Diddy: ‘Studio sex’ and ‘hitman threats’ – insiders speak out about his 90s music empire

Many ex-staff say they still find it hard to reconcile the allegations with the man they knew. “These accusations are a surprise to me, as I am sure it is to many of our circle,” says Jeffery Walker, a close friend of Combs who was part of Bad Boy’s original production team. “I’ve been to White Parties and of course studio sessions, and none of what he is accused of went down in my sight.”

Evans was also sceptical about some of the claims until he saw the footage of Casandra Ventura, Combs’s ex-partner of 10 years and a former Bad Boy artist, being brutally beaten by the rapper in a hotel in Los Angeles in 2016.

Ventura was the first person to sue Combs back in November 2023, alleging that he had trapped her in a cycle of abuse, violence, and sex trafficking during their relationship. Combs settled the lawsuit the next day for an undisclosed amount.

“It’s not the first time I’ve seen that temper,” recalls Evans, thinking back to the death threat he says he witnessed back in 1997. “It’s hard to see. The guy in the video with Cassie is almost identical to the guy who threatened the employee. So, you wonder, has anything changed?”

Over the years, Sean Combs has repeatedly reinvented himself – from Puff Daddy, to P Diddy and in recent years, “Love”.

“If I’m acting crazy, like ‘ahhh!’ that’s Diddy. If I’m dancing real smooth with a girl, that’s Puff Daddy. And if I’m looking like I’m nervous or scared or shy, that’s Sean,” he said in an interview in 2015.

With more details likely to emerge when he goes on trial in May, many of those who were close to the rapper are questioning whether they knew the real Sean Combs at all.

“One could think that he’s just a disgusting human being, but that’s not my memory of Puff,” says Jimmy Maynes, who grew up with Combs in Mount Vernon, New York.

But after a pause, he adds: “Or maybe money just gives people the freedom to be exactly who they really are, and he was that guy all along.”