Rapper Cam’ron Explains Bizarre CNN Interview Where He Was Asked About Diddy Video

Kevin Dolak
·3 min read
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Longtime New York rapper Cam’ron is explaining his strange CNN appearance this week, where he gave a now-viral non sequitur during an interview in which he was repeatedly asked questions about beleaguered rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.

Booked for a Newsnight segment that was to have CNN host Abby Phillip discussing the series of lawsuits filed against Combs, which include allegations of sex trafficking, drugging women, sexual misconduct and rape, the rapper who has been on the New York scene since the 1990s told her that he doesn’t know why he was booked for the segment, and then drank a male sexual enhancement drink on air and referenced “getting some cheeks.”

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During the segment, Phillip asked him, regarding the controversial video CNN released Friday of rapper-mogul Diddy attacking his then-girlfriend, the artist Cassie, at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016: ”Did you recognize that kind of anger at all, from your experiences?”

“I don’t know him like that. What do you mean, did I recognize him? I saw him. What do you mean by ‘experiences?’” he said. “I saw him and I thought it was disgusting. I didn’t do a Zoom-in to see if it was really him or not. But he admitted it was him, so, yeah, it was him.”

During the awkward back-and-forth, Cam’rom sips from “Pink Horse Power”; he is known to plug the sex-enhancement drink on his popular podcast, It Is What It Is, which is co-hosted by the rapper Mase.

“Who’s the talent agent for this joint?” Cam’ron asks, even though he has discussed the mogul several times on the podcast with Mase, Cam’ron’s mentor who had some of the biggest hits of Diddy’s Bad Boy label. “You think I be sitting around watching what Diddy doing? I didn’t know this was a Diddy joint that y’all invited me to. Who booked me for this joint?”

He then said, “Sorry, I’m going to go get some cheeks after this Horse Power drink,” flashing the broad logo to CNN’s audience.

On Tuesday, Cam’ron said that he felt used by the cable network while speaking about the incident on the It Is What It Is podcast.

“Whatever Diddy goes through … the video, I don’t support it. I don’t believe in domestic violence. I don’t believe in anything that has to do with being a pedophile. I don’t believe in sex trafficking. I think what I saw in the video was egregious and the charges [are] fucked up. They’re really fucked up.”

The DA’s office has said it will not file charges due to the statute of limitations.

“I don’t know why they didn’t watch 60 Minutes, they didn’t watch Bill O’Reilly, this is what I do on them joints,” he said. “Y’all keep inviting me up to Fox, CNN, 60 Minutes, you already know what the résumé is with them shows with me. But yeah, that’s what happened.”

He added, “I know we play and joke a lot, but y’all call us up there for that and don’t invite us to talk about shit that’s positive. Y’all called me like this. We did this in less than 24 hours. You could’ve pulled us up for a bunch of positive different things that we do, but you’re gonna play games. That’s what you got.”

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to CNN for comment.

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