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Diddy trial starts, Sovereignty rules Derby | The Backstory

Caren Bohan   Paste BN

“Once upon a time, Sean 'Diddy' Combs was on top of the world,” Paste BN‘s Anika Reed and Marco della Cava write in a story that traces the downfall of the hip-hop mogul who rose to meteoric fame and is about to stand trial on sex-trafficking allegations. 

Reed and della Cava take readers inside the Great Gatsby-esque White Parties Combs hosted for more than a decade starting in the late 1990s.

The sometimes risqué extravaganzas featured a parade of celebrities, from Leonardo DiCaprio to Mary J. Blige to Mariah Carey. 

As the champagne flowed and sumptuous food was passed around, Combs required his A-list guests to wear only white in what was seen as a cultural touchstone for a Black man from Harlem who reached the top echelons of celebrity and wealth. 

That was then. Now, Combs is facing federal charges related to sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. His trial begins Monday. While the trial in the Manhattan courtroom won’t be televised, we’ll be liveblogging it and delving into all the controversies. 

👋 Paste BN Editor-in-Chief Caren Bohan here. Welcome to The Backstory, our newsletter exclusively for subscribers (that’s you!). I’ll be taking you behind the scenes of our breaking news coverage, scoops and unique storytelling. 

I’m putting a spotlight this week on our talented team covering the Sean Combs trial. I’ll also be sharing some insights about our spectacular coverage of the Kentucky Derby. 

First, here’s a glimpse at some of the great reads from Paste BN, including a few of our previews of the Diddy trial:

Covering Diddy's 'incredible' downfall

Sean Combs’s White Parties were seen as cultural touchstones because of the ultra-exclusivity and the dress code. The requirement of wearing only white put the A-list guests on a level playing field in the exclusive Hamptons on Long Island, New York, where Diddy owned a waterfront mansion. 

"Don't forget that Black people in the Hamptons wasn't a common thing," says filmmaker Yoruba Richen, co-director with Emma Schwartz of "The Fall of Diddy" series, according to della Cava and Reed’s story.

"He wanted to show he was breaking in mainstream culture, not just with Black hip-hop culture in Harlem,” Schwartz said. 

Anika Reed, Paste BN’s Entertainment Breaking News Editor, said the downfall of Sean Combs and its reverberations in the music and business worlds is one of the reasons the trial will be so closely watched. 

“It cannot be overstated the position that he holds in the entertainment industry as well as in business,” Reed said. Combs “rose among the ranks to become a producer, to own his own record label, to own his own clothing brand, to be this powerhouse when it comes to music and culture and business acumen.” 

“It's absolutely incredible to see where he reached and to see where he is now, sitting in a jail cell in Brooklyn,” Reed said. 

To get ready for the trial, Reed and Paste BN investigative reporter Gina Barton have been scouring court documents for months. 

Barton, who has extensive experience reporting on criminal justice, said the careful preparation is essential to assessing witness testimony and finding openings to break stories. 

“I covered federal courts for several years, and the thing that I always have done is read every single document in detail, even the ones that are labeled Exhibit G in docket number 167, because those are the places where, when I was on the beat, I found some of my best stories,” Barton said. 

Sovereignty rules the Derby

Beat expertise also laid the groundwork for excellent coverage of the Kentucky Derby by Paste BN Sports columnist Dan Wolken and our team of journalists across the country. 

Wolken, who was at muddy Churchill Downs when Sovereignty claimed victory, has covered eight Kentucky Derbies. His experience with the biggest day in horse racing goes back to his childhood in Arkansas. His family has been around horse racing for generations, with Dan’s great-grandfather starting a business in the 1930s providing concessions at racetracks.  

Wolken's ability to speak the language of owners, trainers and breeders led to unique reporting. His story about Into Mischief, North America’s leading sire for six consecutive years, is a gem. The performance by the stallion's offspring on horse racing's biggest stage has upped the game on his stud fee. 

Other good reads  

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