Sean “Diddy” Combs is the subject of more claims painting him as an intimidating villain in hip-hop whose need for control meant no one was off limits. On Friday, July 12, The New York Times published a personal essay penned by veteran journalist and former VIBE magazine editor Danyel Smith detailing her own run-ins with Combs.
In particular, the former VIBE editor recalled the Bad Boy Records impresario threatening her after refusing to show him pre-print proofs of his magazine covers. The 1997 December/January issue had two covers, one where he appeared shirtless with shades on and white angel wings behind him, and the other cast him in an all-white suit with a halo above his head and white angel wings behind him as he gave a sinister stare from above the rim of his shades.
She described the motifs as “one with heavenly signifiers and another with hellish ones.” A year prior, he was found guilty of threatening a New York Post photographer. Smith wrote that following the cover shoot, the “You Can Hate Me Now” artists demanded to see the images.
“Combs wanted to see the Vibe covers before they went to press. It wasn’t our policy to show covers before publication,” recalled Smith. “After I told him no, we heard that he planned to come to our office and force us to show him what we’d chosen — and to make us choose something else if he didn’t like what he saw.”
Vibe employees allegedly devised a plan to move Smith between their offices without being detected by Diddy. When he unexpectedly showed up, her team quickly escorted her into a taxi with paper proofs of the covers. His insistence on approving the covers continued as she called Smith the next day, demanding to see them. She again notified him that it was against the publication’s policy.
took me near 30 years to write this essay for @NYTmag. i’m sad. and i’m
— D a n y e l 🔆 S m i t h (@danamo) July 12, 2024
mad https://t.co/6VN2wfygDF pic.twitter.com/nqKI48uVEt
“It was then that Combs told me, as I’ve retold hundreds of times over the years, that he would see me ‘dead in the trunk of a car.’ Not missing a beat, I told him he needed to take that threat back,” wrote Smith. She alleges that Diddy asked, “Take what back?” before unleashing a “vile laugh.” He is accused of then menacingly telling Smith, “I know where you are right now. Right on Lexington.”
When she noticed her lawyers of the exchange, legal action was threatened. Only then did he fax over an apology for his actions. When Vibe’s servers were stolen, containing the covers, shortly after, it was rumored, though not proven, that Diddy was behind the theft.
The latest roundup of allegations against the mogul was met with reactions from many who no longer believe the embattled celebrity is deserving of grace. “D—n, dude out here really living life like the Sopranos,” tweeted one person. Another suggested, “The bad boy’s skeletons just keep falling out of the closet.#Diddy.”
And a third wrote, “The whole “Love Records,” and “love” socials switch up was the most diabolical rebrand in the history of pop culture.” In 2017, the man of many monikers, i.e., Puffy, Puff Daddy, and P. Diddy, reintroduced himself as Brother Love. He doubled down on his new era in 2022 when he launched Love Records, a label promising to help music return to its R&B roots.
However, the business move and rebrand have circled the drain since ten lawsuits accusing him of various abuses, harassment, and more have surfaced since last year. Most recently, he was accused in court documents of grooming a former porn star into sex trafficking at his infamous white parties.
Smith credits Drew Dixon, the former music A&R who accused Russell Simmons of sexually assaulting her in 1995, for her decision to share her story publically. In an Instagram post, she wrote: “This post is both iykyk and an appreciation — thank you, @deardrewdixon, for standing up and telling your story. thank you for the beautiful and successful music you’ve made and continue to love. thank you for being loud when you could have stayed quiet. thank you for all of your contributions to #hiphopmusic and culture. thank you for always picking up the phone or pinging me back. i’m beyond grateful.”
Many fans of Smith’s New York Times piece have shown support by sharing a quote in which she speaks about the double-edged sword that is being a woman in the music industry. “There’s no safe space for an ambitious woman. Not anywhere, and definitely not in the entertainment business. Men keep it dangerous so they can keep it theirs,” shared Smith.
