Smith, who released a new song called “Tantrum,” performed at the Observatory North Park theater in San Diego. A video shared on TikTok and obtained by TMZ shows Smith addressing the crowd between songs, speaking about memes linking him to Combs.
He said in the clip: “The world we’re in right now, it’s really hard for y’all to discern what’s real and what’s true, you know? I’ve been seeing y’all’s memes and stuff … Some of that stuff’s funny. … I haven’t addressed any of this publicly, but I just wanna say this very clearly: I don’t have to do with Puffy, so y’all can stop all them memes. You can stop all of that bulls….”
“I ain’t been nowhere near that man, ain’t did none of that stupid,” Smith, who’s been previously photographed with Combs at industry events over the years, said from the stage.
“So whenever y’all hear it, if somebody say that, it’s a damn lie,” reports people.com.
Combs, 55, is in federal custody in New York City after his September indictment on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
He is alleged to have used coercion to make women participate in so-called “freak-offs,” described by prosecutors as “elaborate and produced sex performances.”
Prosecutors say authorities found “freak-off supplies,” including drugs and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, when they raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami in March. Combs has denied committing any wrongdoing.
His attorneys previously said in a statement after the first wave of civil assault complaints that he “cannot address every meritless allegation in what has become a reckless media circus,” but that he “emphatically” denied sexually abusing anyone. Combs will remain behind bars until his trial in May 2025.
