If you grew up in the 90s, you may have been fond of Puff Daddy. Diddy fans wouldn’t be surprised to find him leaning into his self-proclaimed identity of “Bad Boy 4 Life.” And the rapper doesn’t just talk big talk; his proclivity for violence has landed him a number of assault charges throughout the decades.
Apart from violence, P. Diddy has also established a rather lecherous reputation. In the context of his music, he’s no different from any other rapper in spouting womanizing lyrics. But as it turns out, Diddy may have been taking his lustful motives many degrees too far. Lately, multiple accusations have been launched at the artist for sex-related crimes. Now, his properties are getting seized as part of the investigation. Let’s look at the legal troubles Puff is up against, and how he got there.
Meet Sean Combs
For those of you unfamiliar with Sean Love Combs, a.k.a. P. Diddy, he was a pretty influential figure in the music industry throughout the 90s. In 1993, he founded Bad Boy Entertainment, the record label that launched a number of other rap legends like The Notorious B.I.G. In 1997, Diddy released his debut album No Way Out under the name “Puff Daddy.” This album achieved massive success, topping the Billboard 200 chart and spawning hit singles like “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down.” He became the first hip-hop artist to replace himself at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his singles “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “I’ll Be Missing You.”
Diddy’s Notorious Past
Throughout his rise in the rap industry, though, Diddy faced a fair share of brushes with the law. In 1999, Diddy was charged with assaulting record exec Steve Stoute during an argument about a music video. He pleaded guilty to the lesser offense of harassment, for which he was sentenced to no prison time but instead only had to take a one-day anger management class.
The same year, Diddy and his then-girlfriend J.Lo were both arrested after an argument in a club turned violent and police found two guns in the rapper’s car. Lopez wasn’t charged, but her boyfriend was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. Diddy was eventually cleared of the charges, though he and J.Lo broke up in the aftermath.
Cassie’s Complaint Opens Floodgates
So, Diddy has mostly been lucky in evading convictions for most of his life—until potentially now. In the past year, more and more women have been coming forward about the rapper’s alleged sexual misdeeds.
Last November, for example, R&B artist Cassie (Casandra Ventura) filed a lawsuit against Diddy accusing him of rape, sexual abuse, and sex trafficking. She alleged that for years, the rapper beat her and used other forms of controlling behavior. She said that the physical encounters left her bloodied and bruised, and she would spend days recovering in hotel rooms out of the public eye. She also alleged that throughout those years, she was at various times forced to participate in sexual activities with male prostitutes as Diddy masturbated and recorded videos. Diddy denied the allegations, and just one day after Cassie filed the lawsuit, the two reached a settlement.
Sexual Allegations Mount
But in the wake of Cassie’s lawsuit and the surrounding publicity, other women from Diddy’s past seemed encouraged to come forward against the rapper, too.
Soon after, another woman (who chose to remain anonymous) filed a lawsuit in federal court against the rapper. She accused Diddy of a sex crime in 2003 when she was only 17. In her complaint, she described meeting Diddy and a couple of his associates in a Detroit lounge, from where they took her to New York in a private plane. She said that they gave her lots of drug and alcohol, and then took turns raping her in the studio bathroom while she was only conscious part of the time.
Oh, and notably: the attorney for this anonymous woman also represented Cassie in her lawsuit against Diddy. While the second, anonymous case is still pending, the judge has ruled that the woman must disclose her identity if she wishes to proceed.
Investigations Intensify
These are just a couple of the several sexual charges and allegations against the notorious Daddy. But as a result, the feds have stepped in to investigate what may be a larger sex trafficking scheme against the hip-hop mogul. The Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agents in multiple cities — New York, LA, and Miami — have launched an investigation.
Many of the details are not public, and it’s not clear whether P. Diddy himself is at the center of the investigation. But in any case, two different properties belonging to Diddy were searched this week as a part of the investigation. The rapper’s Holmby Hills, CA, house now sports a police line around it. We’ll have to wait and see what the investigations turn up, but for now, Diddy and his attorneys should have plenty to keep them occupied.
Related Resources
Rhymes and Reason: Lyrics as Evidence in Young Thug Trial (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)
Is Being a Rapper Evidence of a Crime? (FindLaw’s Don’t Judge Me podcast)
Can Rap Lyrics Get You Arrested? (FindLaw’s Law and Daily Life)
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