Akon is the latest music industry professional to comment on the multiple scandals Diddy is currently negotiating for alleged sexual assault and misconduct, and he has taken a relatively sympathetic tone.
On Friday (April 5), TMZ caught up with the “Lonely” hitmaker at LAX Airport in Los Angeles and asked him about the ongoing lawsuits and investigations into the Bad Boys mogul’s empire.
“The thing is I don’t really party much, so I couldn’t really speak much on it,” he said about the infamous “Diddy parties” that have repeatedly come up over the course of the developing ordeal. “But I would like to say, y’know … just pray for the man. God knows best — whatever’s happening, God’s dealing with it.
“It is very unfortunate that things in this business are always being exposed in certain ways and I think things can be done differently, but I think this is a matter for God to just continue dealing with how he’s dealing with.”
He added: “This the year of truth, at the end of the day. Things are going to be exposed, but how it’s exposed, to whom it’s exposed from […] Everyone’s going to have to answer for what we doing on this Earth.”
Last month, Fat Joe joined the chorus of people who have spoken about Diddy as the businessman’s troubles with the law continue to worsen.
The Terror Squad leader joined Hot 97 for an interview in late March, during which he shared his thoughts on the New York City native’s current struggles.
“What I can say in the most respectful way is, I don’t know all the details,” Joe said. “But I’ve been praying for him and his family. He’s my friend for 30 years. And so, I’m gonna just see what the outcome is, and I’m praying for the best thing for him, and his family, and everybody involved.”
He continued: “So I’m not disrespecting nobody. I’m just praying for this whole situation — this whole nightmare — I’m praying that it goes away.”
Maino voiced his solidarity with Diddy during a chat with The Baller Alert Show last week, comparing the numerous lawsuits against the Hip Hop veteran to the FBI’s COINTELPRO (COunterINTELligence PROgram), which targeted organizations such as the Black Panther Party that it viewed as subversive.
“[I]f you know anything about the ’60s and what they did with Black leadership and all that, these were some of the tactics,” he said. “To destroy you, basically they divide and conquer.
“COINTELPRO, what they would do was, they would put out misinformation. Have us looking at each other. They sending out letters and sending out things saying, this one talking about that one, this one got caught doing this. And it keeps us disorganized. Also, propaganda, which is fueled through the media, is a tool that’s always been used.”