Long before Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ history of abuse came to light, alarm bells rang whenever Mark Ronson found himself around the now-disgraced hip-hop mogul.
“For all the gigs I played for Puff, he probably spoke five sentences to me. But even to me, the DJ, he emitted a chaotic energy that left me both starstruck and deeply unnerved,” Ronson writes in his new memoir, Night People: How to Be a DJ in ’90s New York City (out Tuesday, September 16), using Diddy’s former stage name Puff Daddy.
Ronson, 50, says it became “abundantly clear” to him in the mid-1990s that Diddy, 55, “wielded a tremendous amount of power and cachet” on the Manhattan club scene.
“He made people’s careers — playing gigs for him certainly helped mine — and his disapproval meant a certain kind of exile,” Ronson writes, adding that “nobody thought of Puffy as a rapper,” only as “a force who could will anything into existence, no matter the cost.”
“He took over downtown — and then the Hamptons — until the whole city seemed to revolve around him and his parties,” Ronson continues. “I’m sure he thought I was a great DJ, but on his mission to shake up New York society, it didn’t hurt to have a fresh-faced white kid from a nice family in the booth. When I got booked to play his parties, I’d look to the VIP area and see people like Muhammad Ali, Martha Stewart, Denzel [Washington] and the Duchess of York [Sarah Ferguson] all mingling. Everyone went.”
Ronson notes that “back then, the only controversy surrounding Puff was around the music,” but nearly three decades later, “horrific allegations of what was also going on beneath the surface” began to come out.
Us Weekly has reached out to Diddy’s lawyers for comment.
In November 2023, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend Cassie filed a lawsuit against the Bad Boy Records founder alleging rape, physical abuse and sex trafficking. He denied the claims and settled with her less than 24 hours later for $20 million.
Diddy was then arrested in September 2024 on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Diddy’s trial began in May and included testimonies from Cassie, 39, rapper Kid Cudi and 32 other witnesses. In July, the jury found the Grammy winner guilty of the two prostitution counts but acquitted him of the three more serious charges.
Diddy has remained in jail since his arrest and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 3. He faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars.
In addition to the criminal charges, Diddy has been hit with dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of decades of sexual abuse. He continues to maintain his innocence.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
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