“I have so much money now that I could hire someone to kill you and no one would learn it. You wouldn’t miss anyone. No one would learn anything. ” The former music director, Daniel Evansstill remembers the threat from his old boss, Sean “Diddy” Combsthen known as Puff Daddy. It was 1997, he says, in the office of Grammy Music Award -winning, Combs Bad Boy Records in New York.

The Compon He was already “irritable”, but Evans says that power changed him. A few days ago, the hip-hop tycoon had received his biggest reward until then -6 million-to mark the success of the record label, which was proud of artists who were “selling”, made platinum records such as “The Notorious Big ».

That year, Kobs’ musical career reached its climax, with its empire spreading to fashion soon. Nearly three decades later, his universe has collapsed as he is in prison waiting for his trial for very serious charges: sexual attacks, rape, trafficking, drug trafficking and the list is not over. The lawsuits are dozens, but he denies all the categories.

The BBC spoke with more than 20 people who worked with the tycoon at Bad Boy Records – including former executives, assistants and producers – who describe incidents for the first time during the “golden” 1990s.

Some executives say they had concerns when they saw the rapper having sex with women in the studio, including an incident where the employee says the young woman did not seem to react when she entered. Another staff member complained that the Sean “Diddy” Combs asked him to bring condoms.

There are also complaints that corporate funds were used to move women from all over the US for sex, at the request of artists and other employees. “There was a behavior that became more glaring over time and this behavior goes back to the 90’s”says Tony Buzbee, a lawyer, who represents dozens of victims.

One of his clients claims that the rapper raped her on the bathroom floor at a party for “Notorious Big”, the record of the record label in 1995.

According to the lawsuit, the rapper then told her not to tell anyone else would “disappear” her. COMBS’s legal team accused Buzbee of being more interested in promoting than the truth.

Became a millionaire from day to day

The Sean “Diddy” Combs became a millionaire from day to day, when he founded Bad Boy Records in 1993, having the leading artists in his “business”. It was the first venture of the musician, who had already created a name for himself as a talent director in another music company, Uptown Records, at the age of 19. “He said he wanted to become one of the greatest artists in the world and didn’t matter if I believed him or not.”remembers Jimmy Maynes, his former colleague in Uptown.

He was easily annoyed, sometimes beating his hands on the desk like a “spoiled child” and shouted if his own was not done. Eventually he was fired from Uptown and at the age of 23 he started Bad Boy Records.

“He is the toughest worker I have ever met and always wanted people to keep up with his energy”Says Daniel Evans, a senior executive who managed the recording budgets and artists’ contracts from 1994 to 1997.

The Compts described himself as “Great Gatsby” and quickly became known for the nights with celebrities in New York nightclubs, on the beaches of Cancun and later in the famous “White Party”, which were so named by the all -white clothing code. in Hamptons.

Diddy

Even Donald Trump attended events in the 1990s, says Evans, who once saw him sitting on a golden throne on the 30th birthday of the tycoon and exclaimed: “I’m the real King of New York!”.

In the 2000s, the recording studio of “Daddy’s House” changed, say two former staff members, in a culture “Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll. “ The compress regularly brought “random women” there for a party, appearing with a accompaniment of dozens of people with “three white jeeps, with white wheels and white leather seats”. Other artists were demanding vodka suitcases and someone even brought a monkey to a session, according to a former executive. The studio is one of the sites where women accuse “Diddy” of falling and raping them.