Emotions ran high outside a New York courthouse Wednesday following the verdicts in the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial, as supporters and detractors clashed over the outcome.
While some argued that the rap mogul should have been convicted on more serious charges beyond the two lesser counts, their voices were largely countered by a throng of pro-Diddy influencers and fans.
The latter group chanted slogans like “Free Diddy” and “Let him go,” and celebrated by spraying each other with baby oil.
The jury’s split decision was perceived by some as a more favorable outcome for Combs than anticipated.
However, he continues to face significant potential jail time and a multitude of civil legal actions. Furthermore, the allegations and revelations that have surfaced in recent months, coupled with the convictions, have indelibly tarnished his reputation.
Despite these setbacks, some observers speculate that Combs may attempt a career resurgence.
As a songwriter, rapper, producer, and record label executive, Combs – formerly known as Puff Daddy – was a pivotal figure in shaping hip-hop and R&B during the 1990s.
He launched the careers of artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige, signed acts such as Faith Evans, 112, Mase, and Janelle Monáe to his Bad Boy Records label, and collaborated with prominent figures including Mariah Carey, Usher, and Busta Rhymes.
Combs has won three Grammy Awards and achieved his greatest pop success with “I’ll Be Missing You” in 1997, a tribute to B.I.G. sampling The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” following the rapper’s murder.
According to Los Angeles Times music writer August Brown, Combs “was one of the most famous people in hip-hop.”
“He was an incredibly important figure in evolving both that genre and the music industry as a whole into a commercial juggernaut.”
Like many at the height of the music industry, he was known for throwing lavish parties. However, the legal proceedings unveiled disturbing details, exposing a darker aspect of his life.
These events, described as “freak offs,” involved sexual encounters in hotels, lasting for days, with multiple male escorts, routine violence, and the extensive use of drugs and baby oil.
The jury was tasked with determining whether these activities constituted a criminal enterprise aimed at coercing the alleged victims into sexual acts against their will, or whether, as Combs maintained, the women participated willingly.
The defense argued that these orgies were “kinky” but consensual, and that organizing them did not constitute a crime.
Ultimately, the jury sided with the defense, acquitting Combs of the most serious charge of racketeering conspiracy, as well as two counts of sex trafficking.
“The jury was just unpersuaded that what amounted to an extremely baroque and violent and drug-stoked sex life on Diddy’s behalf amounted to a criminal organisation on the racketeering charge, or trafficking in the way that we understand it now,” Mr Brown told the BBC World Service.
“This isn’t to say that it wasn’t possible, but they just didn’t think it rose to ‘beyond a shadow of a doubt’.”
However, Combs was convicted on two counts of transporting two former girlfriends, including singer Cassie, to participate in sex acts and prostitution.
He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison for each charge at his sentencing in October. However, the actual sentences are likely to be less than the maximum and may run concurrently, with credit for time already served. It is therefore conceivable that he could be released within several years.
While his supporters may be waiting, Mr. Brown believes that most people will be reluctant to accept a comeback.
“I cannot imagine any kind of redemption arc as far as him [remaining] as an artist or a music mogul in light of this.
“I think the public will remember him as an important figure whose name is now permanently associated with this very-difficult-to-process range of charges, even if he’s not been convicted on the worst of it.”
Alvin Blanco, content director of Hiphopwired.com, concurs that Combs’ reputation is too damaged for a successful comeback. “He’s definitely going to try, but I think the damage is just too irreparable at this point.”
Mark Anthony Neal, professor of African American Studies at Duke University in North Carolina, also believes there’s “no doubt” the revelations have tarnished Combs’ legacy as the man who helped take hip-hop “from the ghettos to the mainstream of America to the global mainstream”.
However, according to Jem Aswad, executive editor of music at Variety, his influence on music had waned even prior to the allegations.
“He doesn’t really have much of a music career any more, and he hasn’t for about 15 years,” Mr Aswad told BBC News.
“It’s not that he was unpopular, although he wasn’t enormously popular recently – he just moved on to other businesses. He got into beverages, he got into apparel, he got into lots of other businesses.
“Anything he did in music over the last 15 years was almost just for fun. I think he’s released two, maybe three albums in that time period, and they just did OK, and frankly they just were OK.”
However, his brand remained strong. His most recent LP, “The Love Album: Off The Grid,” received a Grammy Award nomination in 2024. In the preceding year, he was honored with the Global Icon award at the MTV Awards.
And he wouldn’t be the first celebrity to maintain a following despite facing allegations.
Despite being acquitted of child abuse charges in 2005, persuasive allegations about Michael Jackson have persisted, leaving many grappling with reconciling these claims with the brilliance of his musical legacy.
R&B artist R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2022 for racketeering and sex trafficking, yet he still boasts five million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Some figures in hip-hop may be amenable to working with Combs. Kanye West recently released a track titled “Diddy Free,” though Kanye himself is ostracized by large portions of the industry due to antisemitic and Nazi remarks.
Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, host of the BBC’s Diddy on Trial podcast, has observed the support outside the courthouse and suggests a potential path to redemption.
“We’ll see what happens with his career after this,” she told the BBC’s Newscast.
“I feel like he will be able to reclaim a top spot in hip-hop just because of the sheer amount of support we’ve seen online and here at the courthouse from his fans, and from people who feel he was being unjustly targeted by the federal government.
“He won’t be the first musician to be a convicted criminal who carries on having a music career, especially in hip-hop.”
However, for many, the details of the case will likely remain a lasting impression.
Angela Star, a content creator present outside the courthouse on Wednesday, told BBC News that “his image is tainted, and when you think of Diddy now, you think of…” before raising a bottle of baby oil to illustrate her point.
Get all the latest post-trial updates on the BBC Sounds Diddy on Trial podcast available wherever you get your BBC podcasts.
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