Rapper 50 Cent is determined to stop P. Diddy from receiving a presidential pardon, as an old feud between the two hip-hop stars continues.
The outspoken "In Da Club" rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, said he will try to convince President Trump against pardoning Sean "Diddy" Combs, who is facing charges in New York for sex trafficking. Combs has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say Combs used violence and blackmail to keep women under his control so he could abuse them in depraved orgies that he filmed, called "freakoffs."
His lawyers say the sex was consensual and that prosecutors are attempting to criminalize his hedonistic lifestyle. The charges have rendered Combs a pariah in the entertainment industry in which he once moved as a power player.
When asked about a pardon Friday, Trump said he has not been following the highly publicized case closely enough to make a decision.
“Nobody’s asked. But I know people are thinking about it. I know they’re thinking about it. I think some people have been very close to asking,” Trump said.
“First of all, I’d look at what’s happening, and I haven’t been watching it too closely, although it’s certainly getting a lot of coverage,” he added.
50 Cent has mocked Combs over his legal woes, poking fun at the massive stash of lubricant that he kept for his drug-fueled sex romps. Jackson is also producing a Netflix documentary about Combs and the case against him.
The two rap stars have been feuding since their glory days in the 2000s. In 2006, 50 Cent released a diss track accusing the Bad Boy Records founder of knowing who murdered his former protege Biggie Smalls.
Their beef was mentioned in Diddy's trial last week, when his former assistant testified that Combs had threatened to shoot 50 Cent. After leaving an MTV event, Combs allegedly said he would rather use guns than words to get back at his rival.
“Wait a minute PUFFY’s got a gun, I can’t believe this I don’t feel safe,” Jackson wrote in a mocking reply on Instagram.
In response to Trump's pardon comments, 50 Cent said he would try to persuade Trump by appealing to the president's pride.
“He [Combs] said some really bad things about Trump, it’s not ok. I’m gonna reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy,” Jackson wrote.
“Donald doesn’t take well to disrespect, and doesn’t forget who chooses to go against him,” he wrote.
Trump has pardoned several rap stars before, including, most recently, NBA Youngboy, who was sentenced to two years on gun charges.
Given the nature of the offenses Combs is charged with, a pardon would certainly prompt public backlash. But Trump is no stranger to making controversial decisions, and at the end of the day, only he can make that call.
