Why Isn't the Music Industry Loudly Condemning Sean 'Diddy' Combs?

With all of the headlines following the Homeland Security raid on two of Sean "Diddy" Combs' homes on March 25 -- not to mention the numerous recent lawsuits and decades-long history of violent allegations against the rap mogul -- many have noted that the music industry's response has seemed, well, muted.

Soon after the raids, hip-hop magazine XXL commended rapper 50 Cent for being the only A-list celebrity in hip-hop who has publicly -- and repeatedly! -- condemned Combs' actions. But now, a week later, new reports about investigations into Combs and his associates come out each day, and the music community is still relatively silent.

Perhaps the biggest name now attached to the numerous allegations against Diddy is Jennifer Lopez, who, because of her two-year relationship with the mogul at the turn of the century, is being dragged back into the narrative. Lopez began dating Combs in 1999 after he helped produce her debut album, On the 6, and she has previously said that they broke up in 2001 because of his infidelity. But after she released a documentary in March called The Greatest Love Story Never Told, fans began speculating that some of her statements about past relationships were about Combs.

"Being thrown around and manhandled like that is not fun," Lopez said in the documentary of a particular abusive relationship. "I was never in a relationship where I got beat up, thank God, but I've definitely been manhandled and a couple of other unsavory things ... rough ... disrespectful."

However, Lopez has not spoken out specifically regarding Combs or any of the recent allegations made against him, though if RadarOnline's reporting is accurate, the FBI may reopen and question her regarding an infamous December 1999 incident during which she, Combs, rapper Shyne, and Combs' bodyguard Anthony "Wolf" Jones were all arrested after a nightclub shooting that left three bystanders wounded. Combs and Jones were each acquitted of their gun charges while Shyne served a 10-year sentence, leading to speculation that he served as the fall guy for the shooting.

Lopez's lack of a statement on the matter seems calculated and appropriate, from both personal and legal standpoints. Though she was cleared of any involvement at the time, as a global superstar with her own ever-expanding empire, she can only potentially lose by being re-associated or incriminated in any of Combs' cases. However, another of Diddy's ex-girlfriends, one whose career had been stymied long ago for unknown reasons, was the one to kick off this latest run of legal issues for the rapper.

In November 2023, the singer Cassie filed a lawsuit accusing Combs of rape and repeated physical abuse over the course of their decade-long relationship. As reported by The New York Times, Cassie (real name Casandra Ventura), "says that not long after she met him in 2005, when she was 19, he began a pattern of control and abuse that included plying her with drugs, beating her and forcing her to have sex with a succession of male prostitutes while he filmed the encounters."

Combs denied all of the charges and settled the suit for an undisclosed amount the following day. Cassie's lawyer said that before filing, the "Me & U" singer had rejected an earlier eight-figure payoff intended to "silence her."

Immediately following news of Cassie's filing, singer and former Danity Kane frontwoman Aubrey O'Day told Rolling Stone, "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." She also posted numerous times on social media, saying "I stay trying to tell y'all" and tweeting that Combs' December denial statement mirrored "r kelly, bar for bar."

One week after settling Cassie's suit, a second sexual assault case was filed by Joi Dickerson-Neal. In it, Dickerson-Neal accused Combs of drugging and raping her while she was a student at Syracuse University in 1991. (The suit was filed just before the deadline for New York's Adult Survivors Act expired, temporarily allowing previously elapsed statutes of limitations to be reopened.)

In December, a third case was filed in which "an unnamed woman says she was flown from the Detroit area to New York on a private plane and gang-raped in a recording studio," according to The New York Times.

It was around this time that 50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson) announced that his production company was working on a documentary about the numerous allegations against Combs. At that time, a representative confirmed its existence to ET, stating: "I can confirm that the untitled 'Diddy' documentary is in development through G-Unit Film and Television with Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson serving as Executive Producer, proceeds from this documentary that G-Unit Film & Television receives will go to victims of sexual assault and rape."

But even though Fiddy may have a serious documentary in the works, many of his social posts and in-concert comments could be viewed as simply trolling Combs. That is, until Us Weekly reported on March 28 that 50 Cent was seeking sole custody of his 12-year-old son, Sire, after it was revealed that the child's mother, Daphne Joy, was named in a February lawsuit against Combs alleging she was used as a sex worker in his network. The suit claims Diddy "bragged about having several women on a monthly stipend," referring to Joy and two oher women.

That February 2024 lawsuit was a $30 million sexual misconduct suit filed by producer Lil Rod (real name Rodney Jones, Jr.) alleging that during the recording and production of Diddy's 2023's Grammy-nominated album The Love Album: Off the Grid, Combs made unwanted sexual contact and forced Lil Rod to hire prostitutes and participate in sex acts. The suit claims Diddy "bragged about having several women on a monthly stipend," referring to 50 Cent's ex Daphne Joy and two oher women. Lil Rod has since accused Combs of harassing his underage daughter and ex-partners in an attempt to retaliate for the lawsuit.

That at least makes Fiddy's continued interest in Diddy's fate hit closer to home, but why haven't more in the hip-hop community -- and really, the music industry as a whole -- spoken out in a meaningful way? Former record label CEO Suge Knight is apparently trolling Diddy from behind bars, but beyond his accusers, there has been a noticable dearth of commentary.

"No one is saying anything because they have gone to his parties," a source told Us Weekly, while noting that Combs can be "a very spiteful guy." A second source echoed that sentiment, saying that anyone who attended Diddy's famously lavish parties -- such as his annual White Party in the Hamptons or any number of other "insane" parties at his Los Angeles or Miami homes -- is "likely on camera" and wouldn't want that footage made public. 50 Cent has also floated this reasoning, posting "they not saying nothing because they didn't know he was recording everything" on Instagram.

Perhaps this is why stars with well-documented friendships with Combs are staying silent. People like Ashton Kutcher, who has often talked about their close friendship and who, incidently, had to resign last year from the anti-sex-trafficking organization he co-founded due to his support of friend and convicted rapist Danny Masterson; or Jay-Z (whom 50 Cent has also been trolling) or Mary J. Blige, who have both been close to Combs since the 1990s.

O'Day has long been vocal about her feelings regarding Combs, who helped launch her career when he created Danity Kane and then signed them to his Bad Boy label in 2005 during the third season of his MTV reality show Making the Band. In 2022, she appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast and said Combs fired her from Danity Kane in 2008 because she "wasn't willing to do what was expected of [her] -- not talent-wise, but in other areas."

Combs' former security guard Gene Deal has spoken numerous times with YouTube channel The Art of Dialogue, and former backup dancer Tanika Ray posted an Instagram video last week regarding the Diddy allegations, during which she said, "You know, we all have stories ... mine is horrific ... and I probably will never tell it."

But beyond that, industry vets, label executives, and other talent have stayed quiet. Artists and collaborators with long-standing friendships, such as Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Pharrell Williams, Meek Mill, DJ Khaled, and Lil' Kim, have remained mum. Old video clips of interviews with Usher and Justin Bieber are now being revisited, but neither star has yet made a statement after the events of the past few months. And even rappers who have long-simmering beef with Combs such as Drake or Nas, or not much overlap, such as Eminem, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, or Lil Wayne haven't said a word.

Combs' influence on the rap industry at large is unmistakeable. After getting his start as a talent director at Uptown Records in 1990, Combs launched his own label, Bad Boy Records, three years later. The label found immediate success thanks to one of its earliest releases: "Juicy" and Ready to Die, the lead single and debut album from the Notorious B.I.G.

Over the next 30+ years, Combs -- who has gone by Puff Daddy, Puff, Puffy, P. Diddy, and Diddy at various times -- launched his own solo rap career and was credited with finding, creating, producing, or promoting acts ranging from Blige, Faith Evans, Mase, Usher, Cassie, Yung Joc, Danity Kane, Janelle Monae, French Montana, and Machine Gun Kelly. He's won three Grammy Awards and also launched clothing, liquor, and restaurant brands; Combs' net worth is estimated at $800 million.

Tags

Sean Combs, Diddy, Jennifer Lopez, Aubrey O'Day, 50 cent