(NewsNation) — Radio personality Charlamagne Tha God expressed sadness over rapper-mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legacy being tarnished by allegations of assault, but said the broader issues of domestic violence and unhealed trauma need to be addressed.
“It’s sad,” Charlamagne said Tuesday on NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live,” referring to celebrities whose legacies have been “burned to the ground” due to misconduct allegations. “We’re lying to ourselves if we say (Diddy) didn’t provide the soundtrack to our lives.”
Earlier this month, video footage allegedly showed Combs getting physical with his then-girlfriend during an argument. The hip-hop icon later issued an apology and said he was seeking to be a better man.
Charlamagne said he admired how Combs achieved massive success as a rapper, record label mogul, entrepreneur and billionaire — living out the American dream through hip-hop.
While noting Combs’ inspiring career as a recording artist and business mogul, Charlamagne said he doesn’t know Combs personally and was disheartened to see someone make poor choices that lead to self-destruction.
However, Charlamagne said the focus should be on systemic problems such as domestic violence, patriarchy and unhealed childhood trauma that can manifest in abusive behavior toward women.
“There’s a woman out there probably getting beat up or assaulted by a man and her story isn’t going to be on the news,” he said. “We need to be having a conversation about solutions.”
Candid conversation and politics
The radio host, whose new book “Get Honest or Die Lying” advocates for more authenticity in public discourse, called for elected leaders to have more candid, human conversations beyond “political playbooks.”
He praised Donald Trump for being willing to go off script while criticizing Democrats such as Vice President Kamala Harris for coming across as overly staged.
“Republicans are more sincere about their lies than Democrats are about their truths,” he said.
He called for elected leaders to have more candid, unscripted conversations that allow their true personalities to shine through, citing the movie “Bulworth” as an example of the refreshing honesty he’d like to see.
On President Joe Biden‘s struggling poll numbers and waning support among Black voters, Charlamagne didn’t mince words, saying Democrats should have replaced Biden as their nominee last year.
“If you’re getting your ass kicked in polls to (Trump) … you might need to switch candidates,” he said.
