Five more womenhave since filed lawsuits alleging Combs sexually assaulted themas far back as the early 1990s.
(Combs also is a defendant in a sexual assault lawsuitfiled against his son Christian King Combs.)
But the Bad Boy founder denied all the subsequent allegations.
Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones and Sean CombsCourtesy of Tyrone Blackburn; Prince Williams/WireImage
His lawyers called Jones a liar seeking an undeserved payday.
There was no RICO conspiracy and Mr. Jones was not threatened, groomed, assaulted, or trafficked.
Despite Combs denials, Jones, 38, has held firm.
As his lawsuit moves ahead, hes speaking out in his first interview.
My family consists of pastors, singers, musicians, and carpenters.
As a kid, 13 years old, I started doing recordings.
Before I knew it, it snatched me right out of school.
Ive worked with some of the greatest artists across different genres.
In the gospel industry: The Clark Sisters, Mary Mary, Donald Lawrence, Smokie Norful.
In the jazz world: Brian Culbertson.
In the hip-hop world: Jack Harlow [on Baxter Avenue] andT-Pain.
Im a singer and rapper who produces and plays multiple instruments.
Coming into the situation with Diddy, I put everything else on hold.
When you work on this jot down of album, it usually comes with respect.
How did you start working onThe Love Album?The first official meeting was in September 2022.
It was a writing camp at [Chalice Recording Studio in Los Angeles].
He said theyd give us our own room with musicians coming through to work with us.
When I got there, I was so confused because the parking lot was set up like a club.
Puff turned the parking lot into this whole experience.
There were free drinks, IV drips, massage therapists, basketball.
They tried to put me in a corner.
I was like, Im a musician, Ive got guitars, keyboards and basses in my trunk.
With me sticking around, people just started asking and needing me more.
I was sitting right there.
I said, I can play it.
I grew up playing in the church.
You do know what a bridge is?
I looked at him like, Bro.
For him to ask me that, he didnt have the slightest idea of my background.
From then on, my services were needed.
They gave me the task of training all the engineers and dealing with all the producers.
What was it like working with Diddy?His attitude is like zero to 100 in seconds.
Sometimes hes asking for something and he doesnt even know what hes asking for.
Hed be like, Yo, turn those little trinkles up.
I would look at him like, okay, the trinkles.
Id just constantly keep eye contact, and I can see when Im turning up something if its right.
Id get that nod.
I started to develop his ear too.
I understand music theory and professional terms.
I had to understand what hes trying to say and translate that.
Thats how we became close.
Hes not a musician.
Hes more like an executive.
It was giving him options.
There have been too many people trying to figure out where Im at.
My mom doesnt even know where I live.
Its been like that pretty much all year.
Your lawsuit alleges a pattern of abuse.
When did that allegedly start?One of the first moments that was very uncomfortable was around Thanksgiving.
Me and DeForrest were the only two flown to Miami.
Its Thanksgiving Day, and he has a table outside for the employees.
Hes inside, and he waves me in.
Im a little nervous but excited to be brought into the family dinner.
I felt privileged to be sitting there.
He introduced me and asked me to bless the food.
I realized theyre probably all under NDAs.
I dont like to sit uncomfortable too long, so I went to the studio.
About 10 minutes later, Puff comes rolling in with Yung Miami and others following behind.
Assistants were lighting candles, giving us cocktails.
He went in his bathroom attached to the studio and summoned me and DeForrest.
He asked me if I had a $100 bill.
There were three white lines on the sink.
He was asking me to do something Ive never done before.
He was trying to get me to do some drugs.
How do you describe Diddy?Hes a monster.
Hell do whatever is necessary to get exactly what he wants.
He doesnt take no for an answer.
He [told me] himself, Ill smack my mama.
Anybody who can say that even jokingly is a monster.
Hes nothing to be played with.
Where are you based these days?For safety reasons, Im not saying.
There have been too many people trying to figure out where Im at.
I moved locations, moved states.
My mom doesnt even know where I live.
Its been like that pretty much all year.
How has your battle with Diddy affected your career and personal life?Its been very, very tough.
Hes a gatekeeper in the music industry.
So many people Ive worked with have had business deals with him.
My album is finished.
Its mixed and mastered.
I just need someone to come in and help with marketing and the release.
I did the hard part.
But people are too scared, whatever their reasons are, to touch this.
Ive been told the best way to do it is independent.
But I have no engine.
Why do you need security?
Youre afraid of Diddy?Yes.
Ive never had so much hitting me at once.
Diddy has a lot of people on his payroll in a lot of different positions.
Its made me nervous traveling.
Going to hotels, I ask if theres any way to remove my name.
[The last time] I landed in L.A., I knew he had connections there.
I got off the plane worried.
I masked my face and changed my outfits, trying to disguise myself.
For sure I was uncomfortable, paranoid, afraid.
But I told myself, you cant keep living like this.
Ive got three therapists.
[In his lawsuit, Jones alleges Combs threatened him with physical harm.]
Everybody saw the video ofCassie.
This is who Im dealing with.
I was the band director, scored the orchestra parts, played the keys and bass guitar.
Ive been working with T-Pain the last couple years.
I helped produce his last album.
But doing that show, I had a couple mental breakdowns.
My anxiety was out the roof.
I saw different guys backstage I didnt know and got scared.
I wondered where the security was.
It made me very uncomfortable.
Its not a good feeling wondering if someone was there to attack me.
It was just hard for me to do my job comfortably.
Its definitely been challenging for sure.
Last year, I was touring arenas around the U.S.
This year, Ive only done a total of three gigs.
This has got me in a place where I dont know whats next.
The music business feels so corrupted.
I have a couple albums.
But the truth is, Im nervous.
Is it an overstatement to say you feel blackballed?Its not an overstatement.
It feels like there are so many people quietly rooting for [Combs].
Or maybe theyre rooting for me and just scared to say something.
Im blackballed, for sure.
Ive had many nights and weeks and months of suicidal thoughts.
Its the music that has kept me living all my life.
What do you want people to know about your situation?
Why speak out now?For some reason, our culture worships [Combs] and his billionaire status.
They dont want to see him fall because theyre living vicariously through him.
They have to understand Puffy is no god.
Hes nothing more than a shrewd, crooked businessman.
Hes stolen publishing for years.
Hes nothing but a thief.
He has no soul.
He lives off other peoples gifts and talents.
Its not a human way to live.
It got a Grammy nomination.
And Im sitting here doing nothing, unable to work.
This is not right.
He alleges he produced nine songs onThe Love Albumand hasnt been compensated for his work.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Combs said no such agreement was reached.
No other company has taken the steps that I have taken to give publishing rights back to artists.
What is your financial position right now?Im broke.
I have no source of income right now.
Every month Im trying to figure out how the bills are going to get paid.
I had my phone turned off for like 24 hours.
And a lot of people just sit back and watch.
But T-Pain is a real friend.
His team worked to confirm it was safe for me [to work the Hollywood Bowl show].
But there should be more artists like T-Pain having my back.
It was second nature.
I hadnt been doing live music for months and jumped right back onstage like I never left.
I was outside of the fear.
But you have to have extra patience [with other performers].
I didnt have the attitude I like to have when Im working with other people.
I was worried that if someone made a mistake, I would be on them.
The reality was, I just wanted my first show back to be perfect.
I rehearsed everybody 12 hours a day.
[Afterward] my mind fell back into a trauma state.
I didnt want to walk to the bathroom without somebody being with me.
What are you hoping for moving forward?Im hoping once I drop my album that people support it.
I hope that people get back to the reality of my music and my talent.
Anybody who knows me knows its real, raw talent.
Puffy is the executive producer who has the money.
It takes him months sometimes just to cut eight bars.
I could pick up a bass right now and play it.
I could pick up a keyboard right now and play it.
I play 13 instruments and can sing and rap and produce.
And Im sitting around and cant get a deal.
