It's Deborah Roberts here to bring you another weekly episode of Bad Rap, The Case Against Diddy.

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A warning. This episode includes discussion of sexual violence and abuse, so please take care when listening.

In 2006, more than a dozen people sat around a long conference table scattered with water

bottles and shiny folders, emblazoned with a bad boy logo. This was the era of flip phones and DVDs, so people glanced at paper handouts inside their folders

as they scribbled down notes in actual notebooks.

Sean Diddy Cones had gathered everyone to tell them about a new artist he'd signed to his Bad Boy Records

label. Diddy was in the middle of a successful run with Danny Kane on his MTV show

making the band, and he was getting ready to release the debut album of Atlanta rapper Young Jock.

But Diddy wasn't happy with the label's recent performance. He said publicly that he was

trying to get things back on track, so now he had another up-and-coming artist he wanted

everyone in the room to meet. Cassie Ventura. That day, she wore her long, dark hair

tucked behind her ears and big gold hoop earrings.

She dressed casually with little to no makeup.

Combs was in his late 30s.

He sat at the head of the conference table while 19-year-old Cassie was at the other end.

...