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Da Band rapper Chopper "Young City" has accused Fonzworth Bentley of theft in a recent interview. Bentley (born Derek Watkins) is an American rapper, television personality, actor, and author, who is known for serving as the personal assistant to the currently incarcerated music mogul, Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Da Band was a hip-hop group formed by Diddy and signed to his label Bad Boy Entertainment. The group's formation was documented in three seasons of MTV's reality series, Making the Band 2. From around 40,000 auditions, Diddy narrowed it down to six members who ultimately formed the band. They were Sara Rivers, Dylan Dilinjah, Chopper "Young City", Babs, E. Ness, and Freddy P.
In a recent discussion on The Art of Dialogue, Chopper alleged that Fonzworth Bentley stole a $72k chain from him and claimed that he was known as a thief within Diddy's inner circle.
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“In the beginning. I thought Mr. Bentley was the coolest person in the world. I’m talking about THE coolest person in the world. And then eventually Bentley started stealing. And one time we got our advance check and I went and got this [$72k] chain. I asked him could he hold my chain [because] we had a show and he was like, ‘Yeah, I got you.’ And then he never quite gave me back my chain,” he said.
From then on, Bentley would reportedly come up with "beaucoup excuses" every time Chopper asked for the chain.
"I knew right then and there what kind of dude Mr. Bentley was. A f*cking thief. Mr. Bentley is a f*cking thief. Period. And that was his reputation too around there. Everybody knew Mr. Bentley was a thief. He used to steal sh*t," Chopper continued.
In the show, the former Da Band member also claimed that Diddy had "no respect" for Fonzworth Bentley.
"It's going to be in the movie about my life"— When Fonzworth Bentley opened up about the time he first met Diddy
On March 21, 2004, Bentley opened up about the time he first met Diddy in an interview with The New York Times. In 2001, Bentley was working as a manager at the Eleven Madison Park restaurant when he first came across the Bad Boy Records boss. They met at Diddy's soul-food restaurant in Chelsea, where they also exchanged numbers.
At that time, Diddy was undergoing trial for gun possession charges and bribery. Bentley helped the rapper by sending him verses from the Bible via email. After the case was ruled in his favor, Bentley allegedly texted him, writing:
"Please don't make me go back to my hater boss."
It was followed by Diddy hiring Fonzworth Bentley. Recalling the moment in the interview with The New York Times, Fonzworth Bentley stated:
''I remember the day exactly. It's going to be in the movie about my life. Sean waved his hands in my face and said, 'Your life has just changed. Are you ready?'"
Bentley's day-to-day responsibilities in his new job included "waking his boss in the morning, fetching caramel macchiatos from Starbucks, fielding phone calls, parking and unpacking Diddy's suitcases, and picking out his clothes." Furthermore, he was responsible for attending Diddy's meetings.
In 2001, Fonzworth Bentley was captured holding Diddy's umbrella in a photograph—a moment that made him popular. Speaking about the picture in the interview, he stated:
That picture was the biggest marketing campaign that any unknown has ever launched. Jay Leno talked about that picture, so did Regis and Kelly. It was in Time, Newsweek, People. It made me famous overnight."
Fonzworth Bentley made his debut as a rapper in Da Band's first album, Cheers to Me, Mr. Bentley (2002). Two years later, he also made a cameo appearance in Kanye West's The New Workout Plan.
Bentley has had several roles and cameo appearances in television shows. He made his TV career debut with Making The Band 2 in 2002. Over the years, the 50-year-old has had roles in projects like Fade to Black (2004), Borrow My Crew (2005), Before, During, and After the Sunset (2005), VH1 Fashion Rocks (2006), and From Gs to Gents (2008). In April 2011, he also released his debut album, C.O.L.O.U.R.S..
In 2008, he was featured in a music video called Yes We Can supporting Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. Bentley was seen playing a violin in the music video.
