A Music Exec Said the Only Reason He Wasn’t ‘Dead’ After a Violent Attack by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Was Because He Got Lucky

In 1999, Sean “Diddy” Combs tried to back out of appearing in a music video and, when he couldn’t, took his anger out on a record executive. Steve Stoute, who worked for Interscope Records, could not promise to delete a scene of Diddy in a Nas music video. As a result, Diddy and accomplices violently confronted Stoute at his office. Stoute said he believed he was lucky to walk away with his life.

A record executive spoke about the way Diddy attacked him

Diddy appeared in a Nas music video wearing a crown of thorns and posing on a cross. While he approved the final edit of the video, he got cold feet at the last minute. At that point, there was little Stoute could do. Diddy confronted him in his office anyway. 

“He punched me in the face, and then he grabbed the phone and bashed me in the head with it,” Stoute told the LA Times, adding, “One minute I’m in the middle of a meeting, and the next minute I’m down on the floor and Puffy and his guys are kicking and pounding me. One of them picks up a chair and throws it at me. Then Puffy throws my desk over and they just walk out like nothing happened.”

Stoute said he thought things could have turned out much worse than they did.

“I was laying there on the floor bleeding,” Stoute said. “My jaw and my head were all swollen. I couldn’t move my arm. It was a traumatic experience, and in the middle of it, I didn’t know exactly how to feel. I was upset. Embarrassed. Scared. Angry. As far as I’m concerned, this was an attempt on my life. The only reason I’m not dead is because they missed.”

The record executive shared why he wanted Diddy to face consequences

Stoute said he was so frightened by the incident that he considered leaving the music industry. 

“After the beating, my family urged me to get out of the music business, and I considered it,” Stoute said. “But the company has been very supportive of me and made me feel comfortable so that I can continue. I still have second thoughts though about how I move around. I’m still concerned about going back to the office. I’m still scared.”

He knew that he had to make sure Diddy faced some form of justice. 

“If this kind of behavior is allowed to go unpenalized, it’ll be like an invitation for extortion in the music business,” Stoute said. “If somebody can get away with walking into the headquarters of the world’s biggest record company and beating up a senior executive over a disagreement, I guarantee you this is going to be a great business for criminals to thrive in.”

Diddy ultimately pleaded guilty to harassment and paid Stoute $500,000.

He landed in further legal trouble that same year

That same year, Diddy landed in further trouble. He was at a nightclub with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and Bad Boy artist Moses “Shyne” Barrow when gunfire broke out, reportedly following an argument between Diddy and another clubgoer. Diddy, Lopez, and Barrow fled the scene but were soon arrested by police. 

Ultimately, Diddy was acquitted of any wrongdoing, while Barrow received a 10-year prison sentence.