Music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones made global headlines in February when he filed a stunningly detailed $30 million sexual assault, trafficking and racketeering lawsuit against Sean “Diddy” Combs in Manhattan federal court. Jones claimed the hip-hop mogul groped him, secretly drugged him and forced him to solicit and participate in sexual contact with sex workers while Jones was working with Combs on the Grammy-nominated Love Album: Off The Grid between September 2022 and November 2023.
The explosive 73-page suit followed after Comb’s longtime partner Casandra “Cassie” Ventura accused him of rape and years of sexual and psychological abuse in a complaint filed in November 2023. Five more women have since filed lawsuits alleging Combs sexually assaulted them as far back as the early 1990s. (Combs also is a defendant in a sexual assault lawsuit filed against his son Christian “King” Combs.)
Combs settled with Ventura within a day – and later apologized when a disturbing video obtained by CNN showed him kicking, stomping and dragging Ventura in a hotel hallway. But the Bad Boy founder denied all the subsequent allegations. His lawyers called Jones a liar seeking an “undeserved payday.” They blasted Jones’ claim that Combs was somehow involved in a shooting at a Los Angeles music studio, saying a police investigation determined the attack happened outside and that charges were filed against robbery suspects unconnected to Combs.
“Mr. Jones’ lawsuit is pure fiction – a shameless attempt to create media hype and extract a quick settlement,” Combs’ lawyer Erica Wolff, said in a statement Monday after filing a new motion to dismiss Jones’ amended 98-page complaint. “There was no RICO conspiracy and Mr. Jones was not threatened, groomed, assaulted, or trafficked. We look forward to proving – in a court of law – that all of Mr. Jones’s claims are made-up and must be dismissed.”
Despite Combs’ denials, Jones, 38, has held firm. As his lawsuit moves ahead, he’s speaking out in his first interview. He declined to expand on his most sensitive allegations, saying his complaint speaks for itself, but he was willing to discuss working with Combs and what he describes as damaging fallout from his blockbuster lawsuit. With his lawyer, Tyrone Blackburn, on the line, Jones says he’s largely been in hiding the last few months while undergoing intensive therapy. He attended 50 Cent’s Humor & Harmony festival in Louisiana in early August and recently worked with T-Pain at a lauded Juneteenth show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, but in his first major interview since the lawsuit, he says he feels otherwise “blackballed” in the music industry for stepping forward.
Before Diddy and The Love Album, how did you view your career?
I grew up in the church. My family consists of pastors, singers, musicians, and carpenters. As a kid, 13 years old, I started doing recordings. Before I knew it, it snatched me right out of school. I’ve worked with some of the greatest artists across different genres. In the gospel industry: The Clark Sisters, Mary Mary, Donald Lawrence, Smokie Norful. In the jazz world: Brian Culbertson. In the hip-hop world: Jack Harlow [on “Baxter Avenue”] and T-Pain. I’m a singer and rapper who produces and plays multiple instruments. Coming into the situation with Diddy, I put everything else on hold. I saw that doing Diddy’s project might be able to give me the finances and position to come back to my production company with a little bit more notoriety. When you work on this type of album, it usually comes with respect.
How did you start working on The Love Album?
The first official meeting was in September 2022. It was a writing camp at [Chalice Recording Studio in Los Angeles]. One of my friends was close to his A&R at Love Records and asked me to come work with him. He said they’d give us our own room with musicians coming through to work with us. When I got there, I was so confused because the parking lot was set up like a club. Puff turned the parking lot into this whole experience. I didn’t have my own room and was ready to go home, but I figured I’d at least do some networking. There were free drinks, IV drips, massage therapists, basketball. There were hundreds of people.
At first, I wasn’t even noticed. They tried to put me in a corner. I was like, I’m a musician, I’ve got guitars, keyboards and basses in my trunk. With me sticking around, people just started asking and needing me more. One time specifically, Puff asked, ‘Yo, I need you to go find some church musicians to play keys to color up this song.’ I was sitting right there. I said, ‘I can play it. I grew up playing in the church.’ We moved to another room, and he pulled me to the side and was like, ‘Yo, maybe you can put a bridge on this song. You do know what a bridge is?’ I looked at him like, ‘Bro.’ For him to ask me that, he didn’t have the slightest idea of my background. From then on, my services were needed. They gave me the task of training all the engineers and dealing with all the producers.
What was it like working with Diddy?
His attitude is like zero to 100 in seconds. Sometimes he’s asking for something and he doesn’t even know what he’s asking for. He’d be like, ‘Yo, turn those little trinkles up.’ I would look at him like, okay, the trinkles. Let’s see. I’d just constantly keep eye contact, and I can see when I’m turning up something if it’s right. I’d get that nod. I started to develop his ear too. He liked that. I understand music theory and professional terms. I had to understand what he’s trying to say and translate that.
That’s how we became close. He’s not a musician. He’s more like an executive. He likes options. I figured, okay, I’m going to add 10 or 20 extra parts on here and then when he comes in, I’ll mute everything and play them one by one, and this will give him a plate to choose from. It was giving him options. It got to the point that out of all those hundreds of people at the writing sessions, when he went home to Miami, it was only myself and [his A&R executive] DeForrest [Taylor] who flew back with him.
“There have been too many people trying to figure out where I’m at. My mom doesn’t even know where I live. It’s been like that pretty much all year.”
Your lawsuit alleges a pattern of abuse. When did that allegedly start?
One of the first moments that was very uncomfortable was around Thanksgiving. Me and DeForrest were the only two flown to Miami. It’s Thanksgiving Day, and he has a table outside for the employees. He’s inside, and he waves me in. I’m a little nervous but excited to be brought into the family dinner. I felt privileged to be sitting there. He introduced me and asked me to bless the food. I’m trying to talk with the people sitting next to me, but I notice everyone is saying very little. I realized they’re probably all under NDAs. I don’t like to sit uncomfortable too long, so I went to the studio.
About 10 minutes later, Puff comes rolling in with Yung Miami and others following behind. Assistants were lighting candles, giving us cocktails. He went in his bathroom attached to the studio and summoned 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’ve never done before. It was awkward. He was trying to get me to do some drugs. I don’t want to judge anybody, but that’s at the top of my list of things I’m afraid to do.
How do you describe Diddy?
He’s a monster. He’ll do whatever is necessary to get exactly what he wants. He doesn’t take no for an answer. He [told me] himself, ‘I’ll smack my mama.’ Anybody who can say that even jokingly is a monster. He’s nothing to be played with. For a person whose brand is Love Records, and changed their name to Love and named their kid Love, he doesn’t show love. He’s just marketing.
Where are you based these days?
For safety reasons, I’m not saying. There have been too many people trying to figure out where I’m at. I moved locations, moved states. Everything is private. My mom doesn’t even know where I live. It’s been like that pretty much all year.
How has your battle with Diddy affected your career and personal life?
It’s been very, very tough. Because of this lawsuit, most people don’t want to come near working with me for whatever reasons, whether they’ve been in partnership with Puff or they want to just sit back and see what happens. He’s a gatekeeper in the music industry. 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 business deals with him. I reached out to try to get a deal for my album, and people don’t want to get involved.
The crazy part is, when you sign most artists, you have to get in the studio and pay producers. My album is finished. It’s mixed and mastered. I just need someone to come in and help with marketing and the release. I did the hard part. But people are too scared, whatever their reasons are, to touch this. I’ve been told the best way to do it is independent. But I have no engine. [Meanwhile,] I can’t just go back to working with artists as a musician because I have to take security around with me when I’m performing, and most musicians don’t get paid enough to take security.
Why do you need security? You’re afraid of Diddy?
Yes. I got threats. I’ve never had so much hitting me at once. Diddy has a lot of people on his payroll in a lot of different positions. He’s very connected. It’s made me nervous traveling. Going to hotels, I ask if there’s any way to remove my name. [The last time] I landed in L.A., I knew he had connections there. I got off the plane worried. I masked my face and changed my outfits, trying to disguise myself. For sure I was uncomfortable, paranoid, afraid. But I told myself, you can’t keep living like this. I’ve got three therapists. [In his lawsuit, Jones alleges Combs threatened him with physical harm.] Everybody saw the video of Cassie. This is who I’m dealing with.
So, no more touring with other musicians?
I did a gig at the Hollywood Bowl with T-Pain in June with a full orchestra. I was the band director, scored the orchestra parts, played the keys and bass guitar. I’ve been working with T-Pain the last couple years. I helped produce his last album. But doing that show, I had a couple mental breakdowns. I almost felt like it was too soon for me to try to come back outside to work. My anxiety was out the roof. I saw different guys backstage I didn’t know and got scared. I wondered where the security was. It made me very uncomfortable. It’s not a good feeling wondering if someone was there to attack me. It was just hard for me to do my job comfortably.
It’s definitely been challenging for sure. Last year, I was touring arenas around the U.S. This year, I’ve only done a total of three gigs. It’s hard. This has got me in a place where I don’t know what’s next. I feel like there’s more music and creativity in me, but then I feel like, maybe my career is over. Maybe. The music business feels so corrupted. I’ve been writing. I have a couple albums. But the truth is, I’m nervous.
“For a person whose brand is Love Records, and changed their name to Love and named their kid Love, he doesn’t show love. He’s just marketing.”
Is it an overstatement to say you feel blackballed?
It’s not an overstatement. It’s correct. It feels like there are so many people quietly rooting for [Combs]. Or maybe they’re rooting for me and just scared to say something. Here I am standing up for justice, for what I believe is right for my life, and I’m being punished for that. I’m blackballed, for sure. I’ve had many nights and weeks and months of suicidal thoughts. It’s the music that has kept me living all my life.
What do you want people to know about your situation? Why speak out now?
For some reason, our culture worships [Combs] and his billionaire status. They don’t want to see him fall because they’re living vicariously through him. They have to understand Puffy is no god. He’s nothing more than a shrewd, crooked businessman. He’s stolen publishing for years. He’s nothing but a thief. He has no soul. He lives off other people’s gifts and talents. It’s not a human way to live. My name is all over the [Love Album] credits, so I had to have done some producing. It got a Grammy nomination. And I’m sitting here doing nothing, unable to work. This is not right.
(In his amended lawsuit, Jones alleges he had a verbal contract with Combs promising him $20,000 and four royalty points per song as well as credit as producer, credit for each instrument played and publishing rights to his work. He alleges he produced nine songs on The Love Album and hasn’t been compensated for his work. When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Combs said no such agreement was reached. “Mr. Jones was hired as a session musician and sound engineer for The Love Album and was fully compensated for his contribution,” the spokesperson said. The rep further pointed Rolling Stone to a prior statement from Combs regarding his decision in the last few years to return publishing rights to his Bad Boy artists and writers. “No other company has taken the steps that I have taken to give publishing rights back to artists. This is about fairness, integrity, and acknowledging the contributions these artists made to the culture,” Combs said in the statement shared with Rolling Stone.)
What is your financial position right now?
I’m broke. I have no source of income right now. Every month I’m trying to figure out how the bills are going to get paid. I had my phone turned off for like 24 hours. And a lot of people just sit back and watch. But T-Pain is a real friend. His team worked to make sure it was safe for me [to work the Hollywood Bowl show]. That felt good. But there should be more artists like T-Pain having my back.
So, the Hollywood Bowl show was good for you, despite your anxiety?
Yes, it reminded me who I was and what’s kept me breathing all these years. It was second nature. I hadn’t been doing live music for months and jumped right back onstage like I never left. I was outside of the fear. But you have to have extra patience [with other performers]. I didn’t have the attitude I like to have when I’m working with other people. I was worried that if someone made a mistake, I would be on them. The reality was, I just wanted my first show back to be perfect. I rehearsed everybody 12 hours a day. [Afterward] my mind fell back into a trauma state. I didn’t want to walk to the bathroom without somebody being with me.
What are you hoping for moving forward?
I’m hoping once I drop my album that people support it. I hope that people get back to the reality of my music and my talent. Anybody who knows me knows it’s real, raw talent. Puffy is the executive producer who has the money. It takes him months sometimes just to cut eight bars. I could pick up a bass right now and play it. I could pick up a keyboard right now and play it. I play 13 instruments and can sing and rap and produce. And I’m sitting around and can’t get a deal.
I just hope that all this turns around for me so I can get back to doing the music I love. It’s killing me. It’s taking me out not doing it.
