As Sean Combs (a.k.a. P. Diddy) remains incarcerated in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center after his arrest in New York in September, the bulk of his famous friends have remained silent. Only a handful of stars have seen fit to comment on Combs’ legal woes, which include various charges and a copious amount of lawsuits. Now, Diddy – Dirty Money alum Kalenna Harper shared some praise for her former collaborator. She also shared some candid thoughts about the rumors regarding Combs' personality.
The 42-year-old songstress recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview, during which she discussed her life, career and more. When she spoke with Breakbeat Media, P. Diddy came up early in the conversation. Kalenna Harper admitted that aside from experiencing marriage and motherhood, her time as part of Diddy’s aforementioned trio was one of the best times in her life. She then proceeded to discuss what she admires about the Sean John founder:
Fucking Sean Combs is like, bigger than life. I mean, first of all, Sean has always been somebody that I wanted to be like. He’s always been somebody who inspired me, as a Black man, with a voice. He’s larger than life, he gets what he wants, he goes out for it, he’s a hard worker. So, leading up to meeting Puff, it was all about being great enough for him to see that. Not the work ethic, but the actual talent. And he’s great at picking that out of the crowd, but he’s also great at getting you to realize it. It’s not hard for him to hype up a party or hype up a studio or just be the energy. He’s that guy. He makes everything the shit. Like yo, ‘Hold on, energy’s down. Everybody come on. Let’s wake up.’ He’s that guy. He’s coffee. He is the cocaine – the white, pure cocaine – to everything that’s fly. He’s that.
Philadelphia native Kalenna Harper joined Diddy – Dirty Money, alongside Sean Combs and Dawn Richard upon its formation in 2009. The group was eventually signed to Combs’ Bad Boy Records label. In time, the trio found success, and that was in great part due to their debut album – Last Train to Paris – which featured the hit single “Coming Home.” They produced other tracks like “Your Love” and “Ass on the Floor,” before essentially coming to an end in 2012.
Via the various lawsuits Sean Combs is facing, plaintiffs have made claims about his personality. Some have referred to him as domineering, with some even claiming that they’ve been blackballed by him for not seeing eye to eye with him. Amid her interview, which is available to watch on YouTube, the Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta alum weighed in on Combs’ persona and how she reconciles it with her own experiences with him. She herself referred to the “rumors,” and clarified what she meant by saying the following:
[Those rumors being that] he’s a tyrant, he’s the devil, he is evil, he is selfish and greedy. I never heard he was freaky 69 god, but that’s the vibes you get. ‘Don’t fuck with that [racial slur], or you’re career’s gonna be over. He’s gonna block you forever.’ I can’t say that’s not true, but my experience with him superseded those rumors.
Sean Combs was arrested months after federal agents raided his homes as part of an investigation linked to sex trafficking. Documents, devices and bottles of lubricant were recovered as part of the searches. After his arrest, a 14-page indictment was made public and detailed charges of alleged sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, arson, racketeering and more. Even before the raids and arrests, Combs was facing a handful of lawsuits, with the first major one involving his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. That suit was settled less than 24 hours after it was filed. More recently, Tony Buzbee – a Texas-based lawyer – confirmed he was representing 120 people who were suing Diddy. Those suits have gradually been filed in recent weeks and have leveled claims of sexual assault, violence and more against Combs, who has denied wrongdoing.
Among those who’ve filed suit against Diddy is Dawn Richard, who accused the “Come with Me” performer of commiting sexual abuse against her for over a decade. During her interview, Kalenna Harper discussed Richard’s legal filing, admitting that she was “angry and pissed” over it. Harper viewed it as a “rib shot” and reasoned that “if something was ever going on” with Richard, “all she had to do was say something.”
Kalenna Harper joins the likes of Ray J and Nick Cannon, who’ve shared their own experiences with P. Diddy as the rapper’s legal troubles continue to play out. Cannon talked about partying with the mogul in the early aughts and said that he had “nothing to hide.” While discussing the matter, Ray J spoke about the need for accountability within the hip hop community. Whether other stars will follow in Harper and the others’ footsteps by talking about Diddy – who’s sex-trafficking trial is set for May 2025 – remains to be seen.
