Jay-Z
American rapper and entrepreneur, Shawn Carter, popularly known as Jay-Z, has strongly denied allegations of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 alongside music mogul Sean Combs, also known as Diddy.
The allegations were brought forward in a civil lawsuit filed by lawyer Tony Buzbee, accusing Jay-Z of statutory rape.
Responding swiftly via his social media on Sunday, Jay-Z dismissed the claims as “false and blackmail” and challenged Buzbee to pursue a criminal case instead of a civil one.
In his statement, Jay-Z said, “My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect!”
He further stated, “These allegations are so heinous in nature that I implore you to file a criminal complaint, not a civil one! Whomever would commit such a crime against a minor should be locked away, would you not agree?”
The lawsuit comes in the wake of Diddy’s recent arrest in September by Homeland Security on charges including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and interstate transportation for prostitution.