By Rishma Dosani
Copyright metro
Mark Ronson has opened up about working for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs – pictured in 2008 (Picture: Getty)
Mark Ronson has recalled feeling ‘deeply unnerved’ by Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs while DJing at his New York parties.
The music producer, who is behind some of the biggest songs in history, opened up about his stint on the decks in the 90s in a new book – and shed light on performing at the disgraced rapper’s bashes.
In an extract from his new memoir, Night People: How to Be a DJ in ’90s New York City, obtained by Us Weekly, he explained that this was years before the ‘horrific allegations’ arose of the 55-year-old’s behavior.
‘For all the gigs I played for Puff [Combs], he probably spoke five sentences to me. But even to me, the DJ, he emitted a chaotic energy that left me both starstruck and deeply unnerved,’ the Uptown Funk star reportedly wrote.
He claimed that it became ‘abundantly clear’ to him that Combs ‘wielded a tremendous amount of power and cachet’ in the club scene.
‘He made people’s careers – playing gigs for him certainly helped mine – and his disapproval meant a certain kind of exile,’ Ronson penned, recalling that no one ‘thought of Puffy as a rapper’, but as a ‘force who could will anything into existence, no matter the cost’.
He recalled being ‘deeply unnerved’ by the disgraced rapper (Picture: Shutterstock)
Ronson was behind the decks at a number of Combs’ parties (Picture: Getty)
‘He took over downtown – and then the Hamptons – until the whole city seemed to revolve around him and his parties,’ he said.
‘I’m sure he thought I was a great DJ, but on his mission to shake up New York society, it didn’t hurt to have a fresh-faced white kid from a nice family in the booth.
‘When I got booked to play his parties, I’d look to the VIP area and see people like Muhammad Ali, Martha Stewart, Denzel [Washington] and the Duchess of York [Sarah Ferguson] all mingling. Everyone went.’
Ronson added that, at that time, the ‘only controversy surrounding Puff was around the music’, years before ‘horrific allegations of what was also going on beneath the surface’ emerged.
Mark has been behind some of the biggest hits in music (Picture: Getty)
Combs is currently behind bars after being found guilty of two charges in his recent trial (Picture: Getty)
In 2023, Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit in which she accused him of raping and physically abusing her during the course of their relationship.
They settled shortly after but the music mogul was later arrested on September 16, 2024, and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
The I’ll Be Missing You star pleaded not guilty and went on trial in Manhattan earlier this year – Ventura and Kid Cudi were among those testifying in court.
Cassie Ventura took to the stand during the court trial (Picture: FilmMagic)
He was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but acquitted of the racketeering and sex trafficking charges.
Combs is currently behind bars ahead of his sentencing hearing next month, and could face up to 20 years in prison.
Metro has contacted Combs’ reps for a comment.
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