The self-described “Helen of Troy” of the hip hop scene, Carmen Bryan, has broken her silence to launch an attack against Jay-Z, after allegations of him sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs surfaced last Sunday (December 8).
The 52-year-old, who at one point was pregnant with the rapper’s son during a nine-year affair, wrote a couple of cryptic messages on her Instagram. “These days, people don’t defend what is right; they defend who they like! And that’s why we call you ‘groupie,'” one of them read.
The other was a picture highlighting the lyrics from Kanye West’s Monster, in which Jay-Z describes himself as a sexual abuser.
“Kill a block, I murder the avenues, I Rape and pillage your village, women and children,“ the song says.
Carmen Bryan, an executive who got pregnant with Jay-Z’s child after a 9-year-affair, broke her silence amid the rapper’s recent lawsuit involving a minor
Carmen Bryan made waves in 2006 by releasing a tell-all autobiography called It’s No Secret. In it, she described her experiences working as an assistant at Def Jam and Capitol Records, eventually becoming the centerpiece of a love triangle between her and hip-hop stars Nas and Jay-Z.
Besides giving birth to Nas’ daughter, Destiny Jones, in June 1994, Carmen got pregnant with Jay-Z’s baby but miscarried it. In the book, she describes his relationship with Jay-Z as emotional and passionate, going beyond just a physical affair.
Carmen also explains how the use of potent drugs and violent relationships heavily influenced the environment at the production companies. She confesses to being a regular user of marijuana and ecstasy pills, which was a daily habit of her circle at the time.
Carmen eventually ended things with Jay-Z after he rapped about having sex with her in his song Supa Ugly. The track, released in 2004, includes crude and vengeful lyrics in which the rapper talks about their encounter in a Jeep.
Jay-Z’s alleged victim is being represented by Tony Buzbee, a high-profile Texas attorney who claims to advocate for more than 150 people who were abused by Diddy
The civil lawsuit against Jay-Z accuses him of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl alongside Sean Combs. According to the document, the crime allegedly occurred at a party after the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards.
To protect her identity, the accuser identified herself only as Jane Doe. She described how the two men assaulted her at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
Jane is being represented by Tony Buzbee, a high-profile Texas attorney who, according to his website, is “characterized by his aggressive legal tactics.“
The site also boasts of his “knack for turning complex legal battles into public narratives that resonate with juries and the public alike.”
Buzbee is not only defending Jane, however, as his firm is representing more than 150 people—both men and women—who allege sexual abuse and exploitation at the hands of Sean Combs.
According to the attorney, most of the victims were individuals who were abused at parties in New York, Florida, and California after being given drinks laced with drugs.
In response to the lawsuit, Jay-Z issued a lengthy statement in which he categorically denied the claims made against him
“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,“ the document read.
“No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a very public fashion. So no, I will not give you one red penny!”
The rapper waved off Buzbee’s maneuver as nothing more than “theatrics,” calling him a “deplorable human.”
“I promise you I have seen your kind many times over. I’m more than prepared to deal with your type. You claim to be a marine? Marines are known for their valor; you have neither honor nor dignity,” Jay-Z wrote.
The rapper then painted himself and others in his circle as having higher moral standards than the lawyer.
“You have made a terrible error in judgment thinking that all “celebrities“ are the same. I’m not from your world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn,“ he added.
“We don’t play these types of games. We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children; you seem to exploit people for personal gain.”
Netizens were unconvinced by the rapper’s letter and gave credence to Carmen’s comments in the wake of the disturbing allegations
“His lyrics are quite disturbing,“ a reader pointed out. “Unfortunately, men like him have power and money to hire the best attorneys to defend them, and some may have connections which could scare other women from coming forward.“
Others labeled the contents of his statement as “absurd“ in light of his past.
“Laughable that he claims to be a family man now. He can’t erase a drug dealing past that he was always so proud of. Imagine his kids hearing some of his lyrics,“ another said.
“The abuse toward women is apparent in these songs if you listen. Almost something they’re proud of,” a user said.
One particular netizen perfectly summed up the public’s reaction to the scandal as a whole.
“Some of the mainstream rap/R&B artists have spent the last twenty years performing PR cleanups as their wealth has increased,” they said.
“Trying to appear more legitimate as celebrities rather than gangsta. Photo ops at Lakers games and fashion shows. But if you look back at where they started, the misogyny, violence, and shootings. The past always catches up, no matter how much wealth and influence you acquire.”
“He should be in jail.” Netizens called for the arrest of Jay-Z, undeterred by his claims of innocence
