Jay-Z is reportedly ready to distance himself from longtime friend Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, with sources claiming the rap mogul plans to ‘throw Diddy under the bus’ in order to avoid prison time over underage rape charges.
Despite their longstanding relationship, Jay-Z’s actions appear to signal a dramatic shift in loyalty as he navigates his own legal troubles.
This follows a judge’s ruling allowing an Alabama woman, who claims she was raped by Jay-Z and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs at the age of 13, to proceed anonymously in her lawsuit against the rap moguls.
Last week, the 55-year-old rapper – real name Shawn Carter – was named in a civil lawsuit accusing him of raping a 13-year-old alongside Combs in 2000 after the MTV Video Music Awards.
The Empire State Of Mind rapper quickly denied the allegations, while his attorney Alex Spiro dubiously insisted to the media that the pair do not share a ‘closer association’ than professional friends. Daily Mail report:
‘Jay-Z would absolutely throw Diddy under the bus if that is what it took to clear his name and walk away from this,’ the insider exclusively dished. ‘He has zero loyalty to Diddy.’
The insider noted that the rap star – who is married to singer Beyoncé – began to distance himself as soon as Combs was arrested on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution earlier this year.
The insider continued: ‘The moment Diddy was arrested, Jay-Z scrubbed him from his existence. He is going after [lawyer Tony] Buzbee for himself and not for anyone else.
‘The only thing that he cares about is him never stepping foot inside a jail cell and his family being safe. Jay-Z is extremely powerful and will deploy any tactic necessary.’
Carter has slammed the Jane Doe’s attorney Tony Buzbee for his alleged ‘blackmail attempt’ with the shocking lawsuit.
The unidentified woman recently added Carter to her lawsuit against Combs in Manhattan federal court – which was first filed in October.
The woman alleges that she was attacked by the musicians after Combs’ limo driver offered her a ride to a VMAs afterparty.
Wednesday saw Carter’s lawyers ask a judge to extract the rapper from the lawsuit, citing a recent television interview with NBC News in which his accuser acknowledged inconsistencies in her story.
Though Carter’s legal team at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP have made it clear that they intend to get the suit dismissed, a second source noted that it has nothing to do with helping Combs.
‘Jay-Z is more than ready to throw Diddy under the bus to defend himself if that is what it takes and doesn’t want anything to do with his lawsuits,’ the source stated. ‘Any notion that Jay is trying to help Diddy by going after Tony Buzbee is false. He doesn’t care about Diddy.’
The source then explained that Carter had personally decided to cut ties after footage of Diddy physically attacking his ex-girlfriend Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura was leaked online.
The source continued: ‘Jay was appalled by the Cassie video which is why he is adamant that he and Diddy weren’t friends as he didn’t really know what he was capable of.
‘The video was a deciding factor for Jay when announcing that he and Diddy weren’t close.’
However, a third insider noted that no matter what the motivation might be, Combs is delighted to have another star involved in his fight against the allegations.
‘Diddy does enjoy that Jay is fighting against the same person that is accusing him of doing any wrongdoing,’ the insider began. ‘Because if Jay succeeds, it will help Diddy tenfold.’
The insider continued: ‘Diddy has a never-ending mountain to climb, but any small win can only lead to bigger wins. Diddy is very happy that he isn’t fighting everything alone.’
Combs, who is already behind bars while awaiting trial, has also denied the rape allegation.
Buzbee, who is representing over 100 people with sexual misconduct allegations against Combs, has found himself at war with Carter after dragging the hip-hop mogul into the anonymous complaint.
