(OPINION) Christian hip-hop artist Lecrae said he attended “a couple” of parties hosted by embattled music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, where he witnessed shocking acts of debauchery and “deeds of darkness.”
“I’ve been to a couple of Diddy parties, and I know I’m risking a lot by saying this,” the Grammy Award-winning artist said in a January episode of his “Deep End with Lecrae” podcast.
“If I don’t speak up, it’s like I’m covering for them. But if I do, I’m exposing it,” he said.
“There are people who will test you, see how far your limits are, and if you’re willing to take a step, they’ll take two,” he said. “It’s never a situation where I felt forced to participate, but rather asked if I would join in.”
At one party, Lecrae said an unnamed artist warned him about staying past a certain hour, hinting at activities the professing Christian might find objectionable. True to the warning, the party’s atmosphere shifted significantly.
“There was a couch and on the couch, I saw a couple of guys really going at it hard and heavy,” he recalled. “I’m thinking, well, you know, it’s a celebrity party, people do what they do.
As I started moving upstairs, I passed them up and I noticed that it wasn’t just those two guys. It was more and more people just going at it. I was like, OK, it’s time for me to roll. I’m gonna grab my stuff and I’m gonna get up out of here. I did not know that’s how this went down.”
According to the artist, he’s attended parties of numerous celebrities, including Jamie Foxx and Snoop Dogg, to both network and be a “light in the dark.”
“I’ll be honest, it was a mix of work, because this is oftentimes where you go to connect with people, where you go to meet people, and I’ve met people here and I have built bonds,” he said.
“And I have met actors and celebrities who said, ‘Man thank you for being here. I needed your presence here. You are the reason why I know God is walking with me.’ We’ve had conversations where they’re like, ‘Man, thank you so much. I appreciate you.’ How are you gonna be a light if you are never in the dark?”
The “Church Clothes” artist shared another experience, where actor and comedian Brandon T. Jackson approached Lecrae at one of these parties, warning him of the industry’s potential to “steal your soul.”
”I’ve been to tons of these industry events, like tons of them,” Lecrae said. “If you want to get in trouble you can … but it’s like, is that what you really want to do? You want to get yourself intertwined with the deeds of darkness and Satan and now you got to unwind yourself from all of that? Is that really what you desire?
Or do you want to be straight and narrow and go to bed at night with a clear conscience and wake up in the morning and see what God is doing? God is infinitely more powerful, and I rather trust in Him than all that nonsense.”
Diddy, previously known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and other names, is facing multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape. On Monday, federal agents with U.S. Homeland Security raided two of the rapper’s houses in Los Angeles and Miami amid the allegations.
