Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Tiffany Red, who penned songs for the likes of Zendaya and Jason Derulo among countless others, is corroborating allegations Cassie made against Diddy in a since-settled lawsuit.
In an open letter published by Rolling Stone, Red details her experiences as both a close friend of and songwriter for Cassie. "I’m breaking my silence, freeing myself from haunting recollections, standing in solidarity with Cassie, and standing up for myself," she writes in the letter. "I fear for my safety as her suit alludes to me, although not by name. I hope that revealing my identity to the public will afford me some measure of protection."
Red says she became friends with Cassie in 2015 when they were working on an album that ultimately never came out. The lawsuit filed against Diddy, which has since been settled for an undisclosed amount, alleged that the Bad Boy Records founder forced Cassie into sex with male prostitutes on multiple occasions. Red is alluded to in the lawsuit during one such incident on the night of her 29th birthday.
She first met Diddy at Cassie's 29th birthday at a hotel in Los Angeles. "You approached me and introduced yourself, saying, 'So you’re the one writing all these songs about me?'" she writes. "I said yes, and you stared back and said, 'That means she’s talking to you, huh?' I was uncomfortable because it seemed like you were talking about the more turbulent parts of your relationship."
One of the songs Red worked on with Cassie was called "Loyal," and the lyrics appear to be in direct reference to her troubled relationship with Diddy. "I don’t know what is real, I just know how I feel, and you keep acting like you don’t know what you did wrong, trying to get me to chill. Since we ain’t been together, I been on some whatever," the lyrics read, as Red revealed.
The birthday party later moved to a karaoke venue called Blind Dragon, and Red notes that it was "instantly uncomfortable" when Diddy and his bodyguard showed up. "You pulled Cassie out of the private karaoke room; she put her head down and went with you," she writes. "I followed to see if she was OK because something was off. When I walked out of the room, you had her backed into a corner in the hallway outside of the door, and your security surrounded you two as you cursed her out with your hands in her face. She and I briefly made eye contact. I felt helpless. She looked afraid and kept looking down at the floor. I didn’t know what to do. I was scared."
Prior to that incident, Cassie told Red that Diddy was "physically abusive" towards her. Red stayed at Cassie's for the night while she went off with Diddy and his entourage, but she was later woke up in the early hours of the morning by the rapper yelling. "'Emotional singing bitch, where are you?!'" Diddy allegedly screamed at her. "'Emotional singing bitch, there you are. ... Tell your girl she wants some birthday dick. I flew all the way from Miami. She gone get this birthday dick!'"
Later on, Cassie informed Red that Diddy subjected her to what he called a "freak off," which is the same term Cassie used in her lawsuit. Per the suit, he allegedly forced her to participate in these voyeurism fantasy "freak offs," which comprised making her have sex with male prostitutes so he could record videos, take pictures, and masturbate.
"Throughout my time knowing Cassie, I’ve seen many concerning instances. There were occasions when I heard you yelling at her and making threats, observed her so high I was afraid of her overdosing at a party you threw for her in Malibu, and witnessed both of you getting IVs after a different night of partying," Red writes. "Additionally, when I was part of her management team in 2019—a year after she was able to leave you—I saw you try to silence her by attempting to tie a nondisparagement clause to her record deal termination agreement, which felt unjust."
Diddy and Cassie settled their lawsuit just one day after it was filed. "I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control," Cassie said. In a statement, Diddy's lawyer downplayed accusations that the settlement was an admission of guilt. "Just so we're clear, a decision to settle a lawsuit, especially in 2023, is in no way an admission of wrongdoing," said Ben Brafman. "Mr. Combs' decision to settle the lawsuit does not in any way undermine his flat-out denial of the claims."
Red isn't the only person to have corroborated claims made in the lawsuit. Diddy's former head of security, Roger Bonds, confirmed that he stepped in to stop the rapper from attacking Cassie during an incident. He has since been sued by at least three more women accusing him of sexual misconduct. In one of the suits, the victim was just 17 at the time of the alleged assault.
