Where did Jay-Z grow up? All about Marcy Projects as rapper talks about protecting children in his statement on s*xual assault allegations

On December 8, 2024, rapper Jay-Z released a statement addressing a new s*xual assault lawsuit also involving fellow rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was arrested on s*x trafficking and prostitution charges in September. This came after a woman, referred to as Jane Doe in legal documents, accused Jay-Z and Diddy of s*xually assaulting her when she was 13 years old at a 2000 MTV VMA afterparty.

According to The Daily Mail, the lawsuit, first filed in October, did not mention Jay-Z, whose real name is Sean Corey Carter, by name. However, Houston-based lawyer Tony Buzbee refiled the suit in New York's Southern District on December 8, naming the rapper as one of the alleged perpetrators along with Diddy.

Jay-Z responded to the allegations with a written statement to The Daily Mail, accusing Buzbee of being a "deplorable human." The Brooklyn rapper, who grew up in a New York City public housing complex called The Marcy Projects, also spoke about protecting children in his statement, saying:

"I’m not from your world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain."

Tony Buzbee currently represents over 100 clients who have accused Diddy of s*xual assault, r*pe, and harassment, among other allegations. The rapper is currently detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of his s*x trafficking trial.

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Jay-Z often rapped about growing up in The Marcy Projects

Jay-Z was born in 1969, in Brooklyn, NYC. The rapper and his three older siblings were raised by their mother, Gloria Carter, at The Marcy Projects after their father abandoned them when he was 11. The Marcy Projects or The Marcy Houses, is a public housing complex by New York City Housing Authority.

According to Andscape, the housing project was reportedly named after former US senator and New York Governor Willian Marcy. Opened in 1949, The Marcy Projects consists of 27 six-story buildings in Bedford–Stuyvesant, surrounded by Flushing, Nostrand, Marcy, and Myrtle Avenues.

The housing project celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2009, with then-mayor Michael Bloomberg dubbing January 19 "Marcy Houses Day." The Marcy Projects was also home to other rappers like Jaz-O and Memphis Bleek.

The Marcy Houses reportedly became a victim of impoverishment over the years. Jay-Z wrote in his 2010 memoir:

“F**k waiting for the city to pass out summer jobs. I wasn’t even a teenager yet and suddenly everyone I knew had pocket money. Guys my age, fed up with watching their moms struggle on a single income, were paying utility bills from hustling.”

The rapper often spoke about growing up at The Marcy Projects in various songs. In his 1997 song Where I'm From, Jay-Z paid homage to the housing complex, painting a picture of growing up in an area filled with drug lords and pimps.

"I'm up the block, around the corner and down the street/ From where the pimps, pr*stitutes and the drug lords meet/ We make a million off of beats, 'cause our stories is deep," he rapped.

Jay-Z also mentioned The Marcy Projects in other songs like Murda Marcyville (2004), Marcy Me (2017) and a 2017 poem titled Dream On.

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Jay-Z dubbed the s*xual assault allegations "heinous in nature"

On December 8, Jay-Z responded to his newfound s*xual assault allegations filed earlier that day. He addressed Tony Buzbee in his statement, threatening to expose him for being an alleged fraud. He also dubbed the allegations "heinous in nature", writing:

"These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one!! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree? These alleged victims would deserve real justice if that were the case. This lawyer, who I have done a bit of research on, seems to have a pattern of these type of theatrics!"

Jay-Z also mentioned his three children, 12-year-old Blue Ivy and seven-year-old twins Rumi and Sir, with his wife Beyoncé in his statement. He mourned their "loss of innocence," saying he would have to explain the allegations to his oldest child. He concluded his statement by vowing to prove he was "different" from other celebrities.

According to The Daily Mail, the lawsuit claimed the alleged assault occurred on September 7, 2000. As per the court document, the alleged victim, who was 13 at the time, was driven to a "large white residence" by a limo driver, who claimed he worked for Diddy.

The limo driver allegedly told Doe that "Combs liked younger girls and said she "fit what Diddy was looking for."' The accuser claimed she drank a beverage that tasted "like orange juice, cranberry juice, and something bitter" which made her feel "woozy and lightheaded."

The alleged victim went to lie down in an empty room which was soon visited by Diddy, Jay-Z, and an unnamed female celebrity, referred to as Celebrity B. The lawsuit claimed Jay-Z and Diddy took turns allegedly r*ping Jane Doe while Celebrity B watched.

According to the suit, Diddy then allegedly tried to coerce Doe "to perform oral s*x on him" but stopped after she "fought back." Doe said she was able to escape the property and call her father for help.

In the court documents, Doe said the alleged assault left her in a "deep depression" with "post-traumatic stress disorder and a seizure disorder caused by stress and trauma." Tony Buzbee said his client did not ask for a monetary settlement and only wanted "a confidential mediation" in a statement to TMZ on December 8.

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In other news, Diddy's s*x trafficking trial will reportedly begin on May 5, 2025.