“Sean Combs: The Reckoning” chronicles his rise to become one of the most powerful men in hip-hop to his downfall amid a wave of accusations involving sexual assault and abuse.

Jackson, who executive-produced the project, told NBC News in a recent interview that he had worked on the documentary for over a year with director Alexandria Stapleton.

Below are some of the key moments from the series.

The murders of Tupac and Biggie Smalls

The documentary dives into the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. (real name Christopher Wallace), a catalyst of the East Coast and West Coast feud in the 1990s.

Shakur died on Sept. 13, 1996, six days after he was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas.

The Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on March 9, 1997, after leaving a Soul Train Awards afterparty in Los Angeles with Combs.

Combs discovered the rapper and had signed him to his label Bad Boy Entertainment.

Stapleton told NBC News that the documentary includes “a lot of new information” about the murders and that “no one had ever really put it together like that before.”

“Biggie is a foundational piece of Bad Boy and that relationship. I mean, you don’t have Puff Daddy without Biggie Smalls, right? … We had sources and were able to procure more intel and information, and I think that it was the first time that you could really tell this story,” she said.

Singer Aubrey O’Day reveals Combs may have assaulted her

Aubrey O’Day, a member of the former girl group Danity Kane, revealed in the documentary that she may have been sexually assaulted by Combs.

She said a lawyer representing an alleged victim reached out to her about an affidavit the lawyer had received.

“I was told it was an assault,” O’Day said. She said she has no recollection of the alleged assault.

In the series, O’Day read from the affidavit, which said that the alleged victim was at Bay Boy studios when she walked into a room. The woman, according to the affidavit, said she saw Combs and another man assaulting O’Day.

The woman said that O’Day seemed to be “out of it” and was not fully clothed, according to the affidavit. It was unclear from the documentary if the affidavit was ever filed in court.

“Does this mean I was raped? Is that what this means? I don’t even know if I was raped, and I don’t want to know,” O’Day said in the documentary.

Stapleton told NBC News that they spent hours on the phone with O’Day to make sure she was comfortable sharing her story.

“I think what you see in the film is her struggling to digest, ‘Did this happen to me or not?’ And I think it’s a very real moment,” Stapleton said. “I think matters of sexual assault, allegations like this, are very complex and very complicated. And I think that she’s a very real person who is walking you through why this feels so complicated.”

O’Day, who appeared on Combs’ “Making the Band 3,” also shared sexually explicit emails she said Combs sent to her while she was a member of Danity Kane.

“This is your boss at your work sending you that email,” she said. “What happens in real life to anyone else? Your boss gets fired. Six months later, I was fired.”

O’Day said she “absolutely felt that I was fired for not participating sexually.”

When asked for comment on O’Day’s remarks in the documentary, representatives for Combs said in a statement to NBC News, “We’re not going to comment on individual claims being repeated in the documentary. Many of the people featured have longstanding personal grievances, financial motives, or credibility issues that have been documented for years.”

“Sean Combs will continue to address legitimate matters through the legal process, not through a biased Netflix production,” the statement said.

Representatives for O’Day did not immediately respond to requests for comment on her appearance in the documentary.

Secret video shows Combs days before arrest

The documentary includes never-before-seen footage of Combs discussing his legal troubles days before his arrest at a New York City hotel in September 2024. Jackson declined to say how he got the video.

He was charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation for purposes of prostitution. He was acquitted in July of racketeering and sex trafficking, but was convicted on two lesser counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

In October, he was sentenced to 50 months in prison.

Combs’ publicist said that the video was never authorized for release and that it includes private moments and “conversations involving legal strategy” from an unfinished project.

“The footage was created for an entirely different purpose, under an arrangement that was never completed, and no rights were ever transferred to Netflix,” Juda Engelmayer said in a statement. “A payment dispute between outside parties does not create permission for Netflix to use unlicensed, private material. None of this footage came from Mr. Combs or his team, and its inclusion raises serious questions about how it was obtained and why Netflix chose to use it.”

Combs’ legal team sent Netflix a cease and desist letter Monday.

Netflix said it obtained the video legally and has the necessary rights for it.

Netflix spokesperson: “The project has no ties to any past conversations between Sean Combs and Netflix,” a Netflix spokesperson said Tuesday. “The footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained. This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. Curtis Jackson is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate.”

Jurors from sex trafficking trial speak out

Two of the jurors spoke out in the documentary about the trial and verdict.

Juror 75 recalled being “confused” by Combs’ relationship with Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against him in 2023, accusing him of repeated physical abuse, rape and forcing her to have sex with male sex workers. The suit was settled privately one day after it was filed, with Combs denying any wrongdoing.

“If you don’t like something, you completely get out. You can’t have it both ways. Have the luxury and then complain about it. I don’t think so,” Juror 75 said.

He said he “100%” thinks justice was served in the end.

“We saw both sides of it, and we came to our conclusion,” he said.

Juror 160 recounted how Combs would often nod.

“That’s pretty much all it was. It wasn’t anything crazy, or like, it wasn’t like he was trying to sway us,” she said.

When asked about the verdict, she said: “When we were in the deliberation room, and we’ve come to an agreement, and we’re only saying that he’s guilty for these two counts, my words exactly were, ‘Oh, s—.'”

The allegations reportedly stem from 2020 and involve a music producer who was asked to attend a photo shoot inside a Los Angeles warehouse where Combs allegedly assaulted him.

Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence in New Jersey for prostitution related charges, has denied this and all allegations of sexual abuse.

“Let me make it absolutely clear, Mr Combs categorically denies as false and defamatory all claims that he sexually abused anyone,” one of Combs’ attorneys, Jonathan Davis, said in a statement to the BBC.

“He looks forward to vindicating himself in court, where such matters are decided—and not in the media—based on admissible, material evidence, not rank speculation and unsubstantiated allegations,” Mr Davis continued.

The sheriff’s department confirmed to the BBC that its special victims bureau is in the preliminary stages of investigating a sexual battery allegation against Combs. It said that additional details would not be released “given the sensitivity of the case”.

The male music producer accuses Combs eof xposing himself and masturbating while at the warehouse photoshoot, according to US media. Combs is accused of asking him to assist in the sexual acts and throwing a dirty shirt when the producer refused, multiple news agencies report.

Dozens of people – including underage accusers – have filed civil lawsuits against Combs on allegations that include being drugged and sexually assaulted. Some claims include that the music mogul made both promises of career advancement or threats if accusers spoke up.

Earlier this year, the rapper was convicted in a New York trial on two counts of transportation for prostitution. He was sentenced last month to 50 months in sentence.

The high-profile criminal case accused Combs of running a sprawling sex-trafficking operation and his trial included testimony from stars that included rapper Kid Cudi and Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

He was ultimately found not guilty of the most serious charges, which could have resulted in him spending the rest of his life in jail.

“I lost my way,” he wrote to the judge before his sentencing. “My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. I have been humbled and broken to my core.”

Combs is currently serving out his sentence in New Jersey.

Combs is expected to be released on May 8, 2028, according to public records from the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Combs had been sentenced to 50 months (roughly more than four years) by a judge after a two-month trial ended with him being convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs was acquitted by a jury of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering for which he was facing decades and possibly life in prison if convicted.

Combs’ release date reflects his time already served. He has already served roughly one year in jail. He has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest.

His defense did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment regarding which prison at which he will be serving the rest of his sentence.

Combs is appealing his conviction and sentence.

Combs’ defense previously told CNN that they had approached President Donald Trump’s administration about a potential pardon.

Combs’ attorney Nicole Westmoreland told CNN in August that it was her “understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon.” At the time, a White House official told CNN they “will not comment on the existence or nonexistence of any clemency request.

In October after his sentencing, Trump confirmed that Combs had requested a presidential pardon in connection with his federal criminal case, telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins “a lot of people have asked me for pardons,” including Combs.

Trump had previously indicated that he was unlikely to pardon Combs during an interview with Newsmax, saying, “I was very friendly with him, I got along with him great and he seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.” Trump said that this made pardoning Combs “more difficult to do.”

During his trial, Combs’ defense admitted to his pattern of violent behavior against women with whom he was in romantic relationships over the years. The jury was repeatedly shown footage — first published in 2024 by CNN — of Combs violently beating his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a Los Angeles hotel hallway back in 2016. The jury was also shown images of bloody gashes and bruises on Ventura’s body during trial.

Ventura was the star witness of the case and testified that she was repeatedly abused by Combs and forced to take drugs and have sex with other men against her will throughout their 10-year relationship, during which he controlled her career and finances. Another woman, who testified under the pseudonym “Jane,” also recounted psychological, financial and physical abuse by Combs who she said forced her to have sex with other men while she was under the influence of drugs.

At his sentencing, judge Arun Submaranian admonished Combs for his abuse and rejected the defense’s “attempt to characterize what happened here as merely intimate consensual experiences or just a sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll story.” Submaranian said that the prosecution’s case “showed that (Combs) abused the power and control (he) had over the women (he) professed to love dearly.”

 “You abused them physically, emotionally and psychologically and you used that abuse to get your way,” he said, addressing Combs. “This was subjugation, and it drove both Ms. Ventura and Jane to thoughts of ending their lives.”

Combs is also facing roughly 70 civil lawsuits where most of the dozens of accusers — some of whom were minors at the time of the alleged incidents — claim they were drugged and sexually assaulted by Combs.

Combs has denied all of the civil claims. Some of the lawsuits have been dismissed.

Judge Arun Subramanian adjourned the hearing and did not immediately rule on the defence’s request.

The American music producer, who was accused of running a sprawling sex trafficking operation, has been jailed since his arrest last September. He was convicted in July on two counts of prostitution.

Combs’ lawyers argue his convictions were a misuse of the Mann Act – a federal law that was passed to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women.

Combs is due to be sentenced on 3 October.

The rapper and music mogul faces up to 10 years in prison for each count.

But his legal team have proposed that he receive no more than a 14-month sentence. Since the rapper has remained in federal custody since September 2024, he would have already served most of his sentence.

Prosecutors, however, are seeking several more years.

Combs’ lawyers have also argued that he was unjustly convicted under the Mann Act, and applying it is “unprecedented” because prostitution should apply when someone pays for sex, not to someone who watches, just as Combs is said to have done during his so-called freak-offs.

During Thursday’s hearing, Combs’ defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro portrayed him as a voyeur who enjoyed producing and watching amateur pornography, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US media partner.

The judge asked the defence lawyer multiple times what that has to do with the Mann Act charges of transporting people for prostitution.

They said that Combs had “no commercial motive” and that prosecutors on the case “have lost all perspective” by advocating for an enhanced sentence that is “wildly out of proportion”.

In a court filing, they said that Combs, 55, has been punished enough and “his life outside of jail has been systematically dismantled”.

“Mr Combs’s celebrity status in the realms of music, fashion, spirits, media, and finance has been shattered and Mr Combs’s legacy has been destroyed,” his lawyers said, adding that his seven children “desperately await his return to their lives”.

The Bad Boy Records co-founder waved to his supporters as he appeared in court again on Thursday.

If the court declines to grant an acquittal, his attorneys argued that a new trial is required due to “severe spillover prejudice from reams of inflammatory evidence”.

Combs was acquitted in July of the more severe racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges relating to his ex-partner, Casandra Ventura, and another woman referred to as “Jane”

He was convicted on two lesser charges of arranging interstate travel for people engaged in prostitution.

Prosecutors said during the trial that Combs had arranged for paid sexual encounters between male sex workers and his girlfriends, some of whom testified about being beaten, kicked and choked by him.

The music mogul pleaded not guilty to all of the charges brought against him.

The judge has already twice refused to grant bail to the Grammy-winning artist.

Source: BBC

“It’s my understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon,” Nicole Westmoreland told CNN in an interview.

Trump has indicated, however, that he is unlikely to grant a pardon to the 55-year-old Combs.

“I was very friendly with him. I got along with him great, and he seemed like a nice guy,” Trump said in an interview on Friday with Newsmax.

“I didn’t know him well, but when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”

Asked if that meant he was not inclined to pardon Combs, Trump said: “I would say so, yeah.”

A New York jury found Combs guilty last month of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

He was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking charges after a marathon trial in which he was accused of harrowing abuse.

Sentencing has been set for October 3.

Source: AFP

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversaw Combs’ trial in Manhattan, approved the date following a request from Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo.

Prosecutors and probation officers agreed to the date.

Combs, 55, remains in the Brooklyn jail where he has been held since his arrest last September, even though jurors cleared him of the most serious charges he faced.

Jurors acquitted Combs on July 2 on sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life. They convicted him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

The mixed verdict was viewed widely as a disappointment for prosecutors, while Combs and his supporters expressed jubilation.

Prosecutors accused Combs of coercing two former girlfriends, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane, into unwanted sex with male sex workers, aided by his employees.

A third woman who testified under the pseudonym Mia told jurors Combs sexually assaulted her multiple times during her employment with him.

Combs pleaded not guilty to all five counts he faced.

His lawyers will file their sentencing recommendation by September 19, with prosecutors likely to follow a week later.

Prosecutors have said Combs could face 51 months to 63 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines, while the defense has said the same guidelines suggested a two-year sentence.

Subramanian is not required to follow the guidelines, and either side may propose different terms. The defense will have until July 30 to ask the judge to set aside Combs’ conviction.

Combs founded Bad Boy Records, and is known for having elevated hip-hop in American culture as he turned artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars.

He still faces dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of abuse. Combs has denied all wrongdoing.

Source: Reuters

Some thought the rap star should have been found guilty on the more serious counts, not just the two lesser charges on which he was convicted.

But they were outnumbered by pro-Diddy influencers and fans who were chanting “free Diddy” and “let him go” and spraying each other with baby oil in celebration.

The jury’s mixed verdicts did not present a clear-cut result, but it was seen as a better-than-expected outcome for the star.

He still faces significant jail time and dozens of civil legal cases, though. His reputation will forever be tarnished by months of ugly allegations and revelations, and the two convictions.

But some observers believe that’s unlikely to stop him trying to mount a comeback.

Driving force of hip-hop

As a songwriter, rapper, producer and record label impresario, Combs – formerly known as Puff Daddy – was one of the driving forces in hip-hop and R&B in the 1990s.

He launched the careers of Notorious BIG and Mary J Blige, signed acts such as Faith Evans, 112, Mase and Janelle Monae to his Bad Boy Records label, and worked with stars including Mariah Carey, Usher and Busta Rhymes.

He won three Grammy Awards as an artist and scored his biggest pop hit with I’ll Be Missing You, sampling The Police’s Every Breath You Take, in 1997 – his tribute after BIG’s murder.

Combs “was one of the most famous people in hip-hop”, says Los Angeles Times music writer August Brown.

“He was an incredibly important figure in evolving both that genre and the music industry as a whole into a commercial juggernaut.”

Dark side of Diddy’s parties

Like many at the peak of the music industry, he also threw lavish parties. But sordid details emerged during the legal cases, revealing a darker side.

These so-called “freak offs” were hotel sex encounters which could last for days, involving multiple male escorts, routine violence and copious amounts of drugs and baby oil.

The question for the jury was whether this was a criminal enterprise designed to force two alleged victims into sex against their will or whether, as Combs claimed, the women willingly took part.

The defence argued that these orgies were “kinky” but consensual – and that organising them was not criminal.

In the end, the jury agreed and he was found not guilty of the most serious charge of racketeering conspiracy, as well as two charges of sex trafficking.

“The jury was just unpersuaded that what amounted to an extremely baroque and violent and drug-stoked sex life on Diddy’s behalf amounted to a criminal organisation on the racketeering charge, or trafficking in the way that we understand it now,” Mr Brown told the BBC World Service.

“This isn’t to say that it wasn’t possible, but they just didn’t think it rose to ‘beyond a shadow of a doubt’.”

Jail then comeback?

Combs was, however, convicted on two counts of transporting two former girlfriends, including singer Cassie, to participate in sex acts and prostitution.

He will face up to 10 years in jail for each charge when he’s sentenced in October. But the sentences are likely to be lower than the maximum and to run simultaneously, with the year he will have already spent in jail to be deducted. So it’s quite possible he could be free in several years.

His supporters will be waiting – but most people will be unwilling to accept a comeback, Mr Brown says.

“I cannot imagine any kind of redemption arc as far as him [remaining] as an artist or a music mogul in light of this.

“I think the public will remember him as an important figure whose name is now permanently associated with this very-difficult-to-process range of charges, even if he’s not been convicted on the worst of it.”

Alvin Blanco, content director of Hiphopwired.com, agrees that Combs is too tarnished to make a successful comeback.

“He’s definitely going to try, but I think the damage is just too irreparable at this point.”

1:13Watch: The BBC’s Nomia Iqbal looks at what comes next after Diddy verdict

Mark Anthony Neal, professor of African American Studies at Duke University in North Carolina, also believes there’s “no doubt” the revelations have tarnished Combs’ legacy as the man who helped take hip-hop “from the ghettos to the mainstream of America to the global mainstream”.

However, his influence on music had diminished even before the allegations, says Jem Aswad, executive editor of music at Variety.

“He doesn’t really have much of a music career any more, and he hasn’t for about 15 years,” Mr Aswad told BBC News.

“It’s not that he was unpopular, although he wasn’t enormously popular recently – he just moved on to other businesses. He got into beverages, he got into apparel, he got into lots of other businesses.

“Anything he did in music over the last 15 years was almost just for fun. I think he’s released two, maybe three albums in that time period, and they just did OK, and frankly, they just were OK.”

Awards success

His stock was still pretty high, though. His last LP, The Love Album: Off The Grid, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2024. The previous year, he was named a Global Icon at the MTV Awards.

And he wouldn’t be the first star to retain support despite facing allegations.

Michael Jackson was cleared of child abuse in court in 2005 but persuasive claims about him have persisted, and many people still wrestle with how to reconcile those with the brilliance of the King of Pop’s catalogue.

R&B star R. Kelly was jailed for 30 years in 2022 for racketeering and sex trafficking. He still has five million monthly listeners on Spotify at the last count.

Some in hip-hop may be willing to work with Combs. Kanye West last week released a song called Diddy Free – although Kanye himself is ostracised by large parts of the industry for making antisemitic and Nazi statements.

Supporters’ delight

Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, host of the BBC’s Diddy on Trial podcast, has seen the support outside the court and suggests there may be a way back.

“We’ll see what happens with his career after this,” she told the BBC’s Newscast.

“I feel like he will be able to reclaim a top spot in hip-hop just because of the sheer amount of support we’ve seen online and here at the courthouse from his fans, and from people who feel he was being unjustly targeted by the federal government.

“He won’t be the first musician to be a convicted criminal who carries on having a music career, especially in hip-hop.”

For many, the details of the case will be hard to shake from memory, though.

Angela Star, one of the content creators outside court on Wednesday, told BBC News that “his image is tainted, and when you think of Diddy now, you think of…” before finishing her point by holding up a bottle of baby oil.

Source: BBC

After two days of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict on four charges: two counts of sex trafficking and two of transportation to engage in prostitution, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian announced.

But the judge said the jury had not been able to reach a verdict on a fifth charge, racketeering conspiracy, because jurors had “unpersuadable opinions on both sides.”

He instructed the jury to continue deliberating on the racketeering conspiracy count. The jury will resume deliberations at 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) on Wednesday.

Combs, 55, had pleaded not guilty to all five counts. If convicted of sex trafficking or racketeering, the former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture could face life in prison.

Before Subramanian read the jury’s note, Combs rubbed his eyes and rested his face against his palm while seated at the defence table with his lawyers huddled around him. One defence lawyer, Brian Steel, rubbed Combs’ shoulder. Two of Combs’ other defence lawyers put their arms around each other.

The partial verdict comes after a seven-week trial in which two of the music mogul’s former girlfriends testified that he physically and sexually abused them.

Prosecutors say Combs was charged with racketeering because for two decades he used his business empire to force two of his romantic partners to take part in drug-fueled, days-long sexual performances, sometimes known as “Freak Offs,” with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed.

His lawyers acknowledged that the Bad Boy Records founder, once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, was at times violent in his domestic relationships. But they said the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.

JURY ASKS TO REVIEW CASSIE’S TESTIMONY

Earlier on Tuesday, the jury asked to review portions of the testimony of the rhythm and blues singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who testified that Combs forced her to take part in “Freak Offs” throughout their decade-long relationship.

The 12-member jury asked to review Ventura’s testimony regarding a 2016 incident at an InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles, when a surveillance camera captured footage of Combs kicking and dragging Ventura in a hallway.

Jurors saw the security camera footage several times throughout the trial. Prosecutors say that at the time of the incident, Ventura was attempting to leave a “Freak Off,” Combs’ term for a drug-fueled sex marathon in which he would watch Ventura have sex with a paid male escort while he masturbated and sometimes filmed.

Prosecutors say that the conduct amounted to sex trafficking because Combs used force and threats to cut off financial support or release sex tapes of Ventura to coerce her to take part in the performances, and because the escorts were paid.

Combs’ defence pointed to tender and sexually explicit text messages that Ventura sent Combs throughout their relationship to bolster their argument that she took part in the “Freak Offs” because she loved Combs and wanted to make him happy.

They say the violent 2016 altercation stemmed from a dispute about Combs’ relationship with another woman.

Prosecutors charged Combs with racketeering conspiracy because they say his employees facilitated his abuse by setting up hotel rooms for “Freak Offs” and procuring illegal drugs for the sex parties. The defence argued that Combs kept his personal and professional lives separate, and that the drugs were for his personal use.

The 55-year-old was arrested last September and faces charges including racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations against him.

Dozens of prospective jurors were screened before being whittled down to 12 and six alternates.

During the trial, the jury has heard from 34 witnesses, including ex-girlfriends, former employees of Mr Combs, male escorts and federal agents.

The prosecution presented their closing statement on Thursday, and told the jury that Mr Combs is the “leader of a criminal enterprise” who used violence and fear in “brutal crimes”.

Mr Comb’s defence team is expected to present their closing statements on Friday.

After that, it will go to the 12-member jury to decide the fate of the hip-hop mogul.

Mr Combs also faces dozens of civil lawsuits from individuals who accuse him of using his power to drug, assault, rape, intimidate and silence people. He has said the individual lawsuits are attempts “for a quick payday”.

How can I follow the trial?

The court is expected to be open to the public, but proceedings will not be televised or streamed online.

Cameras, phones and electronic devices are normally not allowed in US federal courtrooms.

The trial proceedings began in early May with jury selection at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

US District Judge Arun Subramanian told jurors the trial could last around eight weeks.

How were jurors selected?

Dozens of potential jurors were vetted by the court.

The process included potential jurors looking through a long list of places and people that could be mentioned during the trial, with names like Kanye West and Kid Cudi.

The “People and Places” list was so long that Judge Subramanian said he “felt like I was reading an appendix for Lord of the Rings”.

Potential jurors also had to fill out questionnaires that asked whether they had “views about hip hop artists” or “feelings concerning violence, sexual assault”.

The judge reminded the court several times of the importance of choosing a fair and impartial jury.

Nearly all the potential jurors had read news reports of the allegations in the case, and many had seen footage of Mr Combs kicking his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hotel hallway.

What are the charges and allegations against Diddy?

In the federal criminal case being heard in New York, Mr Combs is charged with racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking and two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Many of the most severe allegations relate to the racketeering conspiracy charge.

This includes accusations of kidnapping, drugging, and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes using firearms or threats of violence.

In a raid on his Los Angeles mansion, police found supplies that they said were intended for use in orgies known as “freak offs”, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.

Separately, Mr Combs faces a number of lawsuits accusing him of rape and assault.

Tony Buzbee, a Texas lawyer handling some of these cases, said that more than 100 women and men from across the US had either filed lawsuits against the rap mogul or intended to do so.

In December 2023, a woman known in court papers as Jane Doe alleged that she was “gang raped” by Mr Combs and others in 2003, when she was 17. She said she was given “copious amounts of drugs and alcohol” before the attack.

Mr Combs’ legal team dismissed the flurry of lawsuits as “clear attempts to garner publicity.”

Mr Combs’ current legal issues began in late 2023 when he was sued by Ms Ventura, also known as Cassie, for violent abuse and rape.

That lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount a day after it was filed, with Mr Combs maintaining his innocence.

Since then, dozens of other people have filed lawsuits accusing Mr Combs of sexual assault, with accusations dating back to 1991. He denies all the claims.

His controversial history with Ms Ventura resurfaced in 2024, when CNN published leaked CCTV footage from 2016 showing Mr Combs kicking his ex-girlfriend as she lay on a hotel hallway floor.

He apologised for his behaviour, saying: “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”

What has Diddy said about the charges against him?

In a statement to the BBC about the federal criminal charges, Mr Combs’ lawyer said: “In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.”

Diddy’s lawyers later filed a motion to dismiss one part of the federal indictment in which he is accused of transportation to engage in prostitution. His team argued he was being unfairly targeted due to his race.

In a hearing in New York a week before the trial officially began, his attorneys told the court that the rapper led the “lifestyle” of a “swinger” and was not a criminal.

They said he thought it was “appropriate” to have multiple sex partners, including sex workers.

At the same hearing, prosecutors revealed that Mr Combs had rejected a plea deal.

Mr Combs’ lawyers have consistently denied the allegations made against him in the civil lawsuits, describing them as “sickening” and suggesting they were made by “individuals looking for a quick payday”.

How long could Diddy spend in jail if he is found guilty?

If convicted on the racketeering charge, Mr Combs faces up to life in prison.

He faces another statutory minimum sentence of 15 years if he is found guilty of sex trafficking.

Transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Mr Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York, since his arrest on 16 September 2024.

Critics describe the prison as overcrowded and understaffed, with a culture of violence.

His lawyers argued for his release, citing the jail’s “horrific” conditions, but a New York federal judge denied the bail request, describing Mr Combs as a “serious flight risk”.

Prosecutors previously alleged that Mr Combs had broken prison rules by contacting potential witnesses.

They accused him of “relentless efforts” to “corruptly influence witness testimony”.

A judge permitted Mr Combs to wear non-prison clothing during his trial rather than the jumpsuits he wears in jail.

When he appeared in court for jury selection, the rapper wore a blue sweater and white shirt with glasses on his head.

How did ‘Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs become successful?

Mr Combs – who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love – emerged in the hip-hop scene in the 1990s.

His early music career success included helping launch the careers of Mary J Blige and Christopher Wallace – aka Biggie Smalls, or The Notorious B.I.G.

His music label Bad Boy Records became one of the most important labels in rap and expanded to include Faith Evans, Ma$e, 112, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.

Mr Combs also had a prolific business career outside of music, including a deal with British drinks company Diageo to promote the French vodka brand Cîroc.

In 2023, he released his fifth record, The Love Album: Off The Grid and earned his first solo nomination at the Grammy Awards. He was also named a Global Icon at the MTV Awards.

During jury selection, the juror indicated on a questionnaire that he lived in the Bronx area of New York. But more recently, he told a court staffer he had moved in with his girlfriend in New Jersey.

On Friday, Judge Arun Subramanian said he had found “several inconsistencies” between the juror’s answers in court transcripts, which he said could suggest a desire to “be deceptive” in an effort to get on the jury.

Lawyers for Combs had opposed the decision, saying that Combs would be “substantially prejudiced by the dismissal” of a black male from the jury.

The juror has been replaced by an alternative juror, a 57-year-old white father from Westchester.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The possible dismissal of the juror has been discussed by lawyers for the past week.

Lead prosecutor Maurene Comey had asked that a juror be dismissed for what she described as “a lack of candour”.

The prosecution said the juror had disclosed that he recently moved to New Jersey with his girlfriend and had been staying there for most of the trial.

When he was questioned behind closed doors, the juror said he was staying in an apartment in the Bronx, New York, during the week, for four to five nights, when he was working and doing jury duty.

But the juror had said at an earlier stage, in a prospective juror interview several weeks ago, that he lived in the Bronx with his fiancée and daughter.

At one point, the juror had also mentioned living with an aunt, but later omitted her.

The judge said he had found “several inconsistencies” between the juror’s answers in the court transcripts.

The inconsistencies, the judge said, could point to a desire to “shade answers” and raised serious questions about the juror’s “candour” and his “ability to follow instructions”.

The judge noted that there were six alternative jurors to preserve the “integrity” of the court. “Removal of the juror is required, in this court’s view,” the judge said.

One of Combs’ lawyers, Xavier Donaldson, objected to the judge’s inclination, saying it is “very, very common” for New Yorkers to move between the city and New Jersey.

He said he believed the court is “equating inconsistencies with lying.”

“I do believe he will be able to follow instructions,” Donaldson said, adding that Juror No. 6 has been “awake – I can’t say they all have been awake”.

The defence’s main objection related to the juror’s race, with Donaldson noting that the trial’s jury was the most diverse he had seen in his three-decade career.

“That part is important to me and my client,” Donaldson said, adding that if the court were to dismiss the juror, it would be “a step backwards.”

“I don’t generally play the race card unless I have it in my hand,” Donaldson said.

Combs’s legal team had requested a mistrial should the juror be dismissed.

‘Wonderful thing’

Federal prosecutors rejected the implication that they were making decisions based on race, commenting that it was a “wonderful thing” that the jury was diverse.

The judge said the jury in the trial does not raise concerns about diversity, adding: “The court cannot and should not let race factor into what it should do.”

On Monday, the judge said: “There is nothing the juror can say at this point that can put the genie back in the bottle and repair his credibility.”

Eight men and four women were selected for the jury, along with six alternates. The trial is in its sixth week.

The prosecution plans to finish presenting its case this week, at which point the defence will have the chance to call its own witnesses.

Eddy Garcia, who had worked at an Intercontinental hotel, told jurors that Combs contacted him shortly after the incident and asked for the footage. Combs said he would “take care” of Garcia if he gave him the video, Garcia said.

“He was concerned that this video would get out and that it would ruin his career,” said Garcia, who was granted immunity from prosecution to testify.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts, including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Combs over two decades, coerced women, including Ventura, to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers known as “Freak Offs.”

The trial is in its fourth week.

Jurors had previously been shown a March 2016 surveillance video from the hallway of the Intercontinental hotel in Los Angeles where Combs, wearing only a towel, threw Ventura to the ground, kicked her and dragged her away

Ventura said the incident occurred after Combs had given her a black eye during a “Freak Off.”

Garcia said he relayed Combs’ message about the video to his boss, who told him he would give Combs the video in exchange for $50,000.

The next day, Garcia testified he saw his boss enter the room that hosted servers for the surveillance cameras.

He said the boss gave him a USB drive, which he gave to Combs, who later returned with a brown bag and a money counter.

Garcia said Combs ran cash from the bag through the counter, which displayed $100,000, returned the money to the bag, and handed the bag to him.

Combs’ lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic relationships, but argue that women who took part in “Freak Offs” did so consensually.

Prosecutors say bribery is among the racketeering acts that Combs or his employees undertook in order to facilitate “Freak Offs” and prevent word of his abuse from getting out.

Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Prosecutors have said they may finish presenting their case next week, allowing the defence to put on its case.

Capricorn Clark, who worked on and off for Mr Combs for more than a decade, told his trial that the defendant and a security guard had shown up at her apartment in 2011 and forced her to drive with them to Kid Cudi’s home.

“Get dressed,” she recalled Mr Combs saying. “We’re going to go kill this [expletive].” She also told the court Diddy had threatened to kill her on her very first day working for him.

Mr Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The Kid Cudi incident was first discussed in the trial last week when that rapper, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, took the stand to testify against Mr Combs.

He detailed his relationship with Mr Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, an alleged break-in at his Los Angeles home and an incident in which his Porsche was damaged by a Molotov cocktail, which he believed Mr Combs orchestrated.

Mr Combs is facing possible life in prison if convicted on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The rapper has separately denied accusations in a barrage of civil lawsuits that echo some of the claims made in his criminal case.

In her testimony on Tuesday, Ms Clark – who was global brand director for Mr Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment – said the hip-hop mogul had arrived at her home in 2011 after he discovered Ms Ventura was in a relationship with Mr Mescudi.

Mr Combs was holding a gun in his hand when he arrived, she said, and appeared “livid” and told her “we’re going to kill” Mr Mescudi.

She told the court he forced her to get into a car and go with them against her will, the BBC’s US partner CBS News reported.

Under cross-examination by Mr Combs’ lawyer, Ms Clark denied that she went with him voluntarily.

Once they arrived at Mr Mescudi’s home, Mr Combs and a security guard went inside while she called Ms Ventura from the car and told her what was unfolding.

When Mr Combs returned and caught her on the phone, he became more angry, Ms Clark said, adding that they sped off as Mr Mescudi arrived back at his home.

Afterwards, the court heard that the defendant had told Ms Clark he would not let her go until she and Ms Ventura persuaded Mr Mescudi that Mr Combs was not involved in the break-in at his LA home.

“If you don’t convince him of that, I’ll kill all of you,” Mr Combs told Ms Clark, she testified.

Ms Clark also described the difficult working relationship she had with Mr Combs over the years.

On her very first day in the job, she testified, Mr Combs threatened to kill her as he warned that her past work for other rappers had better not become a problem for him.

But, she told the court, despite the tumult, she also felt like his protector and wanted to remain in his circle.

“He broke the ceiling of what we were allowed to do as black people in the business world.”

The 55-year-old was arrested last September and faces charges including racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He could face life in prison if convicted.

Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations against him.

Dozens of prospective jurors were screened before being whittled down to 12 and six alternates ahead of Monday.

The first week of testimony will include two witnesses who are expected to speak briefly, prosecutors said, followed by a third witness who will see more time on the stand.

Mr Combs also faces dozens of civil lawsuits from individuals who accuse him of using his power to drug, assault, rape, intimidate and silence people. He has said the individual lawsuits are attempts “for a quick payday”.

How can I follow the trial?

The court is expected to be open to the public, but proceedings will not be televised or streamed online.

Cameras, phones and electronic devices are normally not allowed in US federal courtrooms.

The BBC will bring you live updates as the jury is seated and opening statements begin on Monday, straight from the court.

The trial proceedings began with jury selection on Monday 5 May in front of US District Judge Arun Subramanian at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan courthouse in lower Manhattan.

The judge told jurors the trial itself could last around eight weeks.

How were jurors selected?

Dozens of potential jurors were vetted by the court.

The process included potential jurors looking through a long list of places and people that could be mentioned during trial, with names like Kanye West and Kid Cudi.

The “People and Places” list was so long that Judge Subramanian said she “felt like I was reading an appendix for Lord of the Rings”.

Potential jurors also had to fill out questionnaires that asked whether they had “views about hip hop artists” or “feelings concerning violence, sexual assault”.

The judge reminded the court several times of the importance of choosing a fair and impartial jury.

Nearly all the potential jurors had read news reports of the allegations in the case and many had seen footage of Mr Combs kicking his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel hallway.

What are the charges and allegations against Diddy?

In the federal criminal case being heard in New York, Mr Combs is charged with racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking and two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Many of the most severe allegations relate to the racketeering conspiracy charge.

This includes accusations of kidnapping, drugging, and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes using firearms or threats of violence.

In a raid on his Los Angeles mansion, police found supplies that they said were intended for use in orgies known as “freak offs”, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.

Separately, Mr Combs faces a number of lawsuits accusing him of rape and assault.

Tony Buzbee, a Texas lawyer handling some of these cases, said that more than 100 women and men from across the US had either filed lawsuits against the rap mogul or intended to do so.

In December 2023, a woman known in court papers as Jane Doe alleged that she was “gang raped” by Mr Combs and others in 2003, when she was 17. She said she was given “copious amounts of drugs and alcohol” before the attack.

Mr Combs’ legal team dismissed the flurry of lawsuits as “clear attempts to garner publicity.”

Mr Combs’ current legal issues began in late 2023 when he was sued by Ms Ventura, also known as Cassie, for violent abuse and rape.

That lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount a day after it was filed, with Mr Combs maintaining his innocence.

Since then, dozens of other people have filed lawsuits accusing Mr Combs of sexual assault, with accusations dating back to 1991. He denies all the claims.

His controversial history with Ms Ventura resurfaced in 2024, when CNN leaked CCTV footage from 2016 showing Mr Combs kicking his ex-girlfriend as she lay on a hotel hallway floor.

He apologised for his behaviour, saying: “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”

What has Diddy said about the charges against him?

In a statement to the BBC about the federal criminal charges, Mr Combs’ lawyer said: “Mr Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process.

“In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone – man or woman, adult or minor.”

Diddy’s lawyers later filed a motion to dismiss one part of the federal indictment in which he is accused of transportation to engage in prostitution. His team argued he was being unfairly targeted due to his race.

In a hearing in New York a week before the trial officially began, his attorneys told the court that the rapper led the “lifestyle” of a “swinger” and was not a criminal.

They said he thought it was “appropriate” to have multiple sex partners, including sex workers.

At the same hearing, prosecutors revealed that Mr Combs had rejected a plea deal.

Mr Combs’ lawyers have consistently denied the allegations made against him in the civil lawsuits, describing them as “sickening” and suggesting they were made by “individuals looking for a quick payday”.

How long could Diddy spend in jail if he is found guilty?

If convicted on the racketeering charge, Mr Combs faces up to life in prison.

He faces another statutory minimum sentence of 15 years if he is found guilty of sex trafficking.

Transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Mr Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, since his arrest on 16 September 2024.

Critics describe the prison as overcrowded and understaffed, with a culture of violence.

His lawyers argued for his release, citing the jail’s “horrific” conditions, but a New York federal judge denied the bail request, describing Mr Combs as a “serious flight risk”.

Prosecutors previously alleged that Mr Combs had broken prison rules by contacting potential witnesses.

They accused him of “relentless efforts” to “corruptly influence witness testimony”.

A judge granted Mr Combs permission to wear non-prison clothing during his trial rather than the jumpsuits he wears in jail.

When he appeared in court for jury selection, the rapper wore a blue sweater and white shirt with glasses on his head.

How did ‘Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs become successful?

Mr Combs – who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love – emerged in the hip-hop scene in the 1990s.

His early music career success included helping launch the careers of Mary J Blige and Christopher Wallace – aka Biggie Smalls, or The Notorious B.I.G.

His music label Bad Boy Records became one of the most important labels in rap and expanded to include Faith Evans, Ma$e, 112, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.

Mr Combs also had a prolific business career outside of music, including a deal with British drinks company Diageo to promote the French vodka brand Cîroc.

In 2023, he released his fifth record The Love Album: Off The Grid and earned his first solo nomination at the Grammy awards. He also was named a Global Icon at the MTV Awards.

New allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs have surfaced, with a man accusing the imprisoned rapper of drugging and raping him in a New York nightclub in 2012.

According to a court filing, the man who was 17 at the time, paid a bouncer to enter the club and was invited to Combs’ private table, where he was given multiple shots of vodka.

The plaintiff claims that after consuming the drinks, he “began to become hazy and disoriented” and felt himself “losing consciousness and control of his body”.

Combs has consistently denied the allegations made against him in a number of civil lawsuits, and has previously labelled them “sickening”. The BBC has sought response from his team on the new allegations.

Referred to in court documents as John Doe, the plaintiff alleges he was led to a back room at the SoHo club where people were using drugs and engaging with escorts.

His arrest in New York came amid a series of civil suits alleging sexual assault and physical violence, some going back to the 1990s.

More than two dozen people have filed lawsuits against the rapper, accusing him of using his influence in the entertainment industry to do everything from drugging, assaulting and raping people.

The latest batch of lawsuits include allegations from two men who were underage at the time of the alleged sexual assaults. Both described being hopeful that Mr Combs could help jumpstart their careers in the entertainment industry.

The Harlem-born rapper has denied all the allegations, both those laid out in lawsuits and in his federal indictment.

Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail after pleading not guilty in a sex-trafficking case.

A New York federal judge remanded the musician in custody after prosecutors argued he was a “serious flight risk”.

Mr Combs, 54, was arrested on Monday evening, accused of running a criminal enterprise from at least 2008 that relied on drugs and violence to force women to “fulfill his sexual desires”, according to prosecutors.

A 14-page indictment charges him with racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The arrest in Manhattan follows raids on two of his properties in Los Angeles and Miami in March as part of an “ongoing investigation” into sex trafficking by authorities.

Mr Combs’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said they were “disappointed” by the arrest and his client was an “innocent man”.

The musician has faced a series of allegations from sexual assault to abuse, including by his ex-partner Casandra “Cassie” Ventura. He has denied all the claims against him.

His arrest was made in connection with an ongoing investigation by US homeland security officials, multiple law enforcement sources told CBS.

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Damian Williams confirmed the arrest in a statement on Monday night.

“Earlier this evening, federal agents arrested Sean Combs, based on a sealed indictment filed by the SDNY,” the prosecutor said.

He said the office plans to unseal the indictment on Tuesday morning and we “will have more to say at that time”.

Combs faces a number of civil lawsuits, including allegations that he raped an underage girl and tried to “groom” a producer and force him to have sex with another man.

His attorney said on Monday night that Mr Combs was looking forward to “clearing his name in court”.

“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution,” Mr Agnifilo said in a written statement to the BBC.

“Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is a music icon, self-made entrepreneur, loving family man, and proven philanthropist who has spent the last 30 years building an empire, adoring his children, and working to uplift the black community.”

The rapper’s legal problems began in November 2023 when Ms Ventura filed her lawsuit.

Two other women filed lawsuits that same week alleging abuse and assault – including one who said Mr Combs had choked her for so long that she passed out.

He denied all the allegations at the time and a spokesperson for the rapper called the lawsuits a “money grab”.

Then in December, another civil lawsuit alleged a woman had been “sex trafficked” by Mr Combs and two other men when she was 17 years old.

In February this year, new accusations came to light in a civil lawsuit filed by his former producer Rodney Jones Jr, who said Mr Combs made unwanted sexual advances and tried to “groom” him into having sex with others.

Mr Combs denied the allegations but one month later, his properties were raided. The musician was stopped at an airport in Miami as he was preparing to leave for the Bahamas and handed over electronics to authorities.

Many of the lawsuits came shortly before the expiration of the New York Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily allowed people who said they were sexually abused to file claims, even after the statute of limitations had expired.

In May, CCTV footage posted by CNN appeared to show the rap mogul attacking and beating Ms Ventura, an episode that was chronicled in her civil suit.

Mr Combs – who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love – is one of rap’s most successful moguls.

According to reports, they have retained the services of lawyers and investigators to confirm the validity of the claims.

In the meantime, Diddy is yet to be considered as a suspect in the murder, despite the resurfaced claims.

Tupac Shakur’s Family Has Hired Lawyers And Investigators To Confirm Murder Claim

In September last year, Keefe D, the last surviving suspect in the murder of Tupac, was arrested and charged.

A recent attempt by him to post bail was unsuccessful but led to the resurfacing of previous claims that embattled music mogul Diddy might have been involved in the murder of Tupac.

Apparently, these claims have not gone unnoticed by Tupac’s family, who have reportedly hired lawyers and investigators to get to the bottom of the allegations.

TMZ reports that they hope to “dig up any potential evidence that exists to corroborate it” in the process and may consider filing a lawsuit if any evidence supporting the claims is found.

According to the outlet, the hired team is “confident they will surface potential evidence, including more legal docs.”

If this happens, they intend to give this information to the authorities to press possible criminal charges.

Diddy Allegedly Offered $1 Million To Have Tupac Shakur Murdered

During a 2009 interview with the police, Keefe D claimed that Diddy paid a high-level drug dealer, Eric Von Martin, one million dollars to assassinate Shakur. These comments were referenced in a filing to deny him bail, in which Diddy’s name appeared 77 times.

One of the citations revealed that Diddy allegedly offered to pay for the assassination to retaliate against Marion “Suge” Knight, a then-record executive turned convict.

Knight was the co-founder and CEO of Death Row Records, the label to which Shakur was signed during the latter part of his career. He was also in the car with Shakur when the drive-by shooting occurred.

“Puffy Combs….Does he play a role in this thing?…” the police had asked Keefe D during his 2009 interview, per the News Chronicle. At the time, Davis had replied, “Yeah, I think he did.”

Despite the resurfaced claims, Diddy is still not considered a suspect, and it is unclear if that status quo will change.

Diddy Is Involved In Multiple Sexual Assault Suits

Besides Diddy’s alleged connection to Tupac’s death, the music mogul is embroiled in other legal troubles.

In recent months, over half a dozen women have filed sexual assault lawsuits against the record label executive.

These suits appear to have been spurred by a similar lawsuit filed by Diddy’s ex, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, last year, which they settled within hours.

According to TMZ, Former model Crystal McKinney, who is one of the women suing Diddy, claimed she once met up with him at his New York recording studio.

There, the rapper allegedly offered her laced marijuana, kissed her without her consent, and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

Another woman, April Lampros, alleged in her lawsuit that she had over four terrifying sexual encounters with Diddy between 1995 and 2001.

She also claimed that she was raped in at least three of these incidents and that in one encounter, Combs forced her to ingest ecstasy.

The Music Mogul’s Lawyer Says He Is Not Guilty

In response to the recent sexual assault claims and potential future allegations, Jonathan Davis, a lawyer for Combs, has asserted his client’s innocence.

“No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won’t change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone,” he said per People magazine.

“We live in a world where anyone can file a lawsuit for any reason and without any proof,” Davis added. “Fortunately, a fair and impartial judicial process exists to find the truth, and Mr. Combs is confident he will prevail against these and other baseless claims in court.”

Diddy’s Accusers Could Testify Before A Grand Jury

According to the Daily Mail, the Department of Justice is preparing to launch a criminal indictment against Diddy following the barrage of accusers that have recently surfaced.

A grand jury has reportedly been selected to hear out evidence against him as his accusers have been notified that they could be brought in to testify against him.

Homeland Security investigators are still gathering evidence as they reportedly want their case against him to be “bulletproof” weeks after they raided his Miami and L.A. homes.

A lawyer for Diddy shared that he refused to comment on the allegations and litigations against him, adding that they are “aware that the proper authorities are conducting a thorough investigation and therefore have confidence any important issues will be addressed in the proper forum, where the rules distinguish facts from fiction.”

According to a report from TMZ, Janice was hospitalized on Wednesday after experiencing chest pains.

For now, she’s set to remain hospitalized for one more day, possibly longer, as she undergoes tests. The report also states that Diddy has been at the South Florida area hospital with his mother.

Complex has reached out to Diddy’s reps for comment.

Sources cited in the TMZ report speculate that the chest pains were brought on, at least in part, by stress in connection with Diddy’s mounting legal problems.

Just last week, for example, NBC News reported that the Bad Boy Records founder was the subject of a federal investigation. That same week, Diddy was said to be in the process of trying to unload his Los Angeles mansion for $70 million.

Diddy’s properties in Miami and Los Angeles were both hit with federal raids earlier this year.

At the time, the 54-year-old had been in headlines amid multiple allegations of assault, including in a widely publicized lawsuit from producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones. By May, surveillance footage from 2016 had been released showing Diddy physically assaulting Cassie, with whom he had previously settled a lawsuit.

While Diddy ultimately issued a video statement in which he said he took “full responsibility for my actions” in the Cassie video, that video was later removed from his Instagram as part of a full account wipe.

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The university will also return Combs’ $1 million contribution and terminate a $1 million pledge agreement from the Sean Combs Foundation, the Board said in a statement Friday.

“Mr Combs’ behaviour as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honour,” the Board said in the statement.

CNN published a 2016 surveillance video showing Combs physically assaulting his former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Los Angeles.

The Washington, DC-based historically Black college or university said it will disband its scholarship program in Combs’ name.

“The University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence,” the board added, linking to the school’s “Interpersonal Violence Prevention” webpage in the statement.

Howard University’s announcement comes amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the once-beloved Bad Boy Records music mogul. Combs has been named in eight lawsuits since November, when Ventura accused him in a now-settled claim of years of abuse during their relationship and of raping her in 2018, CNN previously reported.

Subsequent lawsuits have accused Combs of sexual misconduct and other illegal activity. He has not responded to all the allegations against him but has denied claims from many of the civil suits.

The US Department of Homeland Security’s investigative arm launched a federal probe into Combs and allegations of sex trafficking. Investigators searched his Los Angeles and Miami homes on March 25 as part of the probe. No federal criminal charges have been filed against Combs.

The surveillance video published by CNN could potentially become evidence in the federal investigation.

Meanwhile, investigators are preparing to bring Combs’ accusers before a federal grand jury in New York, sources familiar with the probe told CNN.

Allegations of money laundering and illegal drugs are also being federally investigated, CNN has learned.

Combs recently sold a majority stake in media company and television network Revolt, which he founded in 2013, the company said.

The announcement comes after CNN published a CCTV video of the hip-hop producer hitting an ex-girlfriend in a hotel hallway.

In a statement on Friday, the university said his “behavior as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor.”

The rapper apologised after the video was released last month for the attack on singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura.

“I was disgusted when I did it. I’m disgusted now,” Mr Combs said in his statement.

“I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”

Howard University conferred the degree on Mr Combs in 2014. It said in its statement that it would also end a scholarship in his name and terminate a 2016 “gift agreement” with the rapper.

That agreement was a $1m (£785,000) donation that he made through his foundation.

The Sean Combs Foundation did not respond to a request for comment.

The university’s statement said Mr Combs’ name would be removed from all documents listing honourary degree recipients.

“The University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence,” the statement said.

Four women, including his former long-time partner Ms Ventura, have filed lawsuits against the musician, accusing him of sexual and physical abuse.

Ms Ventura’s lawsuit was settled in November, and Mr Combs has denied all sexual assault allegations.

In a statement issued last December, Mr Combs defended himself against what he described as “sickening allegations” made by “individuals looking for a quick payday”.

“Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged,” he said, adding he would fight to clear his name.

In March, federal agents raided two houses owned by the star “as part of an ongoing investigation” into sex trafficking.

His lawyer called the action an “unprecedented ambush” and a “gross overuse of military-level force”, and maintained his client’s innocence.

In the resurfaced clip, Ellen asked Diddy about the rumours that Chris Brown had been hanging out at his home in Miami amid the domestic violence case and potentially hoping to get him back with Rihanna. “I wouldn’t use my Twitter to talk about that, because that’s somebody else’s business,” said Diddy, to which Ellen continued to press him to talk about it.

“You clearly have a lot of people going, ‘Why would you do that? Why would you give Chris, a guy who hit a girl, and he’s jet-skiing around… I don’t understand,” said Ellen, who admitted that she was a “huge fan” of his music but obviously has moral objections to domestic violence.

“I know both of them and it’s my house, and I’m allowed to give my house to whoever I want to give my house to, that’s number one,” Diddy replied. “Number two is that, I’m the type of person that… I don’t cast a stone or cast a judgment on anybody. And so, if a friend ask me for a favour, I’m going to be there for a favour as long as I know that the energy of the favour is positive for two people to sit down and talk about a situation that they’re in.”

He said that he wasn’t planning to “get involved” or “pass judgment,” but he wanted to be there “as a friend during hard times.”

“I think you are coming from a place of a friendship, and of kindness and support… It’s just hard for me, and I don’t believe in judgment either, but I don’t want any girl out there thinking it’s okay to go back to a guy who hit her,” she said. Ellen said that she didn’t want to put Diddy “in it,” to which he replied, “You are putting me in it, so I’m gonna speak on it. I don’t think it’s right for anybody to hit anybody, at the end of the day.”

He added that he believes adults “have to be honest” with themselves about the nature of certain relationships.

“We know sometimes those relationships get ugly, and sometimes it doesn’t come out to the forefront the way this one has come out,” said Diddy. “There’s a lot of stones being thrown, and we don’t know exactly what happened.” During the exchange, Diddy looked notably uncomfortable.

“It isn’t right for him to put her hands on her, or her to put her hands on him,” he said while noting that he doesn’t know “exactly” what happened during the assault, which led to Rihanna being hospitalized. “We don’t know what the problem is, but we need to pray for them. And we need to do things to support them and that’s all I want to say about it. Thank you.”

The star, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, said domestic violence “broke me down to someone I never thought I would become”.

The video of the attack in 2016 was released last week by CNN. Ms Ventura had alleged her ex-boyfriend and producer assaulted her in a legal action last year.

Diddy apologised at the weekend, commenting in an Instagram video: “I was disgusted when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”

In her statement, which was posted to Instagram, Ms Ventura thanked her friends, family and the public for their support.

“The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning,” she said.

“Domestic Violence is THE issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.”

“My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time. It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in,” Ms Ventura wrote.

“This healing journey is never ending, but this support means everything to me.”

Last November, Ms Ventura settled a lawsuit against Combs – in which she accused him of rape and sexual trafficking – for an undisclosed sum.

Combs’ lawyer said the settlement was “in no way an admission of wrongdoing”.

In his apology, Mr Combs said: “I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”

Lawyers for Ms Ventura told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that Diddy’s statement was “more about himself than the many people he has hurt”.

“When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday,” lawyer Meredith Firetog said.

Earlier this week, a model accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2003, the latest in a string of allegations against the rapper and businessman.

Crystal McKinney said in a lawsuit that Mr Combs invited her to his New York studio and plied her with alcohol and marijuana until she became intoxicated.

BBC News has asked representatives of Mr Combs for comment.

50 Cent has long trolled Diddy on social media, most recently after CNN publicised a surveillance video showing Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016.

On Tuesday, 50 Cent posted on social media to confirm a TMZ report that he has sold a multi-part documentary about Combs’ legal troubles to Netflix. Combs is currently named in six civil lawsuits, accusing him of a range of sexual misconduct and other illegal activity, the latest of which was filed Tuesday.

He is also the target of a federal investigation carried out by a Department of Homeland Security Investigations team that handles human trafficking and other crimes, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.

Combs has previously denied all allegations of wrongdoing. CNN has reached out to representatives for 50 Cent and Netflix for comment.

A diss track

In 2006, 50 Cent released a diss track “The Bomb,” which featured sounds of gunfire and his allegation that Combs knew the identity of the killer of Christopher Wallace, a rapper known as The Notorious B.I.G., who was both a protégée and best friend to Combs.

Wallace was gunned down in Los Angeles in March 1997 as he and his crew, which included Combs, were travelling in a caravan. Combs was in a different vehicle from the one Wallace was in at the time Wallace was shot.

No one has ever been charged with the murder.

50 Cent has also said he believes Combs is connected to the 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur.

Combs called such allegations “nonsense” in a 2016 interview with the syndicated radio show “The Breakfast Club.” He has never been charged in connection to either case.

Consistent trolling

Followers of 50 are familiar with his reputation for sharp comments and social media trolling.

The rapper-turned-television-producer has made Combs a frequent target, attacking everything from his music to his age.

Some believed it was mostly marketing, especially given the men’s parallel career tracks and even competing vodkas at one point, Effen Vodka from 50 Cent and Ciroc, which used to be owned by Combs.

But 50 upped his comments after Combs was sued in November 2023 by Ventura, who in a now-settled civil complaint alleged that Combs raped her in 2018 and abused her over the more than decade they were in an off-and-on relationship.

Combs has denied the allegations but apologized on Sunday for the incident depicted in the surveillance video.

After federal investigators searched Combs’ homes in Miami and Los Angeles in March, 50 Cent posted on X, “Now it’s not Diddy do it, it’s Diddy done. They don’t come like that unless they got a case.”

Diddy denies there’s beef

Combs was asked about the tension between him and 50 Cent during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” in 2018.

“I don’t have no beef with Fif. He loves me,” Combs said. “Y’all can’t see that he loves me? You really think that’s hate? … You know he loves me.”

He added that he didn’t take the things 50 Cent says about him seriously.

A son’s defence

Christian Combs, who goes by King Combs, is the 26-year-old son of Diddy. Earlier this month, he released a song titled “Pick a Side” in support of his father and taking aim at critics like 50 Cent.

The younger Combs and his brother, Justin, were temporarily handcuffed and detained by authorities during the March search of their father’s home. Neither was arrested or charged.

Aaron Dyer, Diddy’s attorney, said in a statement to CNN at the time that “there was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences. There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”

“All that gossip sh*t is whack when all they had was 50 Cent / Who put this city on the map? / Stop lying,” the younger Combs raps.

50 Cent responded with a tongue-in-cheek post on social media.

“I feel so threatened by the things Christian is saying on his record,” he wrote in a since-delated post on Instagram, according to Billboard. “I’m afraid for my life, please don’t hurt me guys.”

“If more victims keep coming out I’m gonna need more episodes,” he wrote.

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On Sunday, Diddy surprised many when he took to his Instagram page to post a video of him apologizing for abusing Cassie. The rapper noted that he sought therapy after the incident and said he is “committed” to being a better man.

Diddy’s Apology For Assaulting Cassie Branded ‘Disingenuous’ By Her Lawyer

Cassie’s lawyers are not buying Diddy’s apology due to the fact that the rapper was very vocal about his innocence when his ex-girlfriend and several other women came forward with abuse allegations against him.

Following the release of his apology video, Meredith Firetog, a lawyer who represents Cassie, made a statement calling Diddy’s words “disingenuous.”

Firetog said, “Combs’ most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt. When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday.”

She added, “That he was only compelled to ‘apologize’ once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation, and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words.”

The Rapper Says He Is Committed To Being A ‘Better Man’

In his apology video, the rapper stated that he was taking “full responsibility” for his actions in the unearthed surveillance footage. Diddy noted that he felt “disgusted” by what he did and that he sought therapy and entered rehab after the incident.

The rapper said, “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that. I was f–cd up. I mean, I hit rock bottom — but I make no excuses. My behavior [in] that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it; I’m disgusted now.”

He continued, “I went, and I sought out professional help. Had to go into therapy. Had to go into rehab. Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to [being] a better man each and every day. And I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

The Shocking Footage Of Diddy’s Assault On Cassie

The video of Diddy assaulting Cassie was recently released by CNN, sparking outrage on social media.

In the short clip with no audio, Diddy can be seen running after Cassie while wearing a towel. Upon meeting her, he grabs her by the neck and flings her to the floor.

He then violently kicks her body before turning around to grab the singer’s possessions, which were just outside the elevator she had tried to escape through. While all this was happening, Cassie lay motionless on the floor of the hotel hallway.

After that, Diddy violently kicked Cassie again and then dragged her back down the hallway by the hoodie of her sweatshirt. He was later seen throwing a vase at Cassie while sitting on a chair in what appears to be the hotel room they were lodged in.

The video reportedly matches one assault incident Cassie described in her lawsuit, where she claimed that an “extremely intoxicated” Diddy “punched” her in the face, “grabbed at her, and then took glass vases in the hallway and threw them at her, causing the glass to crash around them as she ran to the elevator to escape.”

The Rapper Settled Cassie’s Lawsuit Within Hours To Prevent The Scandalous Video From Coming Out

In November last year, Diddy was hit with a bombshell lawsuit by Cassie, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking, and domestic violence, which she claimed happened during their time together.

Surprisingly, within hours of the suit being filed, Diddy and Cassie settled out of court for an undisclosed amount of money. This led to wild speculation about why the rapper chose this path rather than clear his name in court.

According to People Magazine, former special agent Tracy Walder revealed that the reason why the embattled music executive “settled so quickly” was because there was footage of him assaulting Cassie. Walder also claimed that the rapper “never expected the video to get out.”

According to the ex-CIA agent, the statute of limitations has passed, so a felony assault charge cannot be filed against Diddy.

“Felony assaults in California have a statute of limitations of three years. Since this stemmed from a 2016 incident, she wouldn’t be able to file assault or battery charges in Los Angeles,” the law enforcement agent said.

The LA County DA’s Office Will Not Prosecute Diddy

Despite the proof of Diddy’s violent assault on Cassie, the rapper will likely not get prosecuted, with the Los Angeles County DA’s office confirming this.

“If the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately we would be unable to charge as the conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted,” read a statement from the DA’s office, where they also described the video as “extremely disturbing and difficult to watch.”

They also claimed that the police had yet to inform them of bringing a case against the music mogul but “encouraged” any victims or witnesses to reach out to the Bureau of Victims Services.

“This is not going to work, who is advising him right now? SMH bad move,” the G-Unit boss — who has been relentless in his yearslong feud of mocking Diddy — posted to Instagram on Sunday (May 19).

On Sunday morning, Combs took to social media to share a video of himself taking responsibility for his actions in the disturbing clip.

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Combs says in his apology video on Instagram. “I was f—ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I’m disgusted now.”

In the video, obtained by CNN and dated March 5, 2016, Combs appears to shove Ventura to the ground near an elevator bank, kick her several times while she lies on the ground and drag her down a hallway.

Combs continued his apology on Sunday, saying, “I went out and sought professional help. Had to go into therapy, into rehab. Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to being a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.

See 50 Cent’s reaction to Diddy’s apology video on Instagram below:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent)

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The rapper has filed a motion to dismiss certain counts in the case, citing the absence of applicable laws at the time of the alleged incident.

New court documents obtained by TMZ on Friday, April 26, reveal that Diddy’s lawyers are seeking to dismiss some of the claims made by Joi Dickerson-Neal.

Joi filed a lawsuit against the hip-hop mogul in November 2023, alleging that he drugged and sexually assaulted her back in 1991.

However, Diddy’s legal team argues that some of the laws referenced in the lawsuit did not exist at the time of the alleged incident.

Joi filed six causes of action against Diddy, one of which was made under the New York Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Law.

Meanwhile, Diddy’s lawyers pointed out that this law was not enacted until 2007, approximately 16 years after the incident allegedly occurred.

Additionally, Diddy’s legal team is contesting her claims under the New York State Revenge Porn Law, which was codified in 2019, the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law, passed in 2000, and the 2016 NYC Revenge Porn Law.

Diddy’s legal representatives are arguing that since these laws were not in effect at the time of the alleged assault in 1991, they cannot be applied retroactively to his case.

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In his latest post, the “All Eyes on You” hitmaker, who visited Ghana for the Year of Return initiative, says he would love to naturalize for the country for peace of mind.

He wrote: “I wanna get citizenship in Ghana!!!! America made to tear black men down if you don’t follow orders!”.

Meanwhile, some Ghanaians have equally taken to his comment section to register their sentiments.

Meanwhile, following conversations and a lawsuit alleging that he has been getting under the sheets with rapper P. Diddy, Meek Mill denied and said he is being targeted racially.

The legal documents alleged that “Diddy had sexual relations with a rapper from Philadelphia who dated Nicki Minaj,” which narrows down the list to him. 

Since then, the rapper has been very active on social media after the news broke, and he claims this is a campaign against him for going independent.

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In the complaint, filed by plaintiff Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones Jr. in New York federal court, the producer accuses Combs of “groping and touching” his anus and trying to groom him into engaging in sexual acts with Combs and other individuals, including Love Album producer Steven Aaron Jordan (a.k.a. Stevie J) and a cousin of Combs’ ex-girlfriend Yung Miami (named as a Jane Doe defendant).

He also claims that Combs “forced” him to “solicit sex workers,” some of whom were underage, as well as to “perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs.”

In one alleged incident from February 2023, Jones claims he woke up “naked, dizzy, and confused” in a “bed with two sex workers and Mr. Combs” at Combs’ home in Miami and “believes” he was drugged by Combs.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Tyrone Blackburn, names several more defendants whom Jones claims conspired with Combs in an alleged “RICO enterprise” to enable his misconduct: Universal Music Group (UMG), its subsidiary Motown Records, Combs’ label imprint Love Records, UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge, former Motown CEO/chairwoman Ethiopia Habtemariam; Combs’ chief of staff, Kristina Khorram; and Combs’ son, Justin Combs.

Federal RICO cases, which are based on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act traditionally used to target the mafia and drug cartels, are brought to more effectively sweep up members of alleged crime rings. (Notably, the ongoing Georgia criminal case against Young Thug that alleges the rapper ran a violent Atlanta street gang is based on a Georgia statute modelled off of the federal RICO law.)

In this case, Jones claims the “RICO enterprise” in question was set up to recruit sex workers, some of them underage, and to acquire and distribute drugs and guns out of Combs’ Miami home.

He accuses the participants in the alleged enterprise of keeping him under their control by threatening him with violence, ostracism from the music industry and nonpayment for work on the album, which he says he still has not been compensated for despite having allegedly produced nine tracks.

The lawsuit also brings up an alleged September 2022 incident at Chalice Recording Studio in Hollywood, during a writing and producing camp for The Love Album, that allegedly resulted in a man being shot in the stomach following a “heated conversation” between Combs, his son Justin Combs and another unnamed man.

Following the incident, Jones claims Combs forced him to lie to police by telling them the man was injured in a drive-by shooting outside. Jones is suing Combs, UMG, Motown, Love Records and Chalice Recording Studio for providing “inadequate or negligent security” during the camp.

In a statement sent to Billboard, Combs’ attorney Shawn Holley said: “Lil Rod is nothing more than a liar who filed a $30 billion lawsuit shamelessly looking for an undeserved payday. His reckless name-dropping about events that are pure fiction and simply did not happen is nothing more than a transparent attempt to garner headlines.

We have overwhelming, indisputable proof that his claims are complete lies. Our attempts to share this proof with Mr. Jones’ attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, have been ignored, as Mr. Blackburn refuses to return our calls. We will address these outlandish allegations in court and take all appropriate action against those who make them.”

A spokesperson for Justin Combs sent the following statement: “Justin Combs categorically denies these absurd allegations. They are all lies! This is a clear example of a desperate person taking desperate measures in hopes of a pay day. There will be legal consequences for all defamatory statements made about the Combs family.”

Representatives for UMG, Motown, Love Records, Grainge and Chalice Recording Studio did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Habtemariam could not be located for comment at press time.

Jones is asking for damages for loss of past and future income as well as “mental anguish, humiliation, embarrassment, stress and anxiety, emotional pain and suffering, and emotional distress”; punitive damages; and the costs of bringing the suit.

The Love Album was originally announced in May 2022 as a release on Combs’ newly formed imprint Love Records, to be released in tandem with UMG’s Motown. However, the album — which featured a laundry list of stars including Mary J. Blige, Burna Boy, John Legend, Justin Bieber and The Weeknd — was ultimately released independently in September 2023.

Jones’ lawsuit is just the latest in a string of legal accusations to be lodged against Combs over the past several months. In November, Combs’ longtime girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, sued him for rape and physical abuse, though the case was promptly settled.

He was subsequently sued by two more women for sexual assault and later by a Jane Doe who claimed Combs “sex trafficked” and “gang raped” her when she was 17. Combs has denied all of the allegations.

According to a report from Rolling Stone published Sunday, eighteen companies have terminated their partnership with Combs’ e-commerce platform Empower Global.

Founded by Combs in 2021, Empower Global aims to promote Black-owned businesses with a digital marketplace that creates “opportunities for Black entrepreneurs to build and scale successful businesses and for everyone to ‘Shop Black’ daily with ease,” according to its official website.

One company that’s parted ways with Empower Global is lifestyle and fashion brand House of Takura, which confirmed its departure from the company in an email to USA TODAY on Monday.

“We take the allegations against Mr. Combs very seriously and find such behavior abhorrent and intolerable, We believe in victims’ rights and support victims in speaking their truth, even against the most powerful of people.” founder Annette Njau told Rolling Stone.

Other companies that have reportedly left Empower Global include skincare brand Tsuri, jewelry label Fulaba, footwear line Rebecca Allen and sunscreen brand Baby Donna.

Combs, one the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades, has been caught up in a whirlwind series of legal battles, including a bombshell lawsuit by ex-girlfriend Cassie that accused him of rape, sex trafficking and physical abuse. After Combs and Cassie’s settlement, two more women came forward to accuse him of sexual abuse.

The anonymous accuser said Bad Boy Entertainment President Harve Pierre met her in 2003 in Detroit. Pierre stated she was “hot,” name-dropped Diddy, and flew her to meet him in New York City.

The woman stated she met Diddy in a recording studio and sat on his lap during the session, indulging in drugs and alcohol. The accuser supplied images from the alleged meeting.

She stated that everything was a blur following the substances, and she remembered nonconsensual sex in the bathroom with Diddy, followed by Pierre and another man. She said she was left in the fetal position and eventually flown back to Michigan, suffering in silence for 20 years but finding the courage to speak out after Cassie’s lawsuit.

Reacting immediately after the fourth woman sued him in one month, Diddy wrote on Instagram, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, and destroy my reputation and my legacy.

“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.”

In a lawsuit seen by the BBC, ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura said she was trapped for a decade in a cycle of abuse and violence.

Mr Combs – who has also gone by the stage name Puff Daddy – denies the allegations, accusing the singer of trying to extort him.

His lawyer said the claims were “offensive and outrageous”.

Ms Ventura – an R&B singer and dancer who performs under the stage name Cassie – alleges that the rap producer raped and beat her over 10 years starting when she was 19 and he was 37.

“After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story,” she said in a statement on Thursday.

The lawsuit includes multiple graphic descriptions of the violent abuse that she says occurred beginning after she met the rapper in 2005.

According to the complaint, Mr Combs signed her to his record label, Bad Boy, and “plied the vulnerable Ms Ventura with drugs and alcohol, causing her to fall into dangerous addictions that controlled her life”.

The lawsuit labels the musician a “serial domestic abuser, who would regularly beat and kick Ms Ventura, leaving black eyes, bruises, and blood”.

In her statement, Ms Ventura said she was ready “to speak up on behalf of myself and for the benefit of other women who face violence and abuse in their relationships”.

In a statement to BBC News, Mr Combs’ lawyer said Ms Ventura had demanded $30m (£24m) “under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship”.

His lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, said the alleged demand “was unequivocally rejected as blatant blackmail”.

“Ms Ventura has now resorted to filing a lawsuit riddled with baseless and outrageous lies, aiming to tarnish Mr Combs’ reputation, and seeking a pay day,” he added.

In response to Mr Brafman, Ms Ventura’s lawyer, Doug Wigdor, said Mr Combs had offered her a payment of “eight figures to silence her and prevent the filing of this lawsuit”.

“She rejected his efforts and decided to give a voice to all woman who suffer in silence,” he said.

Her lawsuit also alleges that the music mogul told her he planned to “blow up” a car owned by rapper Kid Cudi. Mr Combs had become jealous that Ms Ventura was in a relationship with the rapper, according to the legal action.

She says he told her of his plan during Paris Fashion Week in 2012.

“Mr Combs told Ms Ventura that he was going to blow up Kid Cudi’s car,” the complaint says, “and that he wanted to ensure that Kid Cudi was home with his friends when it happened. Around that time, Kid Cudi’s car exploded in his driveway.”

A spokeswoman for Kid Cudi told the New York Times that Ms Ventura’s account was true.

She released several hits in the 2000s, including songs that featured Diddy.

Her most famous tracks include Me & U, Long Way to Go and Official Girl, featuring Lil Wayne.

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The billionaire rapper turn fashion icon has been posting about the company with whom he has a 1-billion-dollar deal, but according to Kanye West, Adidas had left him out of the decision-making aspect of the business despite him bringing in a large amount of revenue for the company.

Adidas has yet to respond to Kanye West, who has been attacking various members of upper management of the company.

Some insiders say that Kanye is attempting to bully the board and shareholders into bringing him into upper management, despite his agreement only being one as a designer.

Kanye West has also alleged that Adidas and Gap, with whom he has separate agreements, have stolen his designs and tried to make copies in China. He says he is taking the companies to court over the allegations.

On Tuesday, he continued his harassment of the company and shared that he is getting support from several other big-name celebrities who are ready to boycott the company.

In the last two days, both Swizz Beatz and Diddy joined the war, with the latter threatening Adidas that if it doesn’t do right by Kanye, he’ll call for a boycott.

On Tuesday, Diddy shared a screenshot of a conversation he had with Kanye where he offered to help the artist.

“Please can send me something I could post in support of you! I never wear Adidas again for the rest of my life if they don’t make you right!!!!” Diddy wrote to Kanye, who responded with two sentences, “Praise God and Love you.”

Diddy also shared a caption where he called out Adidas for profiting from black culture and its treatment of Kanye.

“Since the era of Run-DMC, @Adidas has always used Hip Hop to build its brand and make billions off of our culture,” he said. “BUT WE ARE MORE THAN JUST CONSUMERS NOW, WE’RE THE OWNERS. @KanyeWest and YEEZY are the reason Adidas is relevant to culture. WE KNOW OUR VALUE! I’m done wearing Adidas products until they make this right!! We have to support each other!! Everybody repost this please!!,” Diddy said.

A day before, Swizz Beatz also said that Adidas was wrong in its treatment of Ye.

“I usually mind mv business but this is DEAD WRONG! If we let them do this to @kanyewest it will happen to us also! This man created this groundbreaking innovation and it should be respected as a creative ! YE is only asking for his work to be respected and not stolen that’s not crazy to me !!” he said.

“We not buying these @adidas you’re supposed to be original do the correct thing please,” he added.

Last month, Kanye called out Adidas for its Adilette 22 slide sandals which closely resembled his Yeezy slides.

Since then, he has made several post-then-delete on Instagram where he accused both Adidas and Gap of not honoring their agreement with his Yeezy brand. Kanye West went on to say that he planned to open his first Yeezy brick-and-mortar store in Atlanta and plans to move nationwide as he insinuated that he planned to pull his Yeezy brand from Adidas and Gap.

In September, he also began to post memes and mock various Adidas executives but specifically SVP Daniel Cherry III.

Adidas has not responded to any of the claims by Kanye.

Kanye first started working with Adidas in 2013 with his Yeezy footwear. The shoes became widely popular and brought in a large percent of the company’s total revenue, with $1.7 billion earned in 2021.

Kanye’s deal with Adidas sees him having 100% ownership of the copyrights of the shoes and 15% in royalties on sales. The deal runs until 2026.

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JAY-Z remains on top of a list of hip-hop’s highest-earners from last year, as a new publication curated by former Forbes writer Zack O’Malley Greenburg revealed the ten biggest money-makers of the genre in 2021, placing the New York-born legend at the forefront.

According to the list, which was published independently on O’Malley Greenburg’s blog, JAY-Z earned a whopping $470 million in 2021, nearly doubling the list’s runner-up.

Of course, the artist formerly known as Kanye West makes his way to the #2 spot, earning a reported $250 million last year.

The post, which was supposed editorially through Vibe, also lists Diddy in the third spot, earning $75 million. 

Drake appears at #4, reportedly making $50 million in 2021.

Michael Buckner/Getty Images

At number five, Wiz Khalifa makes an appearance with $45 million earned last year.

Despite his tragedy at the end of 2021, Travis Scott also makes his presence on this list at #6, earning $38 million through various brand endorsements. 

DJ Khaled appears behind him with $35 million, whereas Eminem and J. Cole are neck-and-neck with $28 and $27 million respectively.

In the final #10 spot, there is a three-way tie between Birdman, Doja Cat, and Tech N9ne, who surely earned a lot of additional money from his viral collaboration with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. 

Baby, Doja, and Tech N9ne all earned a reported $25 million in 2021.

According to federal court documents filed in Manhattan, N.Y. on Thursday (February 4), Puff is suing Sean John and the company’s current owner, Global Brands Group USA, for $25 million.

The lawsuit claims GBG USA collaborated with U.K.-based women’s retailer Missguided to create a new women’s line and used Diddy’s name, image and likeness to promote the new brand.

However, the music mogul never gave the company permission to do so.

GBG USA is accused of providing false quotes to the press about Diddy supporting the line.

“The SJ/Missguided Agreement was entered into without Mr Combs’s knowledge, approval, or consent,” the lawsuit reads.

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“And Mr Combs has never endorsed the GBG Collection, which is branded ‘sean john x missguided’ and ‘Sean John x Missguided.’ Mr Combs has neither granted Defendants the right to use his name, image, likeness, or persona in conjunction with the GBG Collection, nor has he agreed to make a public statement or appearance in support of the GBG Collection.”

In all, Puff’s legal team is accusing GBG USA of false endorsement, misappropriation of likeness and violating his publicity rights.

They are seeking “to recover actual, special, and statutory damages, profits attributable to the unauthorized use and exploitation of his name, image, likeness, and persona, as well as attorney’s fees and costs” to the tune of $25 million and want a jury trial.

Diddy founded the Sean John brand in 1998, and led the label to moderate success.

In 2016, he sold a majority stake in the company to GBG USA.

Diddy ran into issues with GBG last year when he accused them of surreptitiously using the Vote or Die phrase he made famous.

Over the weekend, various stars took to social media to inform their fans about the widespread protests and demonstrations over police brutality taking place in the African nation.

The protests were ignited after a video of a young man allegedly being killed by police surfaced online, according to the BBC, further fueling tensions over a police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

The special police unit was reportedly formed back in 1992 to tackle crime in Nigeria but has long faced accusations of abusing its powers, according to the BBC.

Amnesty International documented at least 82 cases of “torture, ill treatment and extra-judicial execution by SARS between January 2017 and May 2020.”

Following protests, the Nigerian government announced that the police unit has been dissolved on Sunday (October 11), according to the BBC.

“Now my people …you see what our voices did…this is the beginning of a new Nigeria!” WizKid tweeted out in response to the announcement. “Nigerian youth!! Know your rights and fight for it! You deserve it.”

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“We all deserve it!! While SARS has been dissolved,” Jidennna noted on Twitter that its disbandment is just the “first step” of many towards police reform.

“This has happened before. We have to build a form of community safety that actually makes Nigerians feel safe,” he elaborated.

“Let this be a battle that’s part of a larger movement against corruption to demand a government that truly serves us,” he added.

Burna Boy expressed similar sentiments, tweeting, “they have now allegedly disbanded SARS but so much more needs to be done!! Police cars revolving like SARS is more than a ‘unit.’ It’s a mindset built from a lack of repercussions for the law enforcement. It’s not over yet family!”

Additionally, the African Giant artiste launched the Project Protect initiative to provide financial and legal assistance to those arrested at the protests. He also put up billboards across Nigeria to spread word of the movement.

Davido issued a call for further governmental change to be enacted, writing:

“It’s far from over….we never win anything. We want an Executive order, a Legislative action & a Judicial panel of enquiry set up to prosecute those rogues. Nothing more, nothing less!!”

President Muhammadu Buhari later posted a video on Twitter on Monday (October 12) to address protesters’ concerns and said that an internal probe will be launched into the police force.

“The disbanding of SARS is only the first step in our commitment to extensive police reforms in order to ensure that the primary duty of the police and other law enforcement agencies remains the protection of lives and livelihood of our people,” he said in the clip. “We will also ensure that all those who were responsible are brought to justice,” he added.

Read their posts below:

The Nigerian singer has been trending for days after he released his newest album dubbed Twice As Tall, which follows his previous African Giant album that got him a Grammy nomination.

In series of tweets on Twitter, the music mogul and entertainer had lots to say concerning his involvement in Burna Boy’s album which is topping trends worldwide.

According to him, Burna Boy’s ‘Twice As Tall’ project has made him connect to his roots in Africa, the motherland in a spiritual way and he is ever grateful for it.

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Dear Africa, you have been heavy on my mind and my heart … I’ve been trying to connect to the motherland for a minute, but I never got a chance to do it properly. When I say properly, I mean in a soulful spiritual way, he said.

Diddy continued, but during this time we’ve had off, God blessed me to get a call from my brother @BurnaBoy.

He’s the first African artiste I’ve been blessed to work with and he didn’t know this but at the time I was praying to God to bring something to me that would help to bring us all together through music.

‘Twice As Tall’, has garnered lots of streams ever since its drop and it was executive-produced by Diddy.

Talking about it, the Revolt CEO said: I think it’s so important we all make it our mission to build a bridge to the motherland. Let’s continue to uplift and build with our brothers and sisters. It’s what THEY fear the most… Strength in numbers. Love, your brother Diddy. See y’all soon! #BlackUnity#TWICEASTALL

Check out the tweet below:

The Nigerian megastar has had a fruitful year in 2019 with the release of his fourth studio album, African Giant, and this new LP only serves as another flawless victory in his book.

The album couldn’t have came at a better time than now as this seems like the most fitting time to release new music.

If you’re one of the individuals that has slept on Burna Boy over the years, now would be the ideal time to join the party.

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To shed a little light on Burna Boy’s talent, one of his biggest fans is none other than Beyonce. The legendary entertainer featured a solo record from him (“JA ARA E”) on her latest effort The Lion King: The Gift. If you get a solo feature on a Beyonce project, that’s for sure an automatic win.

Burna Boy definitely has a classic on his hands with Twice As Tall not only because the music is that damn good, but it is executive produced by legendary music mogul and REVOLT’s Chairman Sean “Diddy” Combs — the ultimate cheat code.

Diddy brought in the likes of Anderson Paak and Timbaland to work on the album, providing drums and production for tracks “Alarm Clock” and “Wetin Dey Sup” respectively.

Regarding the album and Burna Boy’s aspirations, here’s what Diddy had to say:

He, as every artist, he wants his music to be heard by the world — He doesn’t care about crossing over. You know, he’s not trying to get hot. He’s not, like, ‘I want to be a big pop star’ — he’s already a star. He wants his music to be heard, his message, his people.

This cohesive body of work will certainly go down as one of Burna Boy’s best so tap in below!

In an interview with The New York Times, the Nigerian recording artist spoke about the LP, which is set to be released on Aug. 13.

“I’ve never picked up a pen and paper and written down a song in my life,” he said. “It all just comes, like someone is standing there and telling me what to say. It’s all according to the spirits. Some of us are put on this earth to do what we do.”

For his new LP, Burna Boy said that he is “continuing the mission I started, which is building a bridge that leads every Black person in the world to come together, and to make you understand that without you having a home base, you can’t be as strong as you are.”

Burna Boy is “Wonderful” in new visual

Most of the album was recorded during the pandemic.

Burna Boy and Diddy managed to collaborate over an eight-hour time difference via file transfers and Zoom calls.

Diddy was able to create voice-over intros for some of the tracks and added musical and contributions from artists such as Anderson .Paak and Timbaland.

“I’m on record that I like hit records. If they’re not hit records, I don’t like them,” Diddy said.

“A lot of times when an artist wants to be coached or pushed to maybe a greater level, that’s where I’ve come in.”

He continued, “He, as every artist, he wants his music to be heard by the world. He doesn’t care about crossing over. You know, he’s not trying to get hot. He’s not, like, ‘I want to be a big pop star’ — he’s already a star. He wants his music to be heard, his message, his people.”

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Almost 80 percent of the album was completed before Diddy was brought in to provide “fresh ears” to the project. The mega-producer says the LP is “a modern but pure, unapologetic African body of work.”

“The thing that I learned about him is the importance of what he’s doing for his nation and representing the people that aren’t really heard globally,” he said.

“Through this album, I think it’s important for Africa to be heard. And so it’s bigger than just an album. He’s not just on a musical artist trip. He’s a revolutionary. His conviction is serious.”

Make sure you check out Twice As Tall on all streaming platforms on Aug. 13.

In a video, sighted by Adomonline.com, the ‘Killin Dem’ musician explained how the lockdown principle had been affecting the less-privileged in Nigeria.

He added that, relief items weren’t given to citizens unlike other parts of the world where the governments support their citizens.

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Aside the Coronavirus discussion, the duo danced together through a music-sync which was being hosted by P. Diddy.

Diddy went live on Instagram over the weekend in a show dubbed Diddy-Dance-A-Thon where he interviewed many celebs across the globe to raise funds for frontline health-care workers.

According to reports, he ended up with over $4 million US Dollars for the Covid-19 cause.

Watch videos of their interaction below:

He hosted many top celebrities including Nigeria’s Tiwa Savage.

The duo talked about music and most especially the Covid-19, affecting many across the globe, where Diddy ended up raising about four million dollars from the stars to help the less- privileged.

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“All the money is going to the underserved communities,” Diddy affirmed.

Cardi B, Offset, Drake, Tracee Ellis Ross, 2 Chainz, Megan Thee Stallion, Michelle Obama, Naomi Campbell, Justin Bieber and more pulled up to help the cause.

Watch Diddy interact with Tiwa Savage below:

In an Instagram video he shared his excitement about the induction.

He said, “Whew! Ayo I wanna share this special moment, special announcement with y’all. Biggie you did it! You did it motherf**ker! Yeah! The Notorious BIG is going to be inducted into the rock and roll muthaf**king hall of fame. What the f**k! What the f**k! Love! We miss you king. New York stand up! Brooklyn, yeah!” While Diddy was screaming into the camera, he had Biggie’s hit record “Juicy” playing in the background.

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Celebrities hit up Diddy’s comments to show love to the news of Biggie getting inducted. A$AP Rocky posted emojis and T.I. posted four crown emojis.

Earlier today (Jan. 15), Biggie’s mom Viola Wallace also shared her excitement about the induction on Instagram. She wrote, “Brooklyn we did it!!! This is so long overdue,” she wrote. “Thank you to everyone that helped make this happen for Christopher. Love you all.”

Artists are eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their debut record. Biggie’s first studio album Ready to Die came outin 1994. He became eligible for induction last year. The “Big Poppa” rapper was nominated back in October alongside Dave Matthews Band, Pat Benatar, Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Judas Priest, MC5, Motörhead, Nine Inch Nails, Rufus featuring Chaka Khan, Todd Rundgren, Soundgarden, T. Rex and Thin Lizzy.

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This May, Biggie will be joined by the late Whitney Houston and rock bands Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T-Rex.

The 35th annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on May 2 at the Public Auditorium in Cleveland. The showing will be televised live for the first time on HBO at 8 p.m. EST. Tickets for the induction ceremony go on sale Feb. 27. The performers for the event have not yet been announced.