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Power music industry couple Jay-Z and Beyonce were all smiles at the Monday premiere of Disney’s Mufasa: The Lion King alongside their daughter Blue Ivy. However, that wasn’t enough to silence the contentious buzz surrounding the Roc Nation founder’s rape allegations that also deepen his ties to Sean “Diddy” Combs, a fellow rapper drowning in scandals and lawsuits.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, vehemently denied the heavy claims laid out in a revised lawsuit accusing him raping a then-13-year-old girl at an MTV VMA after-party in 2000. According to the bombshell lawsuit that previously only name-dropped Diddy as a perpetrator, the “Empire State of Mind” hitmaker took turns sexually assaulting the alleged underage victim alongside the ‘Bad Boy For Life.’
Nevertheless, Carter, Beyonce, and their 12-year-old firstborn put on a united front amid the lawsuit after the rapper strongly denied the allegations. A legal expert has since stepped up, suggesting that Jay-Z’s fierce statement, which also addresses the alleged victim’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, against the “heinous” claims, could backfire on him and his family.
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Legal expert dissects Jay-Z’s response to the rape accusations
First pointing out that the “mere accusation themselves can be very damaging, former prosecutor Neama Rahmani of West Coast Trial Lawyers drew parallels between Jay-Z and Diddy’s cases. “We saw, in Diddy’s case, his net worth took a significant hit immediately,” he said of the famous couple’s fortune being endangered in the aftermath of the fiery lawsuit.
In addition to their own musical careers, the Carter couple – deemed “music royalty” – back several businesses. “This could potentially be a game changer for Jay-Z,” cautioned the ex-prosecutor. “Jay-Z has his hands in all sorts of different businesses, including producing the NFL Super Bowl halftime show. So what’s going to be the reaction there from the NFL.”
Hot on the heels of “The Blueprint” album-maker’s reputation being trashed in light of the emerging accusations, it was speculated that Beyonce’s 2025 musical path and NFL Halftime show for the Netflix Christmas Game could face some serious repercussions. It’s also been established that Carter’s mere dismissal of the claims won’t be enough to clear his image, especially considering his years-old ties with Combs.
Could Jay-Z suffer a fate similar to Diddy’s?
“Potentially this can unravel pretty quickly for Jay-Z like it did for Diddy,” said Rahmani. And he’s not wrong. While Diddy’s life behind bars previously preoccupied endless streams of headlines, the focus has gradually shifted to the Roc Nation boss, with more and more reports targeting his past coming to light. Like Jay-Z, “Diddy came out very aggressively, denied all the allegations, and less than a year later is in custody and he has not been granted bail and he may spend the rest of his life in federal prison.”
Rahmani emphasised that while the same fate wouldn’t necessarily tail Carter, it has gravely opened up the door for more alleged victims to come forward. But even then it all comes down to solid evidence backing these claims. The attorney noted that in “Diddy’s case, the key evidence was the video evidence of him beating Cassie Ventura in 2016.”
Also read | Beyonce and Jay-Z working with a crisis specialist amid sexual assault allegations against him: Report
In case similar evidence or a flurry of witnesses emerges, the coming weeks and months will be crucial for Jay-Z to determine “what direction this goes in.”
Attorney says Jay-Z should keep things professional instead of verbally attacking Tony Buzbee
Directly hitting back at Carter’s initial explosive response countering Buzzbee, Rahmani labelled the rapper’s approach “unique” in a negative light as he didn’t appear to have run it by a lawyer or PR. Highlighting how it “could potentially backfire” on Jay-Z, the attorney continued, “We’ve seen it where people have come out and they’ve attacked the victims in the case, and if allegations are indeed true, sometimes that does motivate other victims and other witnesses to come forward.”
Speaking from personal experience and expertise, he went on, “So, I’ve seen it time and time again where someone comes out and attacks one of my clients who’s a victim, and because that attack is so public, it draws more attention [to] the case.”
“And other people start calling me and saying, ‘You know what, I want to help this person who’s been victimized.’ So, it can certainly backfire both in the courtroom and the court of public opinion.”
Although Rahmani understood why Jay-Z felt like “he needed to come out strong,” his attack on Buzbee seemed unwarranted. “I don’t know why Jay-Z is taking issue with Buzbee and calling him an ambulance chaser and a cheap suit,” he said. “Buzbee is representing his client who’s making these very serious allegations.” He recommended that a better way to deal with it was to “keep things professional and just litigate this in the courtroom without attacking the lawyers involved.”
Despite being named alongside Diddy in this “one accusation by one victim,” Jay-Z’s direct involvement in the “freak-off orgies” hasn’t been confirmed. Therefore, he’ll either have to defend “and maybe even settle” for this one-off case, or it could “create a domino effect” by witnessing more victims speaking out against him. Regardless of which way the resulting affair is headed, it’s all bound to tarnish the industry giant’s reputation.
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How Jay-Z reacted to the new rape allegations
In his immediate response to the allegations, Carter issued a statement on the Roc Nation X account on December 8.
“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a “lawyer” named Tony Buzbee. What he calculated was the nature of these allegations and public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” the statement began.
“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 lengthy onslaught continued, “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?”
Further accusing Buzbee of coming after him as part of an exploitative ploy, he wrote, “This lawyer, who I have done a bit of research on, seems to have a pattern of these type of theatrics! I have no idea how you have come to be such a deplorable human Mr Buzbee, but 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 valour, you have neither honour nor dignity.”
While also expressing his “heartbreak” for his family, Jay-Z again pilloried Buzbee, saying, “My heart and support goes out to true victims in the world, who have to watch how their life story is dressed in costume for profitability by this ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.”
