Since rising to fame in the ‘90s, Jay Z and P Diddy’s relationship has spanned from industry rivals to collaborators to friends. Now, the music mogul duo is facing a joint legal battle.
Finding fame through their respective music careers, Jay Z, born Shawn Carter, and Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs crossed paths on several projects in the early days of their work. Diddy had established himself within the industry by 1993 with his record label Bad Bay Entertainment, and three years later featured on the track ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’, which appeared on Jay Z’s debut album, Reasonable Doubt.
A year later, Combs released his own debut album under the stage name Puff Daddy titled No Way Out, which featured another collaboration track with Jay Z, ‘Young G’s’. The rappers’ working relationship only further grew from there.
In 1999, both Jay Z and P Diddy narrowly avoided jail time, for separate offences. Jay Z was embroiled in the stabbing of Lance “Un” Rivera at the Kit Kat Club and received three-years’ probation for third-degree assault. However, Riviera confirmed some two decades later it wasn’t Jay Z who stabbed him.
Meanwhile, Diddy received a three-year probation for fleeing the scene of a nightclub shooting with Jennifer Lopez.
In the years that followed Jay Z and P Diddy were frequently photographed together at both professional and social events. In 2005, both rappers donated $1million to Hurricane Katrina relief following the devastation the weather event caused in New Orleans.
“This is our community. When I turn on CNN, I see a lot of black people on the streets. I know it’s other people too, but those projects have been hit hard,” Carter said in a statement to the Associated Press.
Diddy and Jay Z then appeared together, alongside 50 Cent and Kanye West, for hip hop festival Screamfest in 2007. Despite appearing on stage together, 50 Cent (real name, Curtis James Jackson III) and P Diddy have since been caught up in a growing feud, culminating in Jackson working on a documentary about the allegations, titled Diddy Do It?
Two years later, Diddy made a rare comment about his friendship with Jay Z when asked about a viral photo of the pair at one of his infamous parties.
“I was just telling him how much I appreciated it and how much I value our friendship. People see us as competitors and different icons in the hip hop game but that was just a moment of two Black brothers telling each other how much they appreciate each other,” he said.
In 2020 at a Black Billionare brunch hosted by Jay Z’s label, RocNation, Diddy gave an emotive speech.
“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,” he said as Jay Z nodded along.
Jump forward to 2024, Jay Z has seemingly distanced himself from Diddy following the federal charges laid against him for sex trafficking and racketeering. In the lead up to Combs’ trial on May 5, several civil lawsuits have also been brought forward, including one against both Jay Z and Diddy.
The lawsuit accuses both Carter and Combs of sexual assault pertaining to the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl in 2000 at an afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards. Both Combs and Carter have vehemently denied the claims.
Did Jay Z Attend P Diddy’s Parties?
Jay Z has been photographed at several of P Diddy’s parties throughout the years, including Combs’ Fourth Of July Party in 2000, his surprise 35th birthday party in 2004 and his 39th birthday in 2008.
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