Back From The Brink … Again

Ebony, June, 2001 by Kevin Chappell

SEAN COMBS confronts another continuing questions about his career and love life

POWERLESS. That's the way Sean (Puffy) Combs says he felt during his bribery and gun possession trial, where he was forced to sit in court and listen to the district attorney paint him as a dangerous thug who believed that his money and fame put him above the law.

The man who has called the shots from the time he was a 20-year-old record company executive admits that he became truly scared and, for the first time in his life, felt there was nothing he could do to control his own destiny.

"I knew these cats were serious from the get-go," the 31-year-old music mogul said in an exclusive interview with EBONY. "But I still had trouble understanding how big of a deal the prosecutors were making out of what they claimed I had done."

It wasn't supposed to be this way. When his colleague and friend, singer Biggie Smalls, was gunned down in 1997, Combs had made a vow to himself and his fans not to live a life that would lead him down the same self-destructive path. But a little more than a year later, he was at the center of another controversy, arrested and charged with second-degree assault and criminal mischief after allegedly beating up a record company executive after a disagreement over the airing of a video. The charges were dropped, and once again Combs vowed to distance himself from the mindless violence that has dogged rap since its creation on the streets of New York City some two decades ago. But then, months after he pulled back from the brink of that potential disaster, he was confronted with his most serious charges yet--carrying a gun to a New York nightclub, and attempting to bribe witnesses. But, once again, he lived to see another day when a majority-Black jury found him innocent of all charges.

"I always had my faith in God. I never panicked," says Combs, whose rap protege, Jamal (Shyne) Barrow, was found guilty of assault, reckless endangerment, and gun possession charges in connection with the same club shootout. "I kept my faith in God. I believed that he was going to work it out. No matter the outcome, you have to keep your faith strong. I give all glory to God for this situation, with my life and everything. I said that after the trial, and I repeat it. No matter how good my lawyers were, how much money I had, how much fame or success, the only thing that pulled me out of this situation was God."

Combs, who has produced somewhere around a half-billion dollars of music since founding Bad Boy Entertainment in 1992, gives praise to Johnnie Cochran and his top-dollar legal staff for the representation given to him. He calls Cochran "family" and says the famed attorney "is like an older mentor to me." Meanwhile, Cochran called the verdict a "wake-up call" for Puffy and said the rapper has taken to reading the 23rd Psalm in the Bible.

But Combs' media nightmare was not over. A few weeks later, after a mega-media breakup with girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, the rapper/businessman was arrested in Miami for driving a scooter with a suspended driver's license.

Through all of this, Puffy was sustained by the strong support of his mother, Janice Combs, who kept telling him that everything was okay. "She knew I was innocent," he says. "She said she was going to sit here every day and not leave my side. Mothers are always there for you."

Puffy says he tried to be open and explain the situation to his two sons, Justin and Christian. "My children were there through the whole situation. I told them the truth," he says. "The ugly days I had to tell them the ugly stuff, and the good days, I'd tell them the good stuff. I had to always tell them that it was going to be okay, no matter what. Daddy didn't have a gun and now it's in God's hands."

Combs says that while he regrets what his children went through, he doesn't harbor ill will toward anyone. "I don't have animosity against anyone. I just feel truly blessed. I'm not happy that it went that way, but at the same time, I'm just so appreciative that it's over. I don't want to look back. I don't want to have any negative energy. I asked God for forgiveness for the people who [testified against him] and asked God for forgiveness for the prosecutor."

Soon after he was acquitted, Combs, who had broken up with girlfriend Jennifer Lopez during the trial, crossed paths with her at a post-Academy Awards party. It was the first night Lopez had gone out in public with her new beau, Cris Judd, holding hands as they entered the Beverly Hills restaurant where the party was being held. Nervous guests watched as Combs spotted Lopez, and made his way toward the diva and her date. But instead of creating a scene, he kissed the scantily clad Lopez on the cheek, and shook hands with Judd. "I'll always love her," he says. "I just want her to be happy."

But Combs says don't worry about him. He says he will continue to strive to be the ultimate Renaissance man, a music mogul and entertainment giant looking to control all things media. He says that while he'll continue to produce records for other artists, he's not sure if he'll ever record again. He has expressed his desire to pursue an acting career, and build on his Sean John clothing line.