Anybody who knows me knows my appreciation for music of all types—my main playlist just hit 3,000 songs, so I’m not unfamiliar with nearly any type of music.
One person I never really got into, however, was P. Diddy.
The 54-year-old rapper and producer, born Sean John Combs, has undergone quite a few name changes, from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy, then to simply Diddy, throwing in some others like Puffy and Love for good measure. In the midst of his name changes, Combs has been involved in some activities that may not be too appealing on a resume.
But, this year’s trouble is more serious than he’d ever been accused of.
In 1997, the infamous West Coast rap feud began, ultimately leading to the tragic deaths of Christopher George Latore Wallace, known professionally as Biggie Smalls, and Tupac Shakur. Combs is believed to have been involved in their killings, but nothing has ever been proven.
Shortly after, in 1999, Combs was arrested on an assault charge against Interscope Records’ then-president Steve Stoute following a breach in their agreement. The music video for a 1999 featured song, “Hate Me Now,” with Nas was not one that Diddy wanted to be shared due to its “blasphemous” nature, but it was released to MTV with Stoute’s approval. For this, Combs was furious, and, long story short, then came an assault charge to which he pled guilty.
The 2000s didn’t bring much good for him, either; while he and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were at a nightclub, a shooting had taken place, causing chaos. That same night, the couple—and two other unnamed people—were charged with criminal possession of a weapon and possession of stolen property. Spoiler alert: they broke up not long after that.
2003 held yet another controversy: his sportswear company, Sean John, was under fire for forcing workers to operate in “sweatshop conditions.”
Then, in 2005, he faced yet another assault charge following Detroit talk show host Rogelio Mills’ coming forward about an alleged 1999 assault “by Diddy and his entourage,” but he was appealed as the jury ruled in Combs’ favor. That same year, he got into a heated argument on New York’s Hot 97 about his undeniable mistreatment of his artists and refusal to return certain recording rights to them, but it was eventually settled.
Combs was sued for $4 million in 2007 for—shocker—another assault; except, this time, it wasn’t by his own hand, but rather an alleged order to his bodyguard in a nightclub.
With all of this, he’d faced more assault allegations, but the most intense claims were those of his ex-girlfriend, singer and dancer Cassie Ventura. She filed a lawsuit against him after 11 years of dating, claiming years of physical and emotional abuse, as well as continuous sexual assault over those years.
And now, he’s facing an even worse spotlight: sexual assault and trafficking allegations came to light, further stressing the aggression and chaos the artist tends to attract in the media.
Combs’ house was apparently raided by the FBI following the latest call-outs, and his 26-year-old son, Christian Combs, is also seemingly involved in the case, as he is the supposed perpetrator of one of the assaults in question.
What will happen next is unknown, but it should go without saying that there may be a problem if you—like KE$HA—wake up feeling like this man.
