As a motion to dismiss Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones' bombshell lawsuit against rap and fashion mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has resurfaced the case in courts and the media, the up-and-coming producer who accuses the industry powerhouse of grooming him and exposing him to multiple crimes has spoken out in a rare interview as he continues to remain in hiding. Lil Rod has revealed he's having suicidal thoughts, is broke and is afraid to appear in public because he believes he'll be killed, but says he'll continue to “stand up for justice.”
Attorneys representing Diddy's camp responded to the 38-year-old musician on Monday with their own motion to dismiss the civil case Rodney Jones v. Sean Combs. The motion argues that Jones, who spent more than a year living and traveling with Combs and has multiple producing credits on Diddy's Grammy-nominated 2023 film The album of love, He's simply using the allegations to get what he considers unpaid income for his contributions to Diddy's record.
During a rare interview, Jones adamantly maintained that the shocking details in his complaint are true and didn't hold back as he spoke to Rolling Stone About Combs.
“He's a monster,” Jones told the magazine. “He'll do whatever it takes to get exactly what he wants. He doesn't take no for an answer. He [told me] himself, 'I slap my mother.' Anyone who can say that even as a joke is a monster. He's not one to be trifled with. For a person whose brand is Love Records, and he changed his name to Love and named his baby Love, that's not showing love. That's just marketing.”
In 2022, Jones was hired by Combs to work on Diddy’s first studio album since 2006. For over a year, Jones claims he spent time living with Diddy in three different homes and experienced and witnessed multiple salacious events that include being sexually assaulted by him, being forced by Combs to perform sexual acts, being forced to solicit prostitutes, being drugged, humiliated, and repeatedly groped in the anus and genitals by actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. while in Diddy’s orbit.
Jones’s case was dismissed on Feb. 26 in New York federal court, and he is seeking $30 million in damages. In the amended filing, which came shortly after the complaint was initially filed, Jones added more detail, saying there was a “RICO enterprise” that repeatedly “failed to adequately monitor, warn, or supervise” Combs while Jones was being abused by him.
Talking about her time with Diddy with Rolling StoneJones described the Bad Boy founder as more of an executive than a musician. It was after he entered the mogul's inner circle, he said, that he began to understand his ear in terms of music production; but that's when the pattern of abuse began. Jones recalled to the paper being invited to a Thanksgiving dinner where he believed no one would speak because, being in Combs' orbit, they had all signed nondisclosure agreements.
“About 10 minutes later, Puff comes rolling in with Yung Miami and others following him. Assistants were lighting candles, serving us cocktails,” Jones recalled. “He went into his bathroom that was attached to the studio and called me and DeForrest. He asked me if I had a $100 bill. There were three white lines on the sink. He was asking me to do something I'd never done before. It was embarrassing. He was trying to get me to take drugs. I don't want to judge anyone, but it's at the top of my list of things I'm afraid to do.”
From there, Jones’ legal filings say he witnessed a series of crimes while working with Combs, including an allegation that the mogul was involved in a shooting at a recording studio in 2022. Now, Jones says he’s in hiding and unable to get his music picked up or distributed, given Combs’ power in the industry.
“Because of this lawsuit, most people no longer want to come near working with me for whatever reason, whether they’ve been in partnership with Puff or they just want to sit back and see what happens,” Jones said. Rolling Stone.
“He's a gatekeeper to the music industry,” he added of Combs. “In this industry, to be successful, you have to have worked with someone like him or Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Kanye or 50 Cent. So many people I've worked with have had deals with him. I've reached out to try to get a deal for my album, but people don't want to get involved.”
Jones, whose path to facing Combs in court began with a GoFundMe page titled “Help Me Sue Sean “Diddy” Combs,” explaining that he was ripped off by the artist, says he is broke and unable to pay for security to protect him while his case proceeds through court. He sees three therapists and points out to the interviewer the shocking video of Combs physically assaulting his girlfriend, artist Cassie, in a video that leaked online earlier this year.
Despite essentially going underground, Jones says he was thrown a lifeline this year by T-PAIN, whom he previously produced, to front the band at a big concert at the Hollywood Bowl in June. He explained that it wasn't a good experience, as his “mind went back into a traumatic state. I didn't want to go to the bathroom without someone with me.”
Jones has until Sept. 9 to respond to the motion to dismiss filed Monday.