Joe Jonas Drops ‘Diddy’ Lyric From DNCE’s ‘Cake By the Ocean’ Amid Sean Combs’ Sex Trafficking Indictment
Warning: the following story includes references to sexual assault.
Joe Jonas is the latest artist to remove a lyric referencing disgraced Bad Boy Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs amid the latter’s escalating sexual abuse scandal. Fan-shot footage of a Jonas Brothers show at LDLC Arena in Lyon, France last Saturday appeared to show Jonas eliding Combs’ name in a lyric from his DNCE side band’s 2015 hit “Cake By the Ocean.”
The original lyric went: “Walk for me, baby/ I’ll be Diddy, you’ll be Naomi, woah-oh.” But in the clips from last weekend, Jonas seemed to omit Diddy’s name and just mention supermodel Naomi Campbell. The move is the latest example of a musician deleting a lyrical nod to Combs, coming on the heels of Kesha’s move to excise a key lyric in her 2009 song “Tik Tok” earlier this year.
After tweaking the lyrics during a spot on Reneé Rapp’s Coachella festival set in April to proclaim “f–k P. Diddy,” Kesha announced in May that she would only perform the new lyrics going forward in light of the horrific allegations against Combs, which have landed the once high-flying music and fashion mogul behind bars on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution.
In the original song, Kesha sang “Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy.” Asked in May by TMZ if the change was permanent, Kesha said, “Yes, it will be [permanent]. The fans should learn it for my upcoming [shows]. I want to hear it louder than ever. I stand by that.”
Combs has been denied bail twice in the case, leaving him behind bars until the start of his trial on charges that could land the once formidable 54-year-old star in prison for the rest of his life; Combs has denied all the charges.
Just this week, a lawyer in Houston threatened to file civil sexual abuse lawsuits on behalf of more than 120 people alleging abuse dating back to 1991, including 25 allegedly involving minors who claim they were allegedly assaulted by Combs. Attorney Tony Buzbee said more than 3,000 individuals have contacted his office so far, with the lawyer saying that he plans to start filing the cases within the month.
Combs attorney Erica Wolff strongly denied the allegations from Buzbee, saying, “As Mr. Combs’ legal team has emphasized, he cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus. That said, Mr. Combs emphatically and categorically denies as false and defamatory any claim that he sexually abused anyone, including minors. He looks forward to proving his innocence and vindicating himself in court, where the truth will be established based on evidence, not speculation.”
Once one of the most powerful and influential figures in music, Combs was indicted by federal prosecutors last month on multiple charges that allege he was the figurehead of a massive criminal operation for decades aimed at satisfying his need for “sexual gratification.” To date, 12 victims have filed civil sexual abuse cases against Combs over the past year.
“For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” prosecutors wrote in the indictment. “To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources and the influence of his multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled.”
Last week, Combs was hit with yet another civil lawsuit alleging that he repeatedly drugged and sexually assaulted an unnamed model over a four-year period — from 2020 until earlier this year. The details in those claims closely match the allegations made by federal prosecutors in their sweeping indictment that included details of “elaborate and produced,” drug-fueled “freak off” sexual performances between the victims and male sex workers during which Combs would masturbate.
Watch the Jonas lyric change below.
Gil Kaufman
Billboard
