The CCTV footage confirmed what many in the music industry knew was brewing: a moment of reckoning for one of the most influential hip-hop artists in history.
Clips of Sean “Diddy” Combs kicking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura as she lay motionless on the floor cemented his downfall, despite his apology following the leak.
“I don’t see any way he can recover from this,” said Amy DuBois Barnett, the former editor-in-chief of Ebony magazine who writes about hip-hop culture article.
Mr. Coombs’ reputation in the industry “has been in question for some time,” Barnett added. “He was known by many to have a rather unbridled temper.”
Diddy (formerly P Diddy, Puff Daddy or Puffy) is one of the best-selling and most popular artists of all time, with three Grammy Awards and millions of record sales.
Over the years, nothing has really affected Diddy’s iconic status as an artist, producer and businessman. Ms Barnett said there were some negative stories about the industry, but most of them stayed out of the public eye.
In November, Ms. Ventura settled a lawsuit against Mr. Combs accusing him of rape and sex trafficking for an undisclosed amount. But Combs’ attorney said the settlement “is in no way an admission of wrongdoing.”
Celebrities continued to speak out for him, but that ended with CCTV footage obtained by CNN and released last week.
The attack shown in the video was brutal. After kicking Ms Ventura like a football, Mr Coombs dragged her to the floor wearing only a towel.
The video appears to be a compilation of surveillance camera angles from March 5, 2016, which CNN said was filmed at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles’ Century City. In her lawsuit, Ms. Ventura described an incident at the hotel in March 2016 in which Mr. Combs allegedly assaulted her.
A series of other lawsuits have since been filed against Mr Combs for abuse, sexual misconduct and rape. The rapper called the accusations “disgusting” when they were brought up and said the alleged victims were looking for a “quick payday.”
But footage of Ms Ventura’s attack undercut his denials.
Combs went silent for two days after the video was released, then posted an apology on Instagram, acknowledging that he was the person on the recording and calling his actions “inexcusable.”
“I was disgusted when I did it,” he said, “and I’m disgusted now.”
“I went and sought professional help,” he continued. “I started going to therapy, recovery. I had to pray for God’s mercy and grace. I’m so sorry.”
