Do We All Owe Justin Bieber An Apology?
Justin Bieber and Sean “Diddy” Combs forged a relationship when the singer entered the entertainment industry in 2008. After releasing his first single, “One Time,” in May 2009, Bieber was eager to work with Diddy, even placing a public bid for them to collaborate. In October 2009, one month before his debut EP, “My World,” was released, Bieber pleaded on Twitter for Diddy to record with him. “Do you want this song I produced and sing on your album?” Bieber tweeted to the Bad Boy founder (via MTV). He then called on his fans to help him grab Diddy’s attention, eventually getting the mogul to give his music a chance.
From there, it seems Diddy and Bieber became close, with the philanthropist finally working with Bieber the following month on a 48-hour vlog, which showed the “Last Night” rapper giving Bieber a tour of his luxury vehicles. The following year, in July 2010, Bieber was even spotted driving around in Diddy’s white Lamborghini, which was featured in the November 2009 video. In the following years, the pair were seen hanging out several times, including at one of Diddy’s February 2014 parties in Atlanta, where they hung out with fellow musicians such as Rick Ross, Wale, and T.I. Their close bond would eventually find them on a song together, fulfilling one of Bieber’s earliest dreams.
Justin Bieber was featured on Diddy’s Love album
Justin Bieber may not have gotten his Sean “Diddy” Combs feature when he originally wanted it, but the two would finally release a joint track on Diddy’s “The Love Album: Off The Grid” in September 2023. Bieber was featured on the album’s twelfth offering, “Moments.” When the project was unveiled, the “Believe” star praised the record in an Instagram Story post, revealing that Diddy, who now goes by the moniker Love, previously rejected his first music pitch when he was 14 before asking him to work on “The Love Album.” Bieber wrote, “Fast forward to a few years ago, Puff asked if I would freestyle something for his upcoming love album. Wild full circle moment, love you @diddy” (via People).
Unfortunately, Diddy’s legal drama may have slightly overshadowed the album. He was sued just two months later, in November 2023, for sexual assault by ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Several of Diddy’s famous friends seemingly fell silent after the allegations surfaced, and Bieber evidently was no exception, reportedly no longer wanting to speak about the producer.
Bieber reportedly won’t speak about his friendship with Diddy amid lawsuits
While the reason has not been confirmed, Justin Bieber has reportedly decided to no longer speak about his affiliation with Sean “Diddy” Combs. One source who spoke with In Touch suggested that the Revolt TV creator’s legal drama may be the reason for Bieber’s silence. “Justin doesn’t really want to talk publicly about his relationship with Diddy, but he may have to. I’m not sure if Diddy did anything that Justin now thinks crossed the line, but if he does, he’s not saying. If Justin has to address his past interactions with Diddy, he will,” the insider told the outlet in April 2024.
Outside of Diddy, the singer has his own personal issues to deal with, as he and wife Hailey have continuously faced divorce rumors. As for the father of seven, he has kept a mostly low profile aside from a handful of Miami sightings in April 2024 and the occasional Instagram post. Remnants of his Bieber friendship remain on his social media profile, including a September 2023 video of them dancing and singing in a recording studio. Bieber still has images of him and Diddy as well, referring to Diddy as his “bro” in a June 2021 post. It remains to be seen what will become of their friendship, though there could be some distance.
Do We All Owe Justin Bieber An Apology?
Circa 2014, Justin Bieber was labelled a “rebel” and “off the rails” for his teen idol-turned-party boy behaviour. Fans turned their backs on him and critics tore him apart, but as allegations emerge and charges are laid against Sean “P Diddy” Combs, his relationship with the rapper is being looked at in a new light and have created cause for concern amongst fans.
Moreover, as we reflect on the way Justin—a child caught up and potentially lost in a world of fame—was so quickly and harshly labelled, we wonder if we were all too quick to judge.
The ‘Baby’ singer’s rise to fame was astronomical. Discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun at just 14 years old, he was taken under the wing of Usher to sign a deal with RBMG Records. Before long, he was brushing shoulders with other high profile musicians including P Diddy.
Recently resurfaced videos of Justin and P Diddy, as well as fans drawing parallels to his songs, have specifically called into question Justin’s welfare during that time.
“Hollywood did you so wrong. Keep ya head up high. This darkness is coming to light,” one used wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Exactly what has sparked such an outcry online? Scroll on.
P Diddy & Justin Bieber: The ‘48 Hour’ Video
An old clip of P Diddy and Justin Bieber has resurfaced online in the wake of allegations, whereby the two discuss spending a “crazy” 48 hours together.
To the camera, Diddy says: “He’s having 48 hours with Diddy, where we hanging out and what we’re doing we can’t really disclose. But it’s definitely a 15-year-old’s dream. I have been given custody of him. “He’s signed to Usher when he did his first album. I don’t really have legal guardianship of him, but for the next 48 hours he’s with me. And we’re gonna go buck fool crazy,” he continues.
The clip was originally posted by Justin to his Youtube channel and remains there to this day.
Other resurfaced clips show Diddy handing Justin a bottle on his birthday, which he kneels down to drink from as a woman exclaims: “Happy Birthday Justin!”
Then, there’s an old episode of Keeping Up With The Kardashians from 2014, where Khloe references both Justin and Diddy when recounting her attendance at one of the “naked parties”.
“I got on a plane at 5.30am. Well this party…I think half the people there were butt naked,” she tells sister Kourtney before revealing she was hanging out with “a bunch of friends” and listing off “Diddy. Quincy. Justin Bieber…”
