‘Everyone knew’: Sean Combs was another monster that the music business (and listeners) tolerated
Sean “Diddy” Combs, the mogul and founder of Bad Boy Records, was arrested Tuesday in Manhattan on federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Content warning: discussion of sexual abuse
He subsequently pleaded not guilty to, as the Associated Press wrote, “presiding over a sordid empire of sexual crimes, coercing and abusing women for years while using blackmail and shocking acts of violence to keep his victims in line.” If convicted, Combs faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison.
His arrest marks a near-culmination of an increasingly predictable fall from grace. It puts a spotlight on decades of alleged abuse that the industry seemingly tolerated since his arrival.
Combs’ animated lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, proclaimed his client’s innocence to TMZ and said he would “fight like hell” to free his client on bail. However, according to the indictment and a mountain of previous reports and rumors, Combs’ alleged and filmed behavior indicates that of an abuser given pass after pass for decades.
What happened this time?
The current indictment against Combs, which was unsealed Tuesday, details a disturbing (and long-rumored) trend of a powerful and unhinged man allegedly using his considerable influence and wealth to exploit and abuse numerous women.
“Mr. Combs physically and sexually abused victims for decades. He used the vast resources of his company to facilitate his abuse and cover up his crimes. Simply put, he is a serial abuser and a serial obstructor,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said.
Prosecutors allege Combs ran what amounted to a criminal enterprise that engaged in sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, drug offenses, and obstruction of justice. The indictment further describes how Combs and various associates allegedly coerced women into participating in drug-fueled sexual encounters called “Freak Offs,” which Combs would often record without consent.
Prosecutors say they’ve interviewed more than 50 victims and witnesses and had access to financial, travel, billing records, electronic data, and communications. The feds also claim to have videos of alleged assaults to establish their case. This week, the detail that took off on social media has been the discovery of over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant. Not so funny is the finding of AR-15-style weapons with scratched-off serial numbers.
The arrest comes six months after Combs’ homes in California and Florida were raided by federal agents with U.S. Homeland Security on March 25. He was recently hit with a $100 million default judgment in a sexual assault civil case. Combs failed to appear in court in a case accusing him of a crime that dates back to 1997.
Per a CNN report, Combs was denied bail by the court, as “prosecutors argued the music mogul should not be released because he had previously reached out to witnesses and victims.”
The many allegations against Combs
Combs’ conduct has been a topic within the knowledgeable hip-hop community for at least two decades. The loud whispers about his alleged misconduct have always existed but until recently, very few were willing to speak out publicly. Former employees and associates have described a culture of fear and intimidation surrounding Combs, with many afraid to speak out due to his power in the music industry.
It would probably be best to list a rundown of malfeasance by Combs to show the depth and scope, as numerous women have come forward with similar allegations, including claims of rape, sexual assault, and the non-consensual recording and distribution of sexual encounters.
There have been numerous similar allegations, and these exist on top of the infamous physical confrontations with men, including record executive Steve Stoute and rappers Drake and J. Cole. However, we will focus on several allegations to understand how long Combs’ alleged behavior has stretched.
- In November 2023, Combs’ former partner and singer Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit accusing him of rape, physical abuse, and sex trafficking throughout their relationship from 2005 to 2018. The suit was settled out of court, but a video detailing his abuse toward Ventura found its way to CNN in May.
- Model Crystal McKinney says Combs sexually assaulted her in February 2003 after a Sean John fashion show after pressuring her to smoke a “laced” joint and then forcing her to perform oral sex.
- Two sources claimed Clobs physically abused his long-time partner, Kim Porter (see video above).
- Liza Gardner alleges that in 1990 or 1991 when she was 16, Combs and singer Aaron Hall sexually assaulted her and a friend. She says Combs choked her until she nearly passed out.
- Joi Dickerson-Neal claims Combs drugged and sexually assaulted her when she was a college student. She also says he filmed the crime and showed the footage to others.
- Multiple women who attended Howard University with Combs during the late ’80s reported incidents of controlling behavior and rage—including allegedly attacking his girlfriend outside a dorm.
The complicity of the music industry and adjacent parties
These events have highlighted the depth of Comb’s alleged crimes and the music industry’s long-running and accepted collusion in enabling figures. However, to stop at the abuses alone would be to miss the more significant points.
As it relates specifically to Combs, a solid assessment was made by journalist and podcaster Bomani Jones. On his podcast, The Right Time with Bomani Jones, it appears that the federal government sees Combs’s operation as a primary business, if not the primary one (in terms of attention) within his minor empire.
In the end, financial gain (for Combs and anyone who stood to gain) appeared to be paramount over the safety and well-being of artists and employees—especially women. No matter the situation, Combs regularly insulated himself from consequences despite rumors. He could even extend his power beyond Bad Boy Records and use his influence to “blackball” anyone who crossed him.
Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and a constant threat of legal action were standard tools to silence victims and witnesses within his orbit. As Aubrey O’Day of Danity Kane stated, “You signed a million NDAs and a million contracts that took away your rights.”
But what must be understood is that Combs’ actions were broadly accepted by everyone except his victims—from his partnerships, distribution/parent companies doing business with Bad Boy, and the media. For example, Diageo continued business with him to promote DeLeón tequila until 2024. After serious allegations surfaced, BET presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
Before the last few years, the major news (and music-centric) outlets regularly glossed over his allegations. No one or any brand/company of consequence whatsoever took any action until it was clear, from their point of view, that he could not keep his house in order. It was the calculated risk to their businesses that eventually forced his partners to push him away, not that a dozen allegations were present. As soon as the math stopped mathing, only then did they stop the relationship. Even further people continued to consume his content on Revolt, to drink DeLeón wherever it could be imbibed.
The fact is that behavior—not only Combs’ alleged proclivities but also those of his numerous partners over the years—has been part and parcel of operations. Combs (and others) could not have gone on this long without a profoundly ingrained two-headed culture of institutionalized harm and silence. The music industry is an inherently predatory business and almost always has been. The abuse of women and other vulnerable individuals is part of a larger continuum of exploitation that includes unfair financial practices—routinely manipulating artists financially through unfair contracts and royalty structures.
It comes down to the extreme power imbalances that have been accepted and normalized for decades, and at least since there was a record industry.
Combs’ overdue comeuppance possibly represents a potential turning point for the music industry to move toward a new future. Perhaps the case encourages victims to come forward, not just in relation to Combs, but throughout the broad entertainment industry.
Ultimately, what is necessary is for the onus to be thrown at the feet of the power brokers to push the industry through a corrective reckoning that will prevent the things that happened to Cassie Ventura and so many others from ever occurring.
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