Rappers have a long history of making outlandish claims about how much staying power their careers will have. One of the boldest happened on Biggie’s 1997 hit “Mo’ Money Mo’ Problems.” On it, Sean Combs nonchalantly delivered a huge flex: 10 years from now, we’ll still be on top. As it turned out, all of that bravado was ultimately an understatement: Bad Boy and Sean Combs are still household names almost 30 years later. And while that longstanding degree of fame and notoriety is great for moguls playing the long game, it’s a horrible proposition for prosecutors trying to form an impartial jury for Combs’s trial. Reuters has coverage:
On Monday, with his criminal trial on sex trafficking charges just weeks away, Combs’ lawyers will start their search for jurors who have not yet made up their minds about the artist and entrepreneur once known as “Puff Daddy.”
Hundreds of New York residents who have been summoned for jury duty will arrive at the federal courthouse in Lower Manhattan this week to fill out questionnaires asking them what they already know about the case. It is the first step toward seating a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates that will determine Combs’ fate after a trial expected to last eight to 10 weeks.
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It would have been hard enough to hear this case in Wyoming, but New York? While they’ve definitely lost some steam over the years, Bad Boy still stands as one of the most influential record labels in hip-hop. Combs also has a lot of infamy wrapped up in that fame — many people have long been suspicious of his alleged involvement in both Biggie and 2Pac’s murders, not to mention a whole slew of strong-arming attached to his name, like allegedly firebombing Kid Cudi’s car. And if those associations with violence weren’t enough, King Troll 50 Cent has done his fair share of dragging what was left of Combs’s name through the mud whenever possible:
The only way Brian Steel and company are going to get a neutral jury is if they strike any juror who’s listened to rap music or been on YouTube for the last 10 years from the pool. Good luck with that.
How Will The Jury Be Chosen For Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Sex Trafficking Trial? [Reuters]
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Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.