Once hip hop’s flashy impresario credited with commercializing the genre, Sean "Diddy” Combs has seen his star plunge as he faces a series of sex trafficking accusations and assault lawsuits. The music mogul’s arrest in New York on Monday follows a raid in March by armed federal agents on his luxury properties in Miami and Los Angeles that had suggested an investigation into him was underway. Details of the charges against Combs are expected to be revealed Tuesday.
The arrest and heavily publicized raid on his homes mark a rapid downfall for the powerful mogul who in recent years has vied to rebrand as "Brother Love.” The 54-year-old founded the Bad Boy record label in 1993, with proteges including the late Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige, and is credited with ushering hip hop into the mainstream. Over the decades the artist, who’s gone by various monikers including Puff Daddy and P Diddy, amassed vast wealth not least due to his ventures in the liquor industry.
But despite his efforts to cultivate an image of a smooth party kingpin and business magnate, multiple lawsuits describe Combs as a violent man who used his celebrity to prey on his victims. He has no major convictions but has long been trailed by allegations of physical assault, dating back well into the 1990s.
Late last year the floodgates opened after singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, alleged Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs as well as a 2018 rape. The pair met when Ventura was 19 and he was 37, after which he signed her to his label and they began a romantic relationship.
The bombshell suit was quickly settled out of court, but a string of similarly lurid sexual assault claims followed—including one in December by a woman who alleged Combs and others gang-raped her when she was 17. Disturbing hotel surveillance video then emerged in May showing Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Ventura in 2016, corroborating allegations she made in the now-settled case.
Combs apologized after the video surfaced, calling his behavior "inexcusable” and saying he "sought out professional help” after the incident. The rapper is also facing a string of civil lawsuits that characterize him as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims. He has previously vehemently rejected the allegations, saying accusers were "looking for a quick payday.”
Dark shadow over global fame
Born Sean John Combs on November 4, 1969, in Harlem, the artist entered the industry as an intern in 1990 at Uptown Records where he eventually became a talent director. He gained a reputation as a party planner, which would be central to his brand as his fame rose. In 1991 he promoted a celebrity basketball game and concert at the City College of New York that left nine people dead after a stampede. The event was over capacity by the thousands and resulted in a string of lawsuits, with Combs blamed for hiring inadequate security.
He was fired from Uptown, and founded his own label, Bad Boy Records. Thus began a quick ascent to the top of East Coast hip hop. His disciple The Notorious B.I.G. became hip hop’s king following the release of his landmark debut album "Ready to Die” in 1994, up until his shock murder in 1997. Combs boasted a number of major signed acts and production collaborations with the likes of Blige, Usher, Lil’ Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. He was also a Grammy-winning rapper in his own right, debuting with the chart-topping single "Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” and his album "No Way Out.”
The single "I’ll Be Missing You” was a tribute to Biggie and an instant hit, with other major tracks including "It’s All About The Benjamins” and "Been Around the World.” He built an image as a brash hustler with unapologetic swagger, a major producer who also ventured into Hollywood, reality television and fashion and had high-profile romantic links with the likes of Jennifer Lopez. For more than a decade beginning in 1998, his lavish White Parties were the toast of the pop culture party circuit. In recent years he legally changed his middle name to Love, released "The Love Album: Off the Grid,” endeavored further into philanthropy and did a media blitz casting himself as a wiser man in his "Love Era.”—AFP