“Horrible” accusations have hip-hop titans buzzing!

Hip-hop legends Diddy and Jay-Z are admired. The two rappers are friends and rose to prominence in the 1990s. The couple faces new charges after serving time for separate actions in 1999. In 2024, a woman accused the rappers of raping her during from a house party in 2000, when she was 13.

Jay, real name Shawn Carter, and Combs deny the accusations. Jay rose to fame in 1996 after his debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.” Combs was a recording mogul at the time. His first solo hit, “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down”, was a success. Notorious BIG, signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records, appeared on Jay’s 1996 debut album.

The New York rappers worked together on Combs’ debut album, “No Way Out,” and Jay’s second album, “In My Lifetime, Vol. 1,” released after Biggie’s death in March 1997.

Jay and Combs attended his star-studded 50th birthday celebration in 2019 and the Roc Nation Brunch, remaining close. Jay & Combs donated $1 million to the Hurricane Katrina charity during a telethon in September 2005. The rappers reunited when DJ Khaled earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in April 2022.

In 1999, the “Big Pimpin'” and “I Need a Girl” rappers encountered legal difficulties. Jay was accused of stabbing Lance “Un” Rivera during a fight at a Manhattan nightclub in December.

The Roc Nation Records founder was arrested on stabbing charges and released on $50,000 bail.

Jay initially pleaded not guilty, but admitted to third-degree assault while on three years of probation. In his 2010 autobiography “Decoded,” Jay said he violently assaulted Rivera but was not responsible for the stabbing.

Rivera told DJ Vlad in May 2023, “I don’t know where people stabbed me from because if anyone knows Jay-Z, Jay-Z is a nice guy.” During this time, Combs was involved in a nightclub shooting that left a woman shot in the face.

Revolt’s co-founder, his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, his artist Moses “Shyne” Barrow and his bodyguard Anthony “Wolf” Jones attended a party in Manhattan.

Combs got into a confrontation with a suspected drug dealer at the party, resulting in a shootout. A 9mm hollow-point bullet hit Natania Reuben in the middle of the eye, and she said she saw Combs shoot her in the face while she was in the line of fire.

Combs, Barrow, Jones and the “Selena” actress fled the shooting but were arrested by police after a short chase. Police have charged three men with possession of a stolen 9mm semi-automatic pistol. (Lopez was arrested and held in a cell for more than 12 hours but was never charged.)

After his acquittal, Combs settled legal disputes with Reuben and other victims of the nightclub incident. (Reuben reportedly received $1.8 million.) Barrow was convicted of assault and criminal possession of a firearm and sentenced to 10 years in prison, then deported to Belize.

In Barrow’s 2024 Hulu documentary “The Honorable Shyne,” the rapper-turned-politician called Combs a “fall guy” in trials and highlighted his harsh methods.

When Beyoncé was 19 in 2000, Jay started dating her.

“We were first friends for a year and a half before we dated,” 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 to us a relationship. Just having someone you love is so important and someone who is honest.

After leaving Destiny’s Child, the duo worked on Beyoncé’s 2003 solo debut, “Crazy In Love,” which launched her career. Combs and the Queen of Pop became good friends and collaborated on her 2003 single “Summertime.”

Jay and Combs seemed unstoppable in music after launching Bad Boy Records and Roc Nation. Both rappers topped Forbes’ Hip Hop Rich List in 2010.

Nine years later, Jay became the first millionaire rapper with $1 billion in alcohol, music and other businesses. In 2017, Forbes valued Combs at $820 million from his Diageo deal for Ciroc vodka, Revolt media, Aquahydrate alkaline water and DeLeon tequila.

Hip-hop wealth analyst Zack O’Malley Greenburg proclaimed him a millionaire in 2022. At the January 2020 Roc Nation Brunch, the men celebrated their profession.

“It’s 2020, y’all, and it’s different than 2016,” Combs said as Jay nodded. “The stakes have been raised. As you know, no expense has been spared. We’ve had a year of the black billionaire’s lunch, you understand, right? And we’re here together to stay together. We become closer and united we stand.

Jane Doe sued Combs and an unknown male celebrity in October 2024 for raping her at a house party in 2000 when she was 13. Two months later, the complaint added Jay as the celebrity who raped her. After drinking at the party, the woman felt “dizzy” and went to bed, according to the updated complaint acquired by Page Six.

The plaintiff then claimed that the Bad Boy Records founder and Jay entered the room and Jay began removing her clothes and holding her down while Combs raped her while an anonymous celebrity watched.

On December 8, 2024, Jay disputed the “heinous” rape accusations, claiming that the victim’s attorney, Tony Buzbee, was trying to “blackmail” him with the case.

“What Buzbee calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” he said. “No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to report you for the fraud you’re committing in a VERY public way. So no, I won’t give you A RED PENNY!!” by CBS.

Combs’ legal team told Page Six: “This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee expose his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: brazen publicity stunts, designed to extract payments to celebrities who fear lies are being spread. about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs. As his legal team has previously stated, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the legal process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Peignes I have never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone, man or woman, adult or minor. »

In September 2024, Combs was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation of prostitution. The “Act Bad” rapper has pleaded not guilty and will go to trial on May 5, 2025.

Several men and women sued Combs for raping, drugging, and/or sexually abusing them. Jay has not commented on his longtime friend’s alleged offenses.

Internet users reacted to these surprising accusations.

“Diddy and Jay-Z’s influence on music is undeniable, but these allegations are deeply disturbing,” one follower said.

“We cannot excuse horrible acts, no matter how successful a person is. #AccountabilityNow,” a second user wrote.

“Imagine being Beyoncé and having to deal with all this drama. Sending her love,” a third person commented.

“From legends to scandals, what a fall for Jay and Diddy,” another follower said.

“This trial will shape the history of hip-hop. The truth must prevail,” said a fifth user.

“Allegations like these cannot be ignored. If true, there must be consequences,” another person wrote.

Business Times has contacted Jay-Z and Diddy for comment.