‘Diddy’ denies his associates planned attack on Tupac

LOS ANGELES – Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has denied a report by the Los Angeles Times that his associates were responsible for the 1994 shooting of Tupac Shakur at a New York recording studio, and that he knew about the attack in advance.

“The story is a lie,” the hip-hop mogul said in a statement on Monday. “It is beyond ridiculous and completely false.Neither (the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.) nor I had any knowledge of any attack before, during or after it happened….I am shocked that the Los Angeles Times would be so irresponsible as to publish such a baseless and completely untrue story.”The 1994 shooting triggered the celebrated feud between East and West Coast rappers that led to the killings of Shakur and B.I.G.The Times said its story was based on FBI records, interviews with people at the scene of the 1994 shooting, and statements to the FBI by an informant.None of the sources was named.The story says associates hoping to curry favour with Combs – who was overseeing B.I.G.’s white-hot career at the time – lured Shakur to the studio because of his disrespect toward them.The story said that talent manager James Rosemond and promoter James Sabatino arranged the assault.They declined to be interviewed.Rosemond called the story a “libellous piece of garbage …In the past 14 years, I have not even been questioned by law enforcement with regard to the assault of Tupac Shakur, let alone brought up on charges,” he said in a statement.”Chuck Philips, the writer …has reached a new low by employing fourth-hand information from desperate jailhouse informants along with ancient FBI reports to create this fabrication.I simply ask for all rap fans and fans of Tupac to analyse this fiction for what it is.”Nampa-AP”It is beyond ridiculous and completely false.Neither (the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.) nor I had any knowledge of any attack before, during or after it happened….I am shocked that the Los Angeles Times would be so irresponsible as to publish such a baseless and completely untrue story.”The 1994 shooting triggered the celebrated feud between East and West Coast rappers that led to the killings of Shakur and B.I.G.The Times said its story was based on FBI records, interviews with people at the scene of the 1994 shooting, and statements to the FBI by an informant.None of the sources was named.The story says associates hoping to curry favour with Combs – who was overseeing B.I.G.’s white-hot career at the time – lured Shakur to the studio because of his disrespect toward them.The story said that talent manager James Rosemond and promoter James Sabatino arranged the assault.They declined to be interviewed.Rosemond called the story a “libellous piece of garbage …In the past 14 years, I have not even been questioned by law enforcement with regard to the assault of Tupac Shakur, let alone brought up on charges,” he said in a statement.”Chuck Philips, the writer …has reached a new low by employing fourth-hand information from desperate jailhouse informants along with ancient FBI reports to create this fabrication.I simply ask for all rap fans and fans of Tupac to analyse this fiction for what it is.”Nampa-AP