Entertainment

8 Viral Conspiracy Theories Surrounding the P. Diddy Controversy

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1m ago

Oct 16, 2024 / 7120 Views

Evan Walker

The arrest, indictment, and controversy surrounding rap mogul P Diddy has given rise to a wealth of viral conspiracy theories on the internet. With the public thusly stirred, many celebrities have emerged as key figures and alleged co-conspirators. While federal authorities continue to build on their case against Diddy, chronically online internet sleuths and tinfoil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists have not been shy with their opinions. Read on to find out what they’re saying.

On September 16, 2024, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was arrested and indicted on federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. In the following days, the authorities’ 14-page indictment was unsealed, publicly unveiling the horrific realities of Diddy’s alleged misdemeanours. One thing was made clear to all: once regarded as a paragon of black empowerment and success, the rapper’s fall from grace had only just begun.

Since Diddy’s arrest, over a hundred people claiming victim to his schemes have stepped forward, further adding weight to the rapper’s mounting legal troubles. Should these victims choose to pursue justice — as is their right — Diddy stands to face over 100 new lawsuits.

In light of the recent allegations that provide context to his decades-long History of criminal behaviour, Diddy’s reckoning is long overdue. Allegations of abuse and exploitation now lend credence to every cover up and controversy that has haunted his footsteps over the past year, beginning with ex-girlfriend Cassie’s federal lawsuit alleging sexual abuse, physical violence, and coercion.

Likewise, federal prosecutors have accused the rapper and his associates of threatening, abusing, and coercing women and others in his orbit to ‘fulfil his sexual desires’, ‘protect his reputation’, and ‘conceal’ his misconduct. The indictment alleged that Combs had created, operated, and protected an underground criminal enterprise, safely hidden away beneath the facade of his multifaceted Business empire. In the dark underbelly, the rapper engaged in ‘Freak Offs’, long-running parties fuelled by alcohol and narcotics where women and workers were coerced into, and often filmed performing non-consensual sexual acts.

With mainstream and social media channels buzzing with news of Diddy’s imminent downfall, conspiracy theories have emerged in full force, replete with the requisite mudslinging and speculatory postulations. In short: the tinfoil hat brigade has arrived, and the internet is eating it all up in lieu of verifiable information. While we wait for more news, here are some of the most outlandish conspiracy theories that have gone viral about the P. Diddy controversy.

8 viral conspiracy theories surrounding the P. Diddy controversy

She knows, she knows

If you’ve been wondering what J. Cole’s 2013 song ”She Knows” has to do with the current controversy surrounding P Diddy, we’ve got you covered. TikTok sleuths have uncovered a supposed hidden message within the lyrics of the song, which heavily reference deceased superstars Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, and Left Eye. Considering rappers’ propensity for inserting callouts into their lyrics (Read: Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and Eminem), it would come as little surprise if J. Cole had indeed hinted at Diddy’s misdeeds in the song.

The viral conspiracy theory posits that Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Diddy are all complicit in the deaths of Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, and Left Eye. The proof allegedly lies in the lyrics of “She Knows”, which go, “Rest in peace to Aaliyah / Rest in peace to Left Eye (Left Eye) / Michael Jackson, I’ll see ya / Just as soon as I die (I die).” In addition to that, theorists also claim that “She knows” is a substitute for “She Knowles”, where Knowles is Beyonce’s maiden name. The theory also claims that Jackson’s security guard had once worked for Diddy, and that it was his delay in calling for help that had resulted in the King of Pop’s untimely death.

While this conspiracy theory starts out strong, it quickly devolves into tinfoil hat territory. The propagators of the theory go on to highlight an ‘interesting coincidence’: the victims, Jackson, Aaliyah, and Left Eye all died on the 25th day of different months, while the alleged culprits were all born on the 4th day of different months. As if that means anything.

We’d like to thank Beyoncé..

Diddy’s arrest has cast shadows over his would-be co-conspirators, a list that includes several A-list celebrities — most notably the Carters, Jay-Z and Beyoncé. Chief among the conspiracies surrounding Beyoncé is a ludicrous claim that the singer holds the power to target and eliminate potential comPetitors. The proponents of this conspiracy theory hold that Aaliyah was murdered to ensure Beyoncé’s success. Moreover, the theory also operates on the assumption that the Carters’ alleged involvement with Aaliyah’s death is a well-known industry secret, resulting in an undercurrent of fear amongst aspiring musicians.

This conspiracy theory seemingly holds water when you consider the number of award-winning musicians who have personally thanked Beyonce during their acceptance speeches. The list is endless: Adele, who famously broke her Grammy in half to share it with Beyonce in 2017, Lizzo who shouted her out in 2023, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga who lavished her with praise at the 2011 MTV VMAs, and many others.

Beyonce’s supposed popularity among her peers has raised eyebrows in recent days, with conspiracy theorists suggesting that she must always be thanked. Of course, it’s more than likely that Beyonce has genuinely been a positive iNFLuence on the music industry. The jury is out on this conspiracy theory, but we’re inclined to believe it’s a no.

Did Kanye West save Taylor Swift?

Further drawing from the conspiracy that stars who rise to prominence must sing Beyonce’s praises, a viral theory on TikTok now posits that Kanye West is a hero. We’re unconvinced, but the details are thus: When Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift on-stage at the 2009 MTV VMAs to declare that “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time,” he was doing it to save Swift from the evil clutches of the Carters.

Whether there is any truth to this claim remains to be seen. But, given West’s well-documented temperament and addiction to drama, it makes more sense to assume he was just careless and callous.

Shadowy ties to Tupac’s death?

Decades ago in the 1990s, Diddy found himself at the centre of beef with Marion Hugh ‘Suge’ Knight, pitting the former’s Bad Boy Records up against the latter’s Death Row Records. As the story goes, Tupac Shakur, who was signed with Death Row, had accused Diddy and Bad Boy flagship artist Biggie of orchestrating a shooting and robbery, which occurred on November 30 1994. The beef dragged on, tensions simmering beneath the surface for two long years; then, on September 13 1996, Tupac was fatally shot on the Las Vegas strip while in a car driven by Suge Knight. Six months later, his one-time friend Biggie was shot and killed as he was leaving a Los Angeles party after the 1997 Soul Train Awards.

Following Diddy’s arrest, rumours of his ties to Tupac’s shady demise once again surfaced. Speaking to Daily Mail for the publication’s podcast The Trial of Diddy, retired LAPD homicide detective Greg Kading exposed Combs’ connection to members of the notorious Crips street gang, Duane ‘Keefe D’ Davis and Orlando ‘Baby Lane’ Anderson. As per Keefe D, it was Baby Lane who had shot at Tupac and Suge Knight, killing the former. 30 years later in 2023, Keefe D himself was apprehended for his connection to Tupac’s murder, and now alleges that Diddy had offered him USD 1 million for carrying out the assassination.

As of October 2024, the family of Tupac Shakur have engaged New York attorney Alex Spiro to investigate the alleged connections between P. Diddy and the murder of the star.

Forty eight hours with Justin Bieber

P. Diddy and Justin Bieber first became acquainted in 2009 when the latter was merely 15 years old. Bieber had been discovered by Scooter Braun just one year prior, after which he signed a deal with RBMG Records under the tutelage of Usher. Notably, Usher himself was mentored by Diddy as a teenager, with the chain of events setting the stage for what would become the basis for abuse spanning generations of artists.

Bieber first reached out to the rap mogul on X in hopes of securing a collaboration — and it paid off. The young artist soon began appearing with Diddy, taking the rapper’s Lamborghini out for a spin in 2010 and even attending several of his parties in the thereafter. Coping with the demands of newfound Celebrity status proved difficult for the “Baby” singer, and signs of drug abuse soon began to surface, signalling a decline in his mental welfare. Following the arrest and indictment of Diddy, conspiracy theories have suffused the internet, with Beliebers alleging that Bieber had fallen victim to the darker side of Diddy’s Business empire.

This hypothesis is bolstered by several video interviews, in which Diddy appeared to exert authority and force over the then-teenage Bieber. In a recently resurfaced video recorded at Jimmy Kimmel Live, Diddy and Bieber joke about their friendship, with the former remarking that the latter was “like a little brother.” However, Diddy later raised eyebrows when he responded to Bieber’s claim that he had received a Lamborghini as a present, saying, “He had the Lamborghini for a day or two and he had access to the house. And he knows better than to be talking about the things he does with big brother Puff on national television. Everything ain’t for everybody.”

In additional footage, Diddy also alluded to spending more time with Bieber, with undisclosed (and frankly shady sounding) activities on the itinerary. “He’s having 48 hours with Diddy, where we hanging out and what we’re doing we can’t really disclose. But it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream. I don’t have legal guardianship of him, but for the next 48 hours, he’s with me, and we’re gonna go full crazy.”

P. Diddy controversy: Murder, he wrote

In 2018, Diddy’s on-again-off-again lover and the mother of his three children Kim Porter was found dead in her Los Angeles home. The 47-year-old model first began dating Diddy in the 90s; the two maintained a series of break-ups and reconciliations all throughout the early 2000s before finally splitting for good in 2007. Porter was said to have been battling a cold and pneumonia before her death, and eventually succumbed to it

In the wake of Diddy’s legal troubles, a conspiracy theory has emerged, alleging that the rapper had his former lover murdered. According to theorists, Diddy had ordered the hit because Porter had been planning to publish a tell-all memoir shortly before her untimely death. Given that a memoir could have revealed unsavoury details about him and their time together, the theory posits that Diddy made the call to protect his image in the public eye. Further lending credence to the theory, a series of entries from a diary titled Kim’s Forgotten Words were posted online. However, there is no proof they were truly authored by Porter.

Usher’s X wiped

R&B singer Usher has long enjoyed a mentor-mentee relationship with Diddy. The two first crossed paths in the 90s, when LA Reid, who had signed Usher to LaFace and Arista, sent him to live with Diddy in New York for a year. He was only 13 years old.

Speaking to Rolling Stone in 2004, the singer recounted the events of his year with Diddy, sharing that Diddy showed him “a totally different set of sh–t — sex, specifically.” In a later interview with Howard Stern in 2016, the singer once again opened up about his time with Diddy, revealing that there were “very curious things taking place” within the rap mogul’s home. “I don’t know if I could indulge and understand what I was even looking at. It was pretty wild.”

However, asked if he would allow his own children to attend ‘Diddy Camp’, Usher responded with a resounding “Hell no.”

Less than a week after Diddy’s arrest, Usher’s entire X feed was wiped clean, leading to rampant speculations amongst conspiracy theorists, who alleged that a social media cleanse was at play. However, Usher later set the record straight, tweeting his explanation, “Account got hacked and d–mn y’all ran with it!”

The demise of Bennifer related to P. Diddy controversy?

Rappers and musicians aren’t the only ones who have taken hits from the downfall of Diddy. A new conspiracy theory has taken root in the P Diddy controversy, this time surrounding Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez. Its source? Diddy’s 90s hip-hop rival, Suge Knight.

Speaking on his podcast Collect Call with Suge Knight, which he hosts with his son, Suge shared a few theories surrounding Jennifer Lopez’s recently announced divorce from Air actor Ben Affleck. Suge alleged that Lopez had been aware of Diddy’s involvement in numerous criminal activities, including a 2001 nightclub shooting. He further alleged that the FBI had found tapes of Lopez ‘doing this’ and ‘doing that’ upon raiding Diddy’s home, thus bringing her own involvement in Diddy’s activities into question. Suge also believes that the FBI had shown the evidence to Affleck, saying, “I’m quite sure they said, we want to show you some things about your wife.”

If Suge is to be believed, the demise of Bennifer can be credited to Diddy’s criminal activities and Lopez’s alleged involvement. However, no concrete evidence exists to support Suge’s claims, with some netizens quickly invalidating them by pointing out that federal investigators are unlikely to share evidence without just cause.

(Main image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP, Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Featured image: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP)