Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jay-Z have long been lauded as hip-hop royalty.
The rappers rose to fame in the ’90s and have maintained a close friendship over the years.
After both beating jail time in 1999 for their involvement in separate crimes, the duo are now facing more legal allegations. In 2024, a woman accused the rap legends of raping her at a house party in 2000 when she was just 13 years old.
Both Combs and Jay, born Shawn Carter, have denied the allegations.
Keep scrolling to find out more about the rappers’ years-long friendship.
Their rise to fame and friendship
Jay rose to stardom in 1996 following the release of his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.”
At the time, Combs had already been established as a music mogul. However, he found success as a solo emcee with his debut single, “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down.”
Jay’s first album in 1996 featured the Notorious B.I.G., who was signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records label.
The New York-born rappers collaborated on Combs’ debut album, “No Way Out,” and Jay’s second album, “In My Lifetime, Vol. 1,” which was released following the March 1997 death of Biggie.
Over the years, Jay and Combs have remained close, attending events together such as the latter’s star-studded 50th birthday bash in 2019 and the former’s annual Roc Nation Brunch.
In September 2005, Jay and Combs jointly donated $1 million to the Hurricane Katrina relief fund during a telethon.
And in April 2022, the hip-hop stars hung out together when DJ Khaled was being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Legal issues in 1999
In 1999, the “Big Pimpin’” rapper and the “I Need a Girl” emcee both faced legal woes.
That December, Jay was arrested and charged with stabbing Lance “Un” Rivera during a heated argument in a Manhattan nightclub. The Roc Nation Records founder turned himself in to police for the stabbing and was placed under arrest before being released on $50,000 bail.
Jay initially pleaded not guilty, but later copped out to third-degree assault in exchange for three years probation.
In his 2010 book, “Decoded,” Jay spoke about the stabbing incident, admitting that he angrily approached Rivera, but wasn’t responsible for the stabbing.
In May 2023, Rivera said Jay was not the one who stabbed him, telling DJ Vlad: “I don’t know where people got Jay-Z stabbed me from because if anybody knows Jay-Z, Jay-Z’s a nice guy.”
Meanwhile, Combs was involved in a nightclub shooting that left one woman shot in the face.
At the time, the Revolt co-founder, his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, his artist Moses “Shyne” Barrow and his bodyguard Anthony “Wolf” Jones arrived at a party in Manhattan.
During the party, Combs got into a verbal argument with an alleged drug dealer that soon led to gunshots being fired.
Natania Reuben, the woman who was shot in the middle of her eyes with a 9mm hollow-point bullet, claimed she was in the line of fire when she saw Combs allegedly shoot her in the face.
After the shooting, Combs, Barrow, Jones and the “Selena” actress fled the scene but were pulled over by police after a short chase.
Cops found a stolen and loaded 9mm semiautomatic gun, and the three men were hit with a weapons possessions charge. (Lopez was arrested and held in a cell for more than 12 hours but never charged.)
Combs was acquitted of all charges against him and later settled civil suits with Reuben and other victims of the nightclub shooting. (Reuben reportedly received $1.8 million.)
However, Barrow was found guilty of several charges, including assault and criminal possession of a pistol, and sentenced to 10 years in prison and deportation back to Belize upon his release.
In Barrow’s 2024 Hulu documentary “The Honorable Shyne,” the rapper-turned-politician claimed all of Combs’ evil ways were “coming to light” and that he was the “fall guy” during the trial.
Jay-Z’s high-profile romance with Beyoncé
Jay began dating Beyoncé around 2000 when the “Cuff It” singer was only 19 years old.
“We were friends first for a year and a half before we went on any dates,” she said during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2013.
“We were on the phone for a year and a half, and that foundation is so important for a relationship. Just to have someone who you just like is so important, and someone [who] is honest.”
The couple collaborated on her debut single as a solo artist, “Crazy In Love,” which was released in 2003 and solidified Beyoncé’s career following her departure from Destiny’s Child.
The pop star also became close friends with Combs and collaborated with him on her 2003 hit “Summertime.”
Becoming hip-hop royalty
After they both launched their successful record labels, Bad Boy Records and Roc Nation, respectively, Jay and Combs seemed to be unstoppable in the music industry.
In 2010, the rappers both topped Forbes’ list of wealthiest hip-hop artists.
Nine years later, Jay became the first rapper billionaire, raking in a net worth of an estimated $1 billion with his alcohol companies, music catalog and other business ventures.
In 2017, Forbes reported Combs was worth $820 million from his deal with Diageo for Ciroc vodka, his media company, Revolt, the alkaline water brand Aquahydrate and the tequila DeLeon.
He was later declared a billionaire in 2022 by hip-hop wealth expert Zack O’Malley Greenburg.
At the January 2020 Roc Nation Brunch, the men toasted to their successful careers.
“It’s 2020, y’all, and it is different than when it was 2016,” Combs said as Jay nodded along.
“The game has been elevated. As you know, there has no expense been spared. We had a Black billionaire lunch year, understand, right? And, we’re here together in keeping staying together. We’re getting tighter, and united we stand.”
Rape lawsuit
In October 2024, Jane Doe filed a lawsuit, accusing Combs and an unnamed male celebrity of raping her at a house party in 2000 when she was only 13 years old.
Two months later, the plaintiff amended the suit to include Jay’s name as the male celebrity who also raped her.
According to the revised lawsuit obtained by Page Six, the woman alleged that she began to feel “woozy” after consuming a drink at the party and went to lie down in a bedroom.
Shortly after, the plaintiff claimed both the Bad Boy Records founder and Jay entered the room and the latter allegedly began to remove her clothing and held her down while Combs allegedly raped her as an unidentified female celebrity watched.
Jay vehemently denied the “heinous” rape allegations on December 8, 2024, writing in a statement that the victim’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, was trying to “blackmail” him with the lawsuit.
“What [Buzbee] had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” he told us. “No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”
In a statement to Page Six, Combs’ legal team said: “This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs.
“As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor.”
Sean Combs’ mounting legal issues
In September 2024, Combs was arrested and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The “Act Bad” rapper pleaded not guilty to the charges and his trial date is set for May 5, 2025.
Combs is also facing several lawsuits from men and women who claimed he raped, drugged and/or sexually abused them. He has denied all claims against him.
Jay has remained mum about his longtime pal’s alleged crimes.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
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