For years, individuals have “heard grumblings and whispers” — as #MeToo founder Tarana Burke places it — concerning the questionable conduct of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
“However I believe the query,” Burke provides, “was there ever going to be any degree of accountability?”
5 months in the past, Combs’ life dramatically modified. Singer Cassie, the music mogul’s former companion and recording artist, sued him for sexual assault and stated he repeatedly raped and bodily abused her for almost a decade; they reached a settlement two days later. However subsequent lawsuits from extra ladies adopted with claims of rape and sexual assault, and in February producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones — who labored on Combs’ current Grammy-nominated album — accused the entrepreneur of harassing and trafficking him. Christian Combs, the entertainer’s 26-year-old son, has been accused of intercourse assault in a lawsuit filed this week that additionally listed 54-year-old Combs as a defendant, a number of shops reported.
Whereas Combs has denied all the allegations, his properties have been raided by federal brokers, he misplaced a number of model offers and he stepped down as CEO of Revolt, the tv community he constructed.
“What’s attention-grabbing about Diddy is — completely different from different moments that we’ve seen round Russell Simmons or R. Kelly — the zeitgeist has modified and persons are able to imagine the survivors who’re coming ahead,” Burke tells The Hollywood Reporter.
“I believe there’s some unpacking to do there across the why. I wish to imagine loads of it’s as a result of the bottom has been set, due to what we’ve seen. For years and years and years, individuals didn’t imagine these of us who have been saying R. Kelly was harmful. Even after the #MeToo motion burst onto the scene, it nonetheless took a monumental effort,” Burke says, referring to the #MuteRKelly marketing campaign and the Emmy-nominated docuseries Surviving R. Kelly. “That’s the distinction: in our neighborhood — communities of shade, significantly Black communities — we haven’t had the posh of with the ability to come ahead. So this Diddy second is indicative of loads of change that began from the hashtag going viral to now.”
Within the interview with THR beneath, Burke discusses Combs, the homophobia within the Black neighborhood round his allegations and “why the motion needs to be larger than Diddy.”
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Some individuals really feel just like the #MeToo motion in music hasn’t been unpacked like different industries. With the tales popping out about Diddy, may there be a domino impact?
Sure. As a result of persons are believing [the victims]. The distinction is that folks didn’t imagine the ladies.
I’ve heard continually, since 2017, “When are we going to have a #MeToo motion in hip-hop? When are we going to have a #MeToo motion in music?” My response to that’s, “When are we going to permit it?” The motion isn’t predicated on singular individuals. However I acknowledge and perceive how symbolic it’s for people after they see an enormous particular person be held accountable for misdeeds that they’ve been listening to about. R. Kelly was an enormous determine in music that didn’t trigger the “domino impact”; Russell Simmons didn’t trigger the “domino impact”; Trey Songz didn’t. There have been many various people, even non-Black individuals. Marilyn Manson.
There have been figures of non-Black males who’ve been known as out and accused within the final seven years. Actions are made of individuals, they’re not manufactured from hashtags. And so the motion that folks wish to see needs to be the motion that we demand. So if we wish to see a domino impact and we wish to see extra of this occur and extra accountability, individuals need to demand extra accountability.
As we watch this factor unfold, I simply really need individuals to know that that is larger than Diddy. The hurt is larger than Diddy, and that’s why the motion needs to be larger than Diddy. That’s the foremost motive for this stuff to be large and public — as a result of it turns into a blueprint for what’s doable for a similar type of violence occurring throughout our communities. As a result of we all know that all the things that occurred in a mansion in Hollywood, Miami and the Caribbean occurred in some form, type or vogue in our properties and in our communities.
The web has been stuffed with memes and jokes concerning the Diddy allegations. What do you make of that?
What I really like about my of us, Black of us, is that we’ll discover humor in all the things. It’s one of many issues that’s most stunning about us and, in moments like this, it’s one of many issues that’s laborious to carry. As a result of, within the midst of all of the Diddy memes and jokes which can be flying in all places, we’re forgetting anyone who’s learn these authorized paperwork. These issues are horrific.
The allegations of the issues that he did, and made individuals do — that’s horrible. They’re actual human beings behind these phrases which can be typed in these paperwork. These are actual individuals. It takes me again to the R. Kelly jokes. We will scale back it to a joke, and it minimizes the depravity, and it takes the highlight off of who we ought to be speaking about, that are the individuals who needed to endure that.
A component right here that we additionally don’t discuss with Diddy is the homophobia. Sure, there’s stuff about Cassie that folks dismiss as, “Effectively, she was his girlfriend and he or she wished to get some cash. She knew what was happening. Oh, however Diddy may be doing this to males” — then it turns into a joke. Then it turns into: These males usually are not actually victims. We don’t take into consideration them as survivors, we don’t take into consideration them as susceptible. We don’t take into consideration any of these issues. It doesn’t change into about victim-hood, it turns into nearly a chance to choose aside homosexuality and make it into some type of depravity. So there’s a nuance there about this specific case that doesn’t present safety for different individuals, for different survivors.
Are you shocked to see a few of this taking part in out the way in which it’s in the case of Diddy?
I’m. I’m very shocked. I’m shocked to see it occur in a means like, “Wow, this took so lengthy and we watched it for therefore lengthy. We type of knew no matter might be occurring.” I’m shocked due to how large he’s. [Also], you possibly can’t presumably suppose you’re going to get away with it ceaselessly.
To return to the motion angle of it, I believe the world is altering. I believe exterior of the remark sections of the web, I believe younger persons are means much less tolerant of this sort of violence, this sort of depravity and deviance being mainstreamed, and are far more keen to name it out. In order that’s useful too.
Diddy has offered the soundtrack to loads of Black individuals’s lives — and a few in the neighborhood don’t wish to imagine what’s happening and others are believing the victims. Are you able to discuss that advanced nature when allegations are introduced up a few historic determine within the Black neighborhood?
I believe these are the precise phrases. It’s advanced. However it’s doable to embrace complexity. And now we have now expertise with that. We now have come via a number of individuals — Invoice Cosby, Russell Simmons, R. Kelly — these are individuals who within the Black neighborhood particularly held very particular locations; there are such a lot of individuals who maintain on to idolizing them whatever the accusations and whatever the convictions.
However there are others who’re like, “Wow, I believe Invoice Cosby is tremendous flawed, however I actually love The Cosby Present.” I believe we have now to sit down with that complication and other people need to make decisions which can be proper for them.
Michael Jackson‘s one other one, proper? There are tons of people that wholeheartedly don’t imagine that there’s a factor. After which there are different individuals who realize it of their coronary heart they usually’re like, “I don’t care.” The individuals sit elsewhere about him. It’s positive. However I actually really feel like what’s necessary in our neighborhood is that we’re speaking about sexual violence. What we do loads of instances is put blinders on. We don’t wish to give it some thought. We don’t wish to think about it.
It’s going to be the identical factor with Diddy, proper? It’s almost inconceivable in case you are of a sure age [to escape Diddy’s influence on pop culture]. The opposite day I used to be within the retailer and [the Diddy-produced 1996 hit] “The Issues That You Do” by Gina Thompson got here on, and that’s one among my favourite songs. That’s how we met Missy Elliott. You aren’t dismissing Missy by any stretch of creativeness. That’s not even a factor. So Diddy leads us to all of those different individuals, it’s nearly like he [connects the dots] from Unhealthy Boy Information.
So I doubt that folks will launch that music or will launch the cultural presents that we received from his abilities. However we should embrace the fact of what we’re seeing and listening to. I personally can’t hearken to R. Kelly as a result of it simply disgusts me; you hearken to his lyrics, you possibly can hear remnants of him speaking about younger ladies. I can’t put my music earlier than my integrity and what it makes me really feel. I additionally take into consideration what it says to different individuals — what does it say to different survivors to listen to me say, “Effectively, I don’t care.” I’ve to take that into consideration. And I believe the identical factor will occur with Diddy. Folks will resolve whether it is an excessive amount of or too poisonous. I believe these of us who’ve learn the authorized paperwork will most likely be like, “Oof.”
Diddy could be very linked and loads of his movie star associates and friends — who’ve supported victims prior to now — have been silent. Why do you suppose that’s?
I’ve been labeled as this one who hates Black males, which couldn’t be furthest from the reality. I don’t like Black males who abuse individuals. I don’t like all one who abuses individuals. I don’t care who you’re, the way you determine. So I perceive that.
I really feel just like the worry is multilayered. I believe individuals worry being ostracized. I believe we get actually protecting about our of us. In a case like this with Diddy, in case you’re within the trade although, he’s nonetheless highly effective. There’s nonetheless tentacles. There’s people who find themselves Diddy adjoining who could also be watching and trying to see how persons are transferring. [What] if he comes via all of this clear and goes to Bali after which rebuilds?
If he wins in court docket, you and I do know this complete state of affairs, and also you and I do know that Black persons are so forgiving, so he may have a smudge on his title. He’ll have an asterisk subsequent to his title. However we might be taking a look at three years from now — look, Russell Simmons is strolling round. This can be a serial scenario and he’s managed to shift the narrative. I take into consideration this on a regular basis as a result of so many individuals all the time ship these things to me — MC Lyte was out in Bali with Russell Simmons; Jessica Care Moore, the poet, was out in Bali with Russell Simmons.
These are beloved and revered and adored and revered Black ladies. Taraji [P. Henson] has been out to Bali with Russell Simmons, and he all the time posts these photos. So what message does that ship to the survivors? Black ladies again right here who’re like, “What about us? I assumed you stood with Black ladies.” Not simply his survivors, however different survivors who supported this, who’re like, “Lastly, any person like Russell Simmons will be held accountable.” You don’t suppose that may occur to Diddy? In fact it might.
I may actually see a world the place he wins his circumstances, settles all of the civil fits, goes quiet, comes again with a monster album or produces some monster album, and does a few tasks; spreads some cash round to some good causes, rehabilitates this factor, and in 2027, it’s love, love, love, love, and it’s, “Oh, he paid his debt to society, y’all.” And I’m really not against a pathway again for anyone. The issue is when the pathway again excludes the individuals you harmed.
I say this on a regular basis: sexual violence occurs on the spectrum, so accountability ought to occur on the spectrum. What most survivors [and] individuals who help this motion are on the lookout for is accountability. You need us to help you and purchase your merchandise, and we made you these hundreds of thousands and hundreds of thousands of {dollars}, so there’s a degree of accountability that claims, “I took your belief in who I used to be alleged to be.”
And Diddy, particularly, set himself out as a job mannequin for Black individuals. He’s like, “I really like my individuals. I would like y’all to vote. I would like y’all to be good individuals. I would like y’all to go to highschool. I would like you to have companies.” So that you set your self out as a job mannequin, and you’ve got destroyed that.