Former Baby Boy rapper G. Dep stood outside a Manhattan courthouse on Monday (June 23) and made it clear he’s sticking by Sean “Diddy” Combs despite the embattled mogul’s serious legal troubles.
“I love him as a brother. I’m just coming to support him,” the former Bad Boy Records rapper told a TMZ reporter outside the building, where Diddy is facing a series of federal investigations tied to sexual assault and trafficking allegations.
Dep didn’t waver when asked about the accusations. “I’m not one to judge,” he said, adding that he “can’t in all good conscience” say that Diddy is guilty of the allegations he’s on trial for.
The Harlem native, who was released from prison in April after serving more than a decade for a 1993 murder he confessed to in 2010, also said he hopes he’s not the only one showing support.
“I would like to see it, but I don’t know,” he said when asked if other former Bad Boy artists might appear in court.
G. Dep Reunited With Diddy Shortly Before Arrest
So far, few artists from the label’s heyday have publicly backed Diddy as he faces a wave of legal fallout. But G. Dep, who made waves in the early 2000s with hits like “Special Delivery” and “Let’s Get It,” previously revealed he and Diddy had been reconnecting musically before the legal chaos began.
“I was playing music for him. He wanted to hear what I’ve got. We were talking about putting some stuff together. That’s what we do—make music,” he told AllHipHop shortly after Diddy’s arrest. “He was saying, ‘Yeah, I’ll probably put out more music.’ So we’ll see.”
In another interview, Dep also stated that he had never witnessed any of the behavior described in the lawsuits.
“I’m like, when? When did that happen?” he said. “We were in the studio for months on end. I don’t know where this is coming from.”
He added that Diddy deserves the “benefit of the doubt” until the courts decide otherwise.