Benzino Wants The Black Community To Support Diddy Amid Cassie Assault Video Release
Benzino has called out the Black community for not supporting Sean "Diddy" Combs as he faced multiple lawsuits and raids at his homes.
The rapper and media executive talked about the embattled hip-hop mogul during an interview on "The Danza Project" released Tuesday -- days after CNN published a video showing Combs beating Cassie Ventura in a hotel in 2016.
"Since when have we given the law, the system, one of ours?" Benzino began. "Since when?"
He went on to claim that even though Combs has not been charged in connection with the lawsuits and raids, the Black community was quick to turn its back on him.
"This man ain't been charged with nothing criminally. Not one f**king thing. They done went in the man's property with tanks and army men and National Guards, and he ain't got charged with one criminal charge right now to date. They don't got one f**king charge yet," Benzino said.
He added, "I'm more upset about how our own are ready just to give him, 'Here, take him. Lock him up.' Since when do we do that?"
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Benzino's comments, however, appeared to backfire as it sparked speculation among social media users that he may have a hidden motive for publicly coming to Combs' defense.
"Diddy must [have a] tape [of] Benzino," one Instagram user suggested, adding laughing emojis.
Another speculated, "Benzino must be in a video too."
However, Benzino also found supporters in some netizens.
"It's wild how y'all trust the [government], police politicians, etc. as if they haven't been railroading [people] for years. It's a mafia; of course, they'll make you look like s**t whenever they want," one person claimed.
Another user wrote, "I [have] been saying this, and Diddy was dead wrong, no doubt. But the other race beat their women, [rape] women...hell, they even [rape] their own. But you will NEVER see them go against theirs, and definitely not on social media or TV. Yeah, he (Diddy) deserves to be punished, and it's not right. But Benzino is speaking some truth behind this."
It's unclear if Benzino recorded the interview before or after the release of the hotel surveillance footage of Combs and Ventura Friday.
But he defended Combs after Ventura and several others filed lawsuits accusing the Bad Boy Entertainment founder of rape, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and other allegations.
Combs previously vehemently denied all allegations against him.
But on Sunday, he publicly apologized for physically assaulting Ventura in 2016, calling his behavior in the video "inexcusable."
The Los Angeles District Attorney's office later announced that Combs cannot be charged in connection with the video as the "conduct would have occurred beyond the timeline where a crime of assault can be prosecuted."
Since the release of the footage, however, two more people have come forward with allegations against Combs.
Hip-hop producer Amir "Prince" Motamedi alleged on Instagram Friday that "Diddy tried to blackball me because I didn't suck his d**k."
Former model Crystal McKinney, meanwhile, filed a lawsuit against Combs alleging he drugged and sexually assaulted her at his recording studio in New York City in 2003, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Combs has not publicly addressed the latest allegations against him as of this writing.
