Diddy’s recent arrest for alleged racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking has created a witch hunt in the music industry. Celebrities and fans have been speaking up about who else could potentially be involved or aware of all that went on with the Bad Boy co-founder. Suge Knight recently claimed several notable people like JAY-Z and Dr. Dre were privy to Puff’s crimes.
The former Death Row Records CEO spoke with Chris Cuomo of News Nation and clarified that he “does not jump up and down and cheer for no Black man going to prison.” Knight acknowledged that though some people do deserve to serve time in prison for their crimes, it is not always the answer and it can cause difficulties for those with kids and families.
Though he did have this empathetic approach, he also held no punches and called out several rappers who had been silent. “Facts is there,” he said. “Where we’re at now, I don’t care if it’s T.I., I don’t care if it’s Rick Ross, I don’t care if it’s [JAY-Z] […] I don’t care if it’s [Snoop Dogg], I don’t care if it’s [The Game], I don’t care if it’s [Dr. Dre]. Nobody stepping up on the fact that you know what’s going on.”
Suge Knight also directed his energy at some major powers within the music industry, some of whom have their own public skeletons such as Russell Simmons, Clive Davis, and Jimmy Iovine. Knight claimed that Diddy was taught this behavior by “people before him,” which supports claims made by the former REVOLT chairman’s ex-security guard Gene Deal in a conversation he had with The Art Of Dialogue.
“You gotta realize, he learned from Andre Harrell,” Deal claimed. “He learned from Russell Simmons. He learned from Clive Davis. […] When those people are telling you that they were heavy into the drugs […] They was heavy into beating women, and doing things at that crazy stage. That’s gonna make him think that he can get away with the same thing.”
Deal specifically stated that he refused to use the word “alleged” in his claims because he witnessed these behaviors firsthand. “It can make [a] man into a monster, and that’s what it did,” Deal asserted.
Diddy is currently in prison awaiting trial after being denied bail twice. He was arrested in New York City last week and was intentionally in his hometown to cooperate with authorities, per a statement from his lawyer Marc Agnifilo. Despite not running from his inevitable arrest, both the former Making The Band star and his legal team maintain that he is innocent.
“We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. attorney’s office. 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,” Agnifolo stated. “He is an imperfect person, but he is not a criminal […] Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.”