From controversial business practices to serious allegations, we're diving deep into the most troubling aspects of this hip-hop mogul's life and career. Warning: This video contains sensitive content and disturbing details that some viewers may find unsettling.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I felt like I was in the presence of his monster inside.
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most unsettling,
00:07controversial, and shocking aspects of Sean Diddy Combs' personal and professional life.
00:12Warning, certain information contains distressing details.
00:15Drug-fueled sex parties for his own twisted enjoyment.
00:20Number 10, his father was killed.
00:23My father's name is Melvin Combs.
00:26Like I said, he was a very stylish dresser.
00:28The ladies loved him. His whole everything was real meticulous.
00:32Long before fame, Diddy was raised by his mother Janice,
00:35and had little knowledge of his father Melvin Earl Combs.
00:38A U.S. Air Force veteran, Melvin was said to have died in a car accident,
00:42or so his mother told him.
00:43However, as Diddy got older and began digging into his past, he discovered the truth.
00:48His dad had been a dealer connected to the infamous crime boss Frank Lucas.
00:52The truth is, in 1972, Melvin was shot and killed in his car at the age of 33,
00:57reportedly in a hit.
00:59The violent world his father was part of undoubtedly cast a long shadow over Diddy's early life.
01:04It was like a sigh of relief, you know what I'm saying?
01:06Because I finally knew that what I was feeling was true, you know what I'm saying?
01:09That I was a son of a hustler or a gangster.
01:12Number 9, nightclub shooting.
01:14In December 1999, Diddy, then known the world over as Puff Daddy,
01:18was involved in a high-profile nightclub shooting in Manhattan.
01:21After a scuffle inside Club New York, gunshots rang out, injuring three people.
01:26I mean, it's been like a year and a half.
01:27It was like a year and a half with this.
01:29Diddy fled the scene with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, his bodyguard, and protege Shine.
01:34Shine, who was signed to Bad Boy Records at the time,
01:37was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the incident.
01:41This is someone who destroyed my life.
01:43However, he would go on to accuse Diddy of, quote,
01:46ruining his life, claiming the music mogul turned on him by having witnesses testify against him,
01:51leading to his imprisonment.
01:53I was defending him, and he turned around and called witnesses to testify against me,
02:01and he contributed.
02:03He pretty much sent me to prison.
02:05Number 8, mistreatment of artists.
02:11Diddy's track record with artists on Bad Boy Records is infamous, for the wrong reasons.
02:16Many musicians have criticized Combs for exploitative contracts and poor management.
02:20Mace would publicly accuse Diddy of cheating him with a $20,000 publishing deal and withholding
02:26royalties.
02:37However, Combs asserted that Mace owed him $3 million.
02:40Diddy would eventually return publishing rights to Mace and several other artists in 2023.
02:59Meanwhile, Aubrey O'Day, a member of the girl group Danity Kane,
03:02has pointed to a toxic environment at Bad Boy Records,
03:06and has criticized Diddy's boot camp management style.
03:09While Diddy helped many artists rise to fame,
03:11his methods have been called into serious question.
03:14Number 7, Sean John and Sweatshop Labor.
03:17Diddy, the new collection is great.
03:19You can call me Sean, Harold.
03:20Okay, Sean.
03:22Matter of fact, you can call me Sean John.
03:24In 2003, Diddy's fashion label Sean John came under fire after a National Labor Committee
03:29investigation found sweatshop-like conditions at a factory in Honduras.
03:33Workers reportedly endured inhumane conditions, wage theft, tainted beverages, and non-negotiable
03:39body searches, all while producing clothes for Diddy's multi-million dollar brand.
03:44It's also said women were subjected to mandatory pregnancy tests and faced termination if the
03:49results were positive.
03:51Don't stop now, baby.
03:52Despite the controversy, Sean John's reputation remained largely unaffected.
03:56This has been a partnership of over 13 years that is constantly and still evolving.
04:03In fact, the brand received the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year Award.
04:08However, in 2023, Macy's announced plans to discontinue the line.
04:13Number 6, Bitter Feuds.
04:15From 50 Cent to Suge Knight, Diddy's list of enemies runs deep,
04:19and some feuds have taken a rather dark turn.
04:21Combs' beef with Wendy Williams escalated when he allegedly sent the girl group Total to
04:26jump Williams at her offices.
04:27He was later said to have had a hand in her firing.
04:30In a more chilling claim, Diddy's ex Cassie alleges Diddy was so furious about her dating
04:35Kid Cuddy in 2012 that he threatened to blow up the rapper's car, saying he wanted to make
04:40sure Cuddy and his friends would be home at the time.
04:43Not long after, Cuddy's car reportedly exploded in his driveway.
04:46In 2012, Cassie alleges that Combs was so enraged over her dating Cuddy that he blew up Cuddy's car.
04:55Through a spokesperson, the rapper, born Scott Miss Cuddy, told the New York Times,
04:59quote,
05:00Cassie says that this is when she truly realized what Diddy was, quote,
05:05And Wendy, who's long been critical of the disgraced rapper throughout her career,
05:14and on her self-titled show,
05:15I think that he's, like, leading this Playboy lifestyle.
05:19is now sharing her relief to learn of his indictment.
05:23Number 5.
05:24White Parties
05:25Diddy's legendary white parties were once the pinnacle of celebrity culture.
05:29Organized and hosted by Combs starting in the late 1990s,
05:32White parties were lavish events particularly known for their exclusive guest lists.
05:37However, disturbing allegations have since emerged about the events.
05:41Another woman is accusing Sean Diddy Combs of sexual assault in a lawsuit.
05:46Adria English, an exotic dancer and adult film performer, has sued Diddy,
05:50claiming he instructed her to wear a black dress to signal she was available for intimate encounters.
05:55She alleges she was also plied with illegal substances and used as a, quote,
05:59sexual pawn.
06:00Adria English says she worked for Combs from 2004 to 2009.
06:05In the complaint, she accuses Combs and other defendants of using her as, quote,
06:10a sexual pawn.
06:11Recording artist Jay Blaze once recalled feeling uneasy after witnessing inebriated men mistreating models in the pool.
06:18These and other allegations of gross misconduct have reignited scrutiny of Diddy's white parties.
06:23Number 4.
06:24Tupac's Death Conspiracies
06:25In September 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas,
06:31dying from his injuries nearly a week later.
06:33Shakur was shot four times after leaving the Mike Tyson boxing match in Las Vegas.
06:37The now infamous case has sparked countless conspiracy theories,
06:41with former LAPD detective Greg Kading claiming Diddy paid gang member Dwayne Keefy D. Davis $1 million to kill Shakur and manager Suge Knight.
06:49While Knight survived, Kading suggested Biggie's murder six months later was an act of retaliation.
07:00Diddy dismissed the allegations as, quote,
07:02Tupac Shakur's family is still seeking answers about the prolific rapper's 1996 murder, however,
07:09and have hired attorney Alex Spiro to investigate any possible connection to Sean Diddy Combs.
07:14The family of late rapper Tupac Shakur has hired a team of investigators to look into what they say is a link between Sean Diddy Combs
07:22and the murder of the hip-hop star in 1996.
07:26Number 3.
07:27A History of Violent Behavior
07:29Diddy's long history of alleged violence is well-documented,
07:36ranging from threatening business partner Kirk Burroughs with a baseball bat
07:39to punching Nas' manager Steve Stout,
07:42assaulting partygoer Gerard Riknitzer outside a nightclub,
07:45attacking football coach Sal Alosi,
07:48and indecently harassing former chef Cindy Rueda.
07:51However, in the wake of his September 2024 arrest,
07:54legal action against Combs has intensified even more.
07:57Within weeks, over 100 new plaintiffs vowed to file lawsuits alleging abuse.
08:03Many are being represented by attorney Tony Busby,
08:05who has claimed that more than 3,000 individuals have come forward with allegations against Diddy.
08:11The biggest secret in the entertainment industry that really wasn't a secret at all
08:16has finally been revealed.
08:19Number 2.
08:20Cassie's Allegations
08:21After years in silence and darkness, she's finally ready to tell her story.
08:26In November 2023, singer Cassie, real name Cassandra Ventura,
08:30filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing Diddy of a decade-long pattern of abuse.
08:35Her suit claims that much of the time they were together,
08:37Combs plied her with copious amounts of illegal substances,
08:41which she alleges were used to control her.
08:43Furthermore, Ventura states that Diddy forced her to have relations with others in various cities.
08:48These encounters were supposedly viewed and recorded by Diddy himself.
08:52Ventura and Combs settled the lawsuit out of court,
08:55with Combs' lawyer assuring that the settlement is, quote,
08:58no way an admission of wrongdoing.
09:00However, Cassie's lawsuit is widely believed to have been the trigger for Diddy's federal indictment.
09:06We're going to begin tonight with the alarming images now emerging of Sean Diddy Combs.
09:09The new video obtained exclusively by CNN.
09:13Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
09:19You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
09:22If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
09:28Number 1. Freak-Offs.
09:30They also uncovered videos of elaborately produced sex performances with multiple victims that Combs allegedly referred to as freak-offs.
09:39At the center of the current federal charges laid against Combs are so-called freak-off performance parties.
09:45Prosecutors describe these X-rated events as, quote,
09:47elaborate and produced performances featuring adult workers,
09:51which Combs allegedly organized, directed and recorded for his own gratification.
09:55He's accused of trafficking women and male sex workers to perform depraved freak-offs,
10:02drug-fueled sex parties for his own twisted enjoyment.
10:06Freak-offs, which often lasted several days, were held in secret.
10:10According to prosecutors, the items used in the freak-off gatherings included large quantities of illegal substances,
10:16quote,
10:17gallons of liquor, and other notable supplies such as baby oil and lubricants,
10:21which were allegedly, quote,
10:22essential for the event.
10:24It's also claimed that IV fluids were sometimes administered following the sessions
10:28to help Combs and others recover from the physical strain.
10:31He used the embarrassing and sensitive recordings he made of the freak-offs as collateral against the victims.
10:38What do you make of the disturbing details surrounding Sean Diddy Combs' personal and professional life?
10:43Share your thoughts in the comments below.
10:45The indictment alleges that Combs abused and exploited women and other people for years,
10:50and in a variety of ways.