Bow Wow has broken his silence on the legal troubles Diddy is facing, and in doing so, has revealed that he and Jermaine Dupri had a conversation about the situation in private.
During a recent appearance on the More To The Story podcast with Rocsi Diaz, Bow Wow opened up about the mounting allegations surrounding Diddy, who faces charges of sex trafficking and racketeering after being indicted last month. While speaking about the current void in the industry due to his belief that younger, up-and-coming artists don’t have big homies, Bow Wow expressed his disbelief and sorrow over the developments that have come to light following Diddy’s arrest. Reflecting on the situation, Bow Wow highlighted the deep impact it’s had on him and the industry.
“It’s crazy for me,” Bow Wow shared. “I can’t, nah, I would’ve never thought it would — If it is the end, this would be the story of how it would end. It ain’t supposed to end like this.”
He continued, “For me, thinking on it, bro, supposed to be on a 250 foot yacht with his wife leg up, chilling. This how you ride it out.”
Despite longstanding rumors surrounding Diddy, Bow Wow admitted he never expected things to escalate to this point. He even stressed his belief that Diddy was the “gatekeeper” of the industry prior to his criminal case and explained how he feels there is something missing in his abscence.
“Nah, he’s like the gatekeeper to the game,” Bow Wow said. “To the point to where what weekend has passed, BET award weekend, like the past two, they just didn’t feel right. There was no motion, there was no parties. There was nowhere to go.”
Bow Wow went on to briefly speak on the specifics of the conversation he had with Jermaine Dupri, revealing that the pair couldn’t get over how Diddy could be as major of a figure as he is in the industry while such criminal activity was going on.
“How monumental and how important he was to the culture,” he said in part. “Because I said, Jermaine [Dupri], there’s no parties. Every year, dude [Diddy] had the [parties]. And you feel it. It’s like a hole. It’s like, ‘damn, we ain’t going.…he was everything. Hip hop, you know what I mean?”
He added, ” So for that to die out, it’s like you just would’ve never thought, and especially when you look at somebody as somebody, you study, somebody, you idolize somebody who you looked at like, yo, when it comes to hustle, when it comes to business and how to run your s##t, it’s like he was the guy that every young hustler looked up to and wanted to either be like or wanted to, ‘I’m going to pass this n###a.’
Bow Wow’s collaboration history with Diddy includes tracks like “Let’s Get Down,” where the two artists joined forces to create a classic club hit. Their professional relationship extended beyond music, with Diddy acting as a mentor and major influence on Bow Wow’s hustle in the entertainment industry.
While Bow Wow lamented the impact Diddy’s downfall could have on the culture and expressed sympathy for his children, the legal situation remains dire. Diddy, who was arrested and charged, is set to face trial on May 25, 2025. Authorities have accused him of orchestrating a sex trafficking ring involving young women across state lines, and the charges also allege financial and operational misconduct in his business dealings.
Watch the clip from the interview above.