Entertainment
90s rap icons speak out on Diddy’s arrest as he remains behind bars-Emily Bashforth-Entertainment – Metro
The rapper is said to be on suicide watch.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs remains behind bars on a series of charges (Picture: Carl Timpone/BFA.com/REX/Shutter)
Rap stars LL Cool J and Flavor Flav have spoken out following Diddy’s arrest for a series of charges.
Earlier this week, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, 54, was arrested at a hotel in New York and later charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The music mogul has pleaded guilty and is currently remanded to Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center after being denied bail twice.
Addressing the situation, peers LL Cool J, 56 – real name James Todd Smith – and Flavor Flav, 65 – real name William Jonathan Drayton Jr. – were reluctant to go into any emotional detail.
They attended the Black Music Action Coalition gala in Los Angeles on Wednesday, just two days after Combs’ arrest and where stars including Usher were honoured.
Speaking to Sky News on the red carpet, LL Cool J was asked if he had any thoughts on Combs’ detainment or previous allegations, to which he replied: ‘No.’
The rapper has been denied bail twice (Picture: Reuters)
He added: ‘I feel for his children, the rest I can’t speak on, that’s what we’ve got a court system for. But I feel for his kids.’
Combs is a father to seven children: Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie, and Love.
He shares his brood with four different women, with his eldest being a 33-year-old son and youngest a one-year-old daughter.
When Flavor Flav was asked about the charges, he said: ‘You know what, I’mma tell you, when anybody asks me my opinion on Diddy, you know what my opinion is? I have none.
‘I ain’t got no answers for a Diddy question. None.’
Their comments come after it emerged that Combs is on suicide watch.
According to People’s sources, the move is a preventative measure as he is in shock with his mental state unclear.
LL Cool J was asked about the situation while attending the Black Music Action Coalition Gala (Picture: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
Flavor Flav refused to comment (Picture: Amy Sussman/WireImage)
The US Department of Justice National Institute of Corrections describes suicide watch as ‘supervisory precautions taken for suicidal inmates that require frequent observation’.
Meanwhile, Combs has denied the allegations against him, with his legal representative, Marc Agnifilo, also stating that the musician is innocent.
He vowed to ‘fight like hell’ to get him out on bail, TMZ reported.
His lawyers argued that he should be spared jail while he awaits trial and suggested a $50million (£37.5million) bond with electronic monitoring, weekly drug tests, a visitor log, the surrender of his passport, and no contact with women.
Combs was denied bail on Tuesday and again on Wednesday.
The Judge explained that he was concerned that Combs’ release on bail could affect the case.
‘My bigger concern deals with the danger of obstruction of justice and the danger of witness tampering,’ Judge Andrew Carter said. ‘That is a real concern that I have here.’
Several lawsuits have been filed against Combs over the past year (Picture: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
The hip-hop mogul is behind bars for alleged sex trafficking involving drug-fuelled orgies known as ‘freak-offs’.
When his Los Angeles mansion was raided in March, police reportedly seized supplies intended for use in orgies, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.
The current court case against him follows a year in which several women filed lawsuits against him, including Cassie, his ex, who said he used his authority to orchestrate a ‘manipulative and coercive romantic and sexual relationship’, which he strenuously denied.
One day after the suit was filed in New York, the pair settled the case for an undisclosed amount.
More lawsuits emerged in December last year before accusations of grooming surfaced in February.
Then, in May, CCTV footage was leaked of Combs assaulting Cassie Ventura in the hallway of a hotel in 2016.
The music mogul maintains his innocence (Picture: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
A day later, he apologised: ‘I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.’
By July this year, eight lawsuits had been filed against him, with Combs maintaining his innocence throughout.
Combs will now remain in jail until his trial.
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