Suge Knight, the once menacing mastermind of Death Row Records, has a warning for his old nemesis, Diddy: Keep it real, all of it. Knight did not hold back during a phone interview with ABC News behind bars at a California prison. Now that Diddy is in the middle of a federal case with allegations ranging from sex trafficking and racketeering to coercion, the former West Coast impresario insists that the time has come for full disclosure, not only to protect Diddy but to start cleaning up the dirtiest secrets in the music business.
"I believe it'd be great to let Puffy tell his truth. Just tell the damn truth and pin everything on everybody," Knight said. It's not exactly Kumbaya, but it's not old beef. Suge appears to be asking for a reckoning at this point, one that involves more than just the names already in the public eye.
Diddy, who has denied all wrongdoing and has not been charged in certain civil lawsuits, has been under growing legal pressure. The trial, which began May 12 in New York, has already heard blistering testimony from several insiders, including his former assistant Cassie Ventura, industry exec Capricorn Clark, and an anonymous assistant who painted a chilling portrait of abuse and manipulation.
"Puffy didn't just pop in the industry and say 'hey, I want to have sex with everybody,'" he added, suggesting the alleged impropriety was indicative of a broader, systemic culture. "We don't have time to list them all."
It's a chilling thought from a man who has watched the seamy side of the business pack them in. Knight, who is currently serving an almost 28-year sentence for a 2015 hit-and-run that left one man dead, isn't asking for sympathy, but he's demanding accountability. Sure, it is easy to dismiss his comments as part of a long-running feud, but there is an awful lot of conviction in his words that we simply cannot ignore.
"It's tough to even believe that he's dead, but the sad thing is it's a long farmer's list of people in the industry that's in that hot water because of the suffering and the bulls that they put people through," Knight said.
You rarely hear Suge Knight holding up the industry conscience card, but perhaps that makes this moment so surreal and so important. With the Hip-Hop community made to face its reflection in the mirror, Knight's callout to Diddy may speak louder than any courtroom.
It has yet to be seen whether Diddy will accept the offer or if anyone else will join in. But the silence that has long shielded the powerful is starting to fracture. And from Varrio Ave to a prison cell, Suge Knight could be landing one of the first blows.
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