(NewsNation) — Suge Knight, co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records tells “CUOMO” that Sean “Diddy” Combs is “not the only one” to put younger artists through humiliating sexual acts, describing various industry practices throughout the decades. The video above contains excerpts of his live, exclusive interview with Chris Cuomo.
Combs, who has gone by various aliases including P. Diddy, Diddy, Puffy and Puff Daddy, was arrested on Sept. 16 following a grand jury indictment for several felonies, including sex trafficking and racketeering. The arrest came as the producer faced a mounting list of civil lawsuits alleging abuse and assault spanning over three decades. He’s being held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, and two of his bids for a bail release have failed. Diddy has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Knight, who has been serving a 28-year prison sentence in California for voluntary manslaughter, tells NewsNation he sees Diddy’s current situation as a product of a corrupt industry, saying Diddy “stepped in this s–t. Even if he wiped off his shoe, it still stinks. But he’s not the only one. They got all the tapes.”
Knight: Abuse was learned from industry
Knight claims Diddy “was taught from people before him, and he did it to the younger people after him.”
It’s an industry that, according to Knight, has a long history of sexually abusing and assaulting its newest members. He said one practice, called an “egg test,” went as follows:
“Those guys pull their pants down and bent over. They stick (the egg) up their a–. Their eggs break. They say they’re not ready yet, they ain’t put enough work in. This is Hollywood,” Knight said.
Without attending “those butt naked parties,” it’s hard to comprehend what happened — but that doesn’t mean it was a secret, according to Knight.
“Because this been going on in the industry for a whole bunch of years, for decades and at the same time. You know, nobody wanted to be true, and it shouldn’t have to be true,” Knight said.
Knight also said he believes Diddy’s allegations stem from his own experiences.
“You know, hurt people hurt people … Someone was sexually abused, they wind up being a perpetrator. Is that what you’re suggesting about Sean Combs, that he was sexually abused, and he now sexually abuses?” NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo asked.
“Yeah, I think that’s absolutely right. I think it was done to him,” Knight said.
Knight accuses others in industry
In his exclusive interview with NewsNation, Knight accused other industry professionals including a man whose “job was to bring underage girls and girls and have sex with employees and other artists, to the point where his friend got caught up with the same thing,” Knight said.
Knight went on to mention that Interscope and Universal have a policy of not dealing with artists who get into trouble and are often the ones paying off the alleged victims of their artists.
Knight claimed a woman was allegedly assaulted by Diddy and later settled with Interscope. He claimed the company put her on the payroll as a means of repayment, with Knight adding he believes “she had to pay taxes.”
“I shouldn’t say that, because I’m trying to protect her, her image, but he beat the s— out of her and Cassie. He did things to her you should never do to a woman,” Knight said.
He also mentioned artists by name who should have been “whistleblowers,” including Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg and Rick Ross, among others.
Knight called for change in the industry, telling Cuomo, “If we don’t fix it and do something about it, history will constantly be repeating itself.”
Knight: Diddy should ‘get his time out the way’
After discussing the potential conditions of the Brooklyn federal jail, where Diddy is reportedly on suicide watch, Knight shared advice for the music mogul.
“I don’t care who you are. Prison is a negative environment,” Knight said. “Somebody can do something to (Diddy) and get a name for themselves. … But we also gotta learn. We gotta learn from our mistakes. You gotta better yourself.
Knight said Diddy “had a great run” but that he “should get his time out the way,” if he doesn’t get a life sentence.
“He had a great run. I’ve been locked up for 10 years, and I ain’t had a bad day yet. There’s a lot of things we can do to help each other, and it’s never too late for help.”
The music mogul is currently in a place that’s been described as “hell on earth” and an “ongoing tragedy.” A former warden at the Brooklyn detention center says the facility suffers from a “disproportionate element of corruption within the ranks.”
Knight also called out legendary music executive Clive Davis and other record industry leaders in the original broadcast interview.
A spokesperson for Davis issued a statement to NewsNation in response to Knight’s allegations saying:
“This is a completely fabricated thread that is being trafficked by an incarcerated felon. Mr. Knight’s assertions about Clive Davis are 100 percent false as nothing of the sort ever happened. Clive is a mentor to artists and, in keeping with this, never ever condoned any such inappropriate behavior.”
Clive Davis spokesperson
NewsNation’s Liz Jassin and Damita Menezes contributed to this report.
