Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ assault allegations lead to drop in rapper’s streaming activity

Streaming numbers declined after Combs issued an apology on Sunday for a resurfaced 2016 video. (Image via X)

The recent assault and harassment charges filed against Sean “Diddy’ Combs by the rapper’s then-long-time girlfriend and protégé, Casandra Ventura, or just commonly known as Cassie, has affected the rapper’s streaming activity immensely.

The hip-hop mogul’s U.S. catalog streams during the first week of December of 2023, just two weeks after Cassandra sued him, to the streams of his catalog during the week when the video footage of the rapper allegedly attacking Cassie was made public, has seen a major drop in the streams of his songs under the stage name Diddy. According to Luminate, a company that provides music and entertainment data, there was a 51.8 percent decrease for his songs, all the way up from 2,624,000 streams to 1,265,000 streams.

As Puff Daddy at the time, he experienced a comparable decline, with streams plummeting by 48.3 percent from 1,359,000 to 703,000.

The drop in the streaming numbers follows Combs' apology on Sunday for the resurfaced 2016 video, obtained by CNN, showing him assaulting Cassie. The singer recognized by her mononym in the R&B scene, was signed under Bad Boy Records, the label of her long-time partner. Their collaboration in 2006 yielded the popular track “Me & U,” and their romantic relationship lasted for more than ten years.

In the resurfaced video, Combs can be seen chasing after a woman, who appears to be Ventura. He then grabs her by the back of the neck, shoves her down the floor, kicks and stomps her, as he then drags her by her sweatshirt. A few moments later, the video shows Diddy returning to kick her again, and then also proceeding to hurl an object from a nearby table at her.

A 2016 surveillance video obtained by CNN shows Sean "Diddy" Combs violently grab, shove, drag and kick his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura during an altercation in a hotel in California. https://t.co/JrnJhWOaQt pic.twitter.com/xeRBtoGBDV

Related stories

• 
  Amazon Prime Video’s ad tier finds more viewers, reach surges past 50%
• 
  AI takes centre stage in entertainment; Indian studios gear up with dedicated divisions
• 
  No cheap thrills: Wonderla bets big on India’s growing appetite for adventure

— CNN (@CNN) May 17, 2024

Addressing the video, Combs took to his Instagram account and posted a video of him apologizing for his previously denied allegations. "I was disgusted when I did it. I'm disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry,” stated the rapper in the video.

Diddy’s last record, “The Love Album,” which released in 2023, garnered him a Grammy nomination, marking his first in two decades. However, amidst the surrounding controversies, Combs chose to skip the ceremony.

Throughout his career, he has achieved significant acclaim, winning three Grammy Awards, earning five No. 1 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, and securing 15 Top 10 hits.