Record producer Stevie J talked about Diddy in his recent DJ Vlad interview, crediting the hip-hop mogul for helping him in the early days of his career. Per Stevie, Combs made a lasting impression on him by handing him $6.5K in cash, which he used to learn essential production skills.
Elaborating on Diddy's role in his success, Stevie J told DJ Vlad:
"Thanks to one guy, Sean Combs, Diddy. When I came into the equation, he was hot, I just was the kerosene. I was the gasoline and the kerosene, and me showing him that I could make a hit."
From there, the artists went on to collaborate on several projects, including Diddy's 1997 album, No Way Out. The album was a massive commercial success, debuting atop the Billboard 200 album chart by selling over 561,000 copies in its first week of sales.
Trending
An iconic Seinfeld character in a brand new role RIGHT HERE
Stevie J first met Diddy at a New York concert
Elsewhere in his interview with DJ Vlad, Stevie J recalled his first meeting with Diddy, which took place at a New York concert, which the record producer remembers to be Live Aid.
Stevie J was one of Diddy's strongest defenders throughout 2024, when the civil lawsuits against the music executive were piling up.
The record producer also appeared in TMZ's docu-series on Combs, titled The Downfall of Diddy (released on April 27, 2024). Reacting to the leaked video of Diddy assaulting his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hotel lobby, Stevie said:
"It really threw me for a loop... I always think about and talk about things I know to be true about Sean Combs. After I saw the video, I went and saw him in Miami and we had a conversation. And I let him know how affected I was by that. I didn’t know he had that in him to do that."
Then offering an explanation about why he believed Combs behaved that way, Stevie said:
"I just know that he was in a dark place in his life, as he described to me. He was just doing a lot of drugs and it was just dark for him."
The leaked video that Stevie J referenced in the docu-series was obtained by CNN in May last year and was taken from an LA hotel hallway in March 2016.
In the clip, Cassie, who was the rapper's girlfriend at the time, appeared to be getting out of a hotel room, carrying multiple bags with her and walking to the elevator, with Combs followed her in a towel shortly afterward.
Upon catching up to her, the rapper grabs heavily assaulted her, including kicking and hitting her, and threw her down to the floor. He then picks her bags up, grabs her by her hoodie, and drags her back into their hotel room.
After the video went viral on social media, Diddy issued an apology statement for Ventura, saying:
"I was disgusted when I did it. I'm disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry."
Combs also added that he was committed to "being a better man each and every day."
In response to the Come to Me rapper's statement, Meredith Firetog, a lawyer from the legal firm representing Ventura, told Page Six that his statement was "more about himself than the many people he has hurt," adding:
"When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday," lawyer Meredith Firetog said. That he was only compelled to 'apologise' once his repeated denials were proven false shows his pathetic desperation and no one will be swayed by his disingenuous words."
Diddy, who was arrested on September 16, 2024, is currently being held in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) as he awaits his trial.
