliated and hurt, yet she could not escape the assault,” and because she had been allegedly drugged, she said she “lacked the physical ability or mental capacity to fend Combs off.”
The complaint, which also alleges Dickerson-Neal was the victim of “revenge porn,” accuses Combs of recording the alleged sexual assault.
Popular '90s singer allegedly saw recording of assault
Days later, a male friend named DeVanté Swing, a member of the popular '90s R&B group Jodeci, revealed to the woman that he viewed a “sex tape” along with other people, according to the suit. Dickerson-Neal said Swing feared his band would lose its record deal if he spoke against Combs. NBC News reached out to a representative for Swing for comment, but did not hear back.
Dickerson-Neal’s life was thrown into a “tailspin” after that meeting with Combs, the complaint said. She was later admitted to a hospital for severe depression and suicidal ideation and eventually dropped out of college, according to the filing.
The event left Dickerson-Neal struggling with mental health, career progression and humiliation as a result of the recording of the incident, the suit said.
Combs had allegedly pursued her “for a romantic or sexual relationship” on “repeated occasions,” but she rejected his advances because she heard about his alleged “history of treating women badly,” according to the suit. Dickerson-Neal and Combs had friends and acquaintances in common and she had appeared with Combs in a few clips of a music video, the suit said.
She didn’t go to a hospital or initially report the assault to police because she was confused, in pain and felt ashamed, the filing said. Dickerson-Neal tearfully told her friend about the alleged assault the next day, according to the suit.
Authorities were contacted, woman says
She later filed police reports in New York and New Jersey, spoke to several prosecutors with the hope of pressing charges and reached out to friends and acquaintances to locate the video Combs allegedly recorded, the filing said.
Dickerson-Neal was told by her colleagues that they were “terrified that Combs would retaliate against them and that they would lose future business and music opportunities if they made a statement in support of Plaintiff,” according to the suit.
It was not immediately clear Thursday what jurisdictions she filed the reports, when she filed them or what happened after her conversations with authorities.
The New York City Police Department would not confirm if it received a report from Dickerson-Neal, but said it “takes sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously, and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a police report so we can perform a comprehensive investigation, and offer support and services to survivors.”
Dickerson-Neal went on to work in the music industry.
While working at a party, she ran into Combs, who allegedly “backed her into a corner” and “inappropriately confronted her,” the suit said. It was not clear Thursday how long after the alleged assault the party took place.
Combs allegedly got on his knees during that interaction and insisted “he did not do what she was saying,” according to the filing.
Dickerson-Neal ultimately left the music industry and moved to California, citing Combs’ rise and success as too painful to witness.
Woman says Cassie’s suit prompted her to take action
She said singer Cassie’s lawsuit against Combs was the impetus that “forced her to face his assault again,” the filing said.
Dickerson-Neal’s lawsuit filed Thursday names Combs, Bad Boy Entertainment, Bad Boy Records and Combs Enterprises as defendants. Combs Enterprises has been rebranded as Combs Global, a spokesperson for Combs told NBC News on Wednesday, before this lawsuit was filed.
The latest suit accuses Combs of assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, sex trafficking and revenge porn. Dickerson-Neal is seeking compensatory damages for mental and emotional injury, distress, pain and suffering and injury.
“Everyone deserves to be heard and Combs should not be immune from liability because of his wealth and public stature,” Michelle Caiola, one of Dickerson-Neal’s attorneys, said in a statement.
Jonathan Goldhirsch, another attorney, added: “Our client has not been able to escape the continuing impact of the harm Combs caused her many years ago. Through the Adult Survivors Act, she can avail herself to the courts to finally seek justice.”
The attorneys said they would not have additional comment.
Combs’ camp rejected the claims.
“This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law can be turned on its head," a spokesperson for Combs said. "Ms. Dickerson’s 32-year-old story is made up and not credible. Mr. Combs never assaulted her, and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more.”
Last week, Cassie, with whom Combs once had a romantic relationship, filed a $30 million lawsuit alleging Combs raped, sex-trafficked and abused her. The lawsuit was settled one day later for an undisclosed amount of money.
Cassie, whose full name is Cassandra Ventura, said she “decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control.”
In a statement Saturday, Ben Brafman, a lawyer for Combs, said a decision to settle, “especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
“Mr. Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims,” he said.
On Tuesday, a lawsuit was filed in New York Supreme Court accusing Harve Pierre, the ex-President of Bad Boy Entertainment and Bad Boy Records, of sexually assaulting a former assistant. Combs’ companies were also named in the lawsuit on one count of gender-motivated violence and two counts of negligence.
While Pierre did not immediately respond to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Bad Boy Entertainment said Wednesday that the company was aware of the lawsuit from its former employee.
“The allegations are from many years ago that were never brought to the attention of the company,” the spokesperson said. “Neither the plaintiff nor the executive are current employees of the company. We are now investigating the allegations, and our top priority is the safety and well-being of our employees.”
The dominoes continue to fall for Diddy following his initial rape lawsuit with Cassie. The billionaire was handed a second and third sexual assault lawsuit over the last week.
On Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 23), CNN reported that a woman named Joi Dickerson-Neal alleged that “Brother Love” drugged and assaulted her while she attended Syracuse University in 1991. Per the report, the two went out to dinner, and the “I Need A Girl” artist slipped a drug into her drink while she was in the bathroom. As they were in the car leaving the restaurant, he allegedly pressured her to smoke a “blunt.”
She claims, upon arriving where he was staying that evening, that he sexually assaulted her, recorded it, and showed the footage to multiple people. Another woman, unnamed, came out on Nov. 23, and said that she was also sexually assaulted by the Bad Boy founder, NBC News reports. She claims that he and R&B singer Aaron Hall both took advantage of her at Hall’s apartment but it was unclear as to whether it took place in 1990 or 1991.
The third lawsuit also claims that Diddy visited her home days later and assaulted and choked her until she passed out. The mogul was allegedly looking for her friend in an effort to keep her from telling the girl he was dating about what he had done.
Diddy’s spokespeople have denied all allegations. “This last-minute lawsuit is an example of how a well-intentioned law can be turned on its head,” one of them told E! News. “Ms. Dickerson’s 32-year-old story is made up and not credible. Mr. Combs never assaulted her, and she implicates companies that did not exist. This is purely a money grab and nothing more.”
As for the other lawsuit, they have a similar stance and even believe the plaintiff is simply seeking out a check. “The claims involving alleged misconduct against Mr. Combs from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute are all completely denied and rejected by him,” they said. “He recognizes this as a money grab. Because of Mr. Combs’ fame and success, he is an easy target for accusers who will falsify the truth, without conscience or consequence, for financial benefit.”
Cassie, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, was the first person to start this string of lawsuits. Hers, filed on Nov. 16, detailed sex trafficking, sexual battery, sexual assault, and acts that violated New York City’s gender-motivated violence law. The R&B singer’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, revealed that Puff reportedly offered her “eight figures” to keep her from going through with the lawsuit, which she rejected.
The former couple settled the lawsuit just two days later for an undisclosed amount. Diddy’s legal team released a statement clarifying that the settlement did not mean that he was admitting to any guilt in the situation.
Sean “Diddy” Combs has temporarily stepped aside as the chairman of the media network Revolt, a spokesperson for the music mogul said Tuesday.
Combs made the decision to step aside from the media network last week, the spokesperson said.
While this is not the first business-related fallout since he was accused of sexual abuse in three lawsuits — London-based spirit maker Diageo cited the allegations in a renewed push to keep him out of tequila ads — this is the first time Combs has actively stepped aside on his own.
It’s not clear when Combs, a founder of Revolt, will return.
In a post on X, Revolt said that Combs had no day-to-day role in the business and the decision “helps to ensure that REVOLT remains steadfastly focused on our mission to create meaningful content for the culture and amplify the voices of all Black people throughout this country and the African diaspora.”
“Our focus has always been one that reflects our commitment to the collective journey of REVOLT — one that is not driven by any individual, but by the shared efforts and values of our entire team on behalf of advancing, elevating and championing our culture — and that continues," Revolt said.
On Nov. 20, a co-host of a podcast on Revolt announced she wouldn’t participate in a third season after Combs was accused of sexual abuse in several lawsuits.
“I am a [sexual assault] survivor & I cannot be part of a show that’s supposed to uplift black women while @Diddy leads the company,” Dawn Montgomery, who hosts “Monuments to Me,” a podcast about Black women’s issues and successes, [posted on X]
She said Tuesday that the announcement that Combs has stepped aside will not change her decision.
“I still would like to hear from Revolt’s leadership as there are men in those positions who could’ve provided a safe space for [sexual assault] survivors like myself,” she said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Combs was hit with a federal $30 million suit alleging that he raped, sex-trafficked and abused his former girlfriend Cassie.
Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, and Combs settled the lawsuit a day after it was filed for an undisclosed amount of money. Ventura said she “decided to resolve this matter on terms that I have some level of control.”
Ben Brafman, a lawyer for Combs, said Combs’ decision to settle was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
“Mr. Combs’ decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims,” Brafman said.
Montgomery previously told NBC News that she empathized with Cassie’s allegations. “I cannot sign back on and say that I want to be paid to do a podcast where a few of the episodes were probably going to reflect this conversation,” she said. “Diddy and his people could never do anything towards me to make me feel like I needed to continue to be quiet.”
Ventura’s lawsuit prompted another accuser, Joie Dickerson-Neal, to file a separate lawsuit alleging that Combs drugged her and sexually assaulted her in 1991 while she was a college student at Syracuse University.
The suit was filed ahead of the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act, which allows adult sexual assault survivors one year to sue regardless of when the original statute of limitations expired.
The filing stated that Dickerson-Neal “reluctantly” went to dinner with Combs at a restaurant in New York City and accompanied him as he ran errands. She alleged that Combs “intentionally drugged” her, leaving her unable to stand or walk, and pressured her to take a hit from a blunt. The pair then drove to a music studio but when she could not exit the vehicle, he allegedly took her to a place he was staying to sexually assault her, according to the lawsuit.
Dickerson-Neal said Combs allegedly recorded the assault without her knowledge and shared that video with other people.
A spokesperson for Combs denied the claims, saying it was “an example of how a well-intentioned law can be turned on its head.”
“Ms. Dickerson’s 32-year-old story is made up and not credible,” the spokesperson said, calling it “a money grab and nothing more.”
The same day as Dickerson-Neal’s lawsuit, an unidentified woman sued Combs, alleging that she and her friend were sexually assaulted by Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall at Hall’s apartment in 1990 or 1991. In that suit, the accuser, identified only as Jane Doe, said that the assault happened after an event at the offices of MCA Records.
Combs’ spokesperson denied the allegations. Hall could not be reached for comment.
“These are fabricated claims falsely alleging misconduct from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute. This is nothing but a money grab,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Because of Mr. Combs’ fame and success, he is an easy target for anonymous accusers who lie without conscience or consequence for financial benefit. The New York Legislature surely did not intend or expect the Adult Survivors Act to be exploited by scammers. The public should be skeptical and not rush to accept these bogus allegations.”
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Accused of Gang-Rape of 17-Year-Old Girl
By Gene Maddaus
Dec 6, 2023 10:00am PT
Sean “Diddy” Combs was accused in a lawsuit on Wednesday of gang-raping a 17-year-old girl in 2003, marking the fourth sexual assault allegation lodged against the producer in recent weeks.
The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, alleges that she was flown on a private jet from Michigan to Combs’ recording studio in New York, where she was raped by three people, including Combs and Harve Pierre, the president of Bad Boy Entertainment.
According to the suit, Combs and his associates plied her with “copious amounts” of drugs and alcohol. The suit alleges that Combs raped her over a bathroom sink while she went in and out of consciousness and that Combs then watched as a third man also raped her.
The woman decided to come forward after reading about another lawsuit filed last month by Casandra Ventura, the R&B star known as Cassie, who accused Combs of raping her and beating her over the course of a decade. She also learned of another lawsuit in which Pierre was accused of grooming and sexually assaulting his former assistant.
“Seeing two other women bravely speak out against Mr. Combs and Mr. Pierre, respectively, gave Ms. Doe the confidence to tell her story as well,” the lawsuit states.
Combs quickly settled the lawsuit with Ventura, while maintaining his innocence. He has also been hit with two other sexual assault lawsuits in recent weeks, and has denied those allegations as well.
In a statement on Wednesday, Combs declared, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.”
“For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy,” he said. “Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”
Combs stepped aside as chairman of Revolt, the music-themed TV network he founded in 2013, in the wake of the first three allegations.
The newest lawsuit is filed under the New York City statute against gender-motivated violence. Like several other sexual assault statutes, it has recently been extended to allow suits that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.
The plaintiff is represented by Douglas Wigdor.
“As alleged in the complaint, Defendants preyed on a vulnerable high school teenager as part of a sex trafficking scheme that involved plying her with drugs and alcohol and transporting her by private jet to New York City where she was gang raped by the three individual defendants at Mr. Combs’ studio,” Wigdor said in a statement. “The depravity of these abhorrent acts has, not surprisingly, scarred our client for life.”
The complaint, filed in federal court in New York, includes photographs of the plaintiff — whose face is blurred out — in Combs’ studio and sitting in Combs’ lap.
“As a result of being raped by Mr. Combs, Mr. Pierre and the Third Assailant, Ms. Doe suffered significant emotional distress and feels of shame that have plagued her life and personal relationships for 20 years,” the lawsuit alleges.
Turns Out Diddy’s ‘Brother Love’ Persona Was a Total Sham
TWO-FACED
I grew up admiring someone who I believed was an evolved Black man. Now, amid the spate of abuse allegations leveled against him, I feel bamboozled.
Ernest Owens
(Ernest Owens - The Daily Beast)
Published Dec. 07, 2023
Amid an unprecedented act of violence during the 2022 Academy Awards, there was one man who presented himself as a symbol of peace.
“I did not know that this was going to be the most exciting Oscars ever,” Sean “Diddy” Combs said just moments after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the live telecast. “OK, Will and Chris—we’re going to solve that like family at [Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s] Gold party. But right now we’re moving on with love.”
It wasn’t a surprise to see Diddy trying to play healer. For years, the hip-hop mogul had positioned himself as someone reflective, thoughtful, and compassionate.
“I’m just not who I am before,” he announced when he turned 48 in 2017. “I’m someone different. So my new name is Love, aka Brother Love.”
But over the past several weeks, “Brother Love” appears to be someone quite the opposite.
On Wednesday, Diddy and Harve Pierre, the former president of Bad Boy Entertainment, were accused of gang-raping a 17-year-old high school junior in 2003. This lawsuit follows three other recent cases that accused Diddy of sexual misconduct—including one filed by his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, who accused him of beating her and forcing her to be intimate with male sex workers. He and Ventura reached a settlement.
Following the latest lawsuit, Diddy finally broke his silence and vehemently denied the ongoing allegations in a highly criticized statement that claimed his accusers are “looking for a quick payday.”
“Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth,” he posted on his social media accounts on Wednesday, noting how he’s “silently” watched while “people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation, and my legacy.”
The Diddy doth protest too much, methinks.
As the author of The Case for Cancel Culture, I can say that Diddy is a classic case. He recently stepped down as the chairman of music media outlet Revolt, and parted ways with Capital Prep Harlem, the charter school he opened in 2016. His partnership with popular liquor brand Diageo is now in further shambles, and the likelihood of his recent Grammy-nominated album The Love Album: Off the Grid winning is all but dead.
This is an astonishing fall from grace for a man who’s built a career off the persona of being a fun-loving, positive-vibes-only success story. Growing up as a Black millennial, I saw Diddy as the embodiment of a successful Black man who was confident, business-savvy, and fashionably cool. Back then, there weren’t too many Black multimillionaires in hip-hop who embraced their wealth and influence as much as him. He had platinum-selling hits, threw epic parties, and had a fashion label.
For young Black men like myself, Diddy was a model of achievement in a world that often criminalizes and demonizes darker-skinned Black men who look like him.
Unlike his other hip-hop mogul peers, he leaned into a nice-guy charm that included being a devout father, mentor, and coach for up-and-coming talent. He donated to Howard University, his HBCU alma mater. He produced inspirational documentaries, and made young artists’s dreams come true with record deals. He encouraged his children to step into the spotlight, making his recent Global Icon Award acceptance speech at the 2023 VMAs a family affair.
Whereas we witnessed the downfall of now-disgraced Def Jam exec Russell Simmons, or saw how Dr. Dre was tainted by past allegations of domestic abuse, Diddy appeared to be above that level of public scrutiny. Sure, he had his fair share of confrontational beefs with industry rivals (including his involvement in a 1999 NYC club shooting, his scuffle with J. Cole, and possibly punching Drake), but nothing like what we’re hearing about him now.
I grew up seeing Diddy as a man who in some cases had a sketchy past with how he managed his artists (MTV’s early-aughts reality show Making the Band was a textbook example), but whose life and career was wholly aspirational. Seeing how so many people in the industry are now coming out of the woodwork to share stories of how allegedly abusive he’s been has made me view his legacy as a facade—a fraudulent attempt to divorce himself from any true image of the man others have known him to be.
And Diddy’s tasteless, defensive statement on Wednesday implied more than what he could have possibly imagined.
There he was, fixated more on repairing his reputation than actually addressing the severity of the allegations launched against him. Perhaps it would have been better to let his lawyer talk—then at least we wouldn’t have to hear the middle-aged rapper sound unhinged. Instead, we were given a glimpse into an ego-obsessed celebrity. There was no “love,” and above all, no accountability in his response—just a rich man who sounded like he was wronged and had an ax to grind.
As the saying goes, if you live long enough, you’ll see your heroes become villains.
I just saw another one bite the dust. Damn.