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Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones stunningly broke the headlines in February by filing a $30 million lawsuit against embattled hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, claiming the “Bad Boy” previously sexually harassed, drugged and threatened him. Despite kicking off a fierce conversation in the music industry and Hollywood at large, the producer largely stayed out of the picture. He recently finally broke his silence in an interview, revealing how his power move against the influential industry player has ultimately traumatised him, filled him with fear for his life and snatched away professional opportunities in the music sphere.
Rodney’s steadfast assertion of all his claims in the bombshell complaint being true came right after Combs filed a motion to dismiss the suit in the Southern District of New York on Monday, August 26. While Diddy is now out there alleging that Jones merely pushed the suit into focus to “generate media hype and exploit it to extract a settlement” the videographer held on firmly and said in his Rolling Stone interview that he will continue “standing up for justice.”
Lil Rod’s past connections with Diddy
Jones reportedly spent a year living and travelling with Combs. He also holds several credits for production on the disgraced singer’s 2023 The Love Album. And now, Diddy’s representatives are rubbishing Lil Rod’s grooming and assault claims, labelling them as “pure fiction” while insisting that he’s only invested in the civil suit because he sees it as a viable medium to extract an income for his contribution to the Bad Boy Records founder’s discography.
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Countering the fallen singer’s allegations in his latest motion, Jones called him a “monster,” adding that he’ll resort to any means necessary to “get exactly what he wants.”
“He doesn’t take no for an answer,” Jones told the magazine. “He [told me] himself, ‘I’ll smack my mama.’ Anybody who can say that even jokingly is a monster. He’s nothing to be played with. For a person whose brand is Love Records, and changed their name to Love and named their kid Love, he doesn’t show love. He’s just marketing.”
How Rodney Jones ended up witnessing alleged crimes (listed against Diddy’s name)
Building up his argument and further detailing his accusations against the fashion mogul in his suit, Jones foregrounded that after he was hired by Diddy two years ago, he got to live with him in three homes. These places were sites for alleged questionable actions and events. Jones says he was also pushed to engage in sex acts there, possibly even drugged and grouped on his genitals on multiple accounts by Jerry Maguire actor Cuba Gooding Jr.
Recalling an old Thanksgiving dinner, where he was asked to “do some drugs” after being roped into Diddy’s group, Jones claimed that he understood that no one from his inner circle would speak up against the pattern of abuse being witnessed as they had all signed nondisclosure agreements.
Branding Diddy as a “gatekeeper in the music industry,” Jones said that most people didn’t want to associate with him anymore because of his lawsuit against the rapper.
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“In this industry, to be successful, you have to have worked with someone like him or Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Kanye or 50 Cent. So many people I’ve worked with have had business deals with him. I reached out to try to get a deal for my album, and people don’t want to get involved.”
Diddy producer consumed by fears, left jobless after bombshell lawsuit
Explaining his current situation, Jones said that he’s been undergoing intensive therapy for the last few months. He’s broke and has no source of income. T-Pain somewhat pulled him out of the rut by offering a chance to step up at the Hollywood Bowl in June. However, even there, Jones’ “mind fell back into a trauma state. I didn’t want to walk to the bathroom without somebody being with me.”
The producer who worked on nine songs on The Love Album agreed with the sentiment that he’s been “blackballed” in the industry. “It feels like there are so many people quietly rooting for [Combs]. Or maybe they’re rooting for me and just scared to say something.” Jones even confessed to being plagued by suicidal thoughts as an aftermath of filing the suit against Diddy.
Though he outrightly calls P. Diddy out as a “crooked businessman,” Lil Rod admitted that his extensive connections made him “nervous travelling” to the point that he would ask hotels if there was a way to omit his name.
The producer wants to find his footing in the industry again. “I just hope that all this turns around for me so I can get back to doing the music I love. It’s killing me. It’s taking me out not doing it.” As of now, the focus is back on the Rodney Jones vs. Sean Combs civil case, and the former has until September 9 to decide the way forward in opposition to the latter’s Monday motion.
