Jay-Z has responded to allegations claiming he sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl over 20 years ago.
Jay-Z (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
The Roc Nation founder has been added to a lawsuit initially filed against Sean “Diddy” Combs in October by a “Jane Doe” who claims she was r-ped by both men at a party in 2000. The rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, is the first celebrity accused of such an offense in connection with the Bad Boy Records owner.
He has since gone on the offensive, releasing a statement via the Roc Nation X account in which he suggests the allegations are part of a larger blackmail scheme, calling his accuser’s attorney out.
“My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a “lawyer” named Tony Buzbee,” he wrote. “What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle.
“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!! 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?”
Could Jay-Z’s Deal With The NFL Be In Jeopardy?
Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has been in charge of the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show since 2020 and recently had its deal extended by the league.
There are now questions over whether Roger Goodell will pull out, given these recent allegations. But the hip-hop mogul definitely looks like he’s prepared to fight tooth and nail to keep his reputation intact.
“You have made a terrible error in judgement thinking that all “celebrities” are the same,” he added in his statement. “I’m not from your world. I’m a young man who made it out of the project of Brooklyn. We don’t play these types of games.
“We have very strict codes and honor. We protect children, you seem to exploit people for personal gain. Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable.”
Whether the NFL reacts remains to be seen.