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The rapper formerly known as Kanye West has been one of the few celebrities to publicly defend Mr. Combs, who is charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
June 13, 2025, 11:40 a.m. ET
Just before noon on Friday, there was a commotion at the entrance to the Federal District courthouse in Lower Manhattan when Ye, the rapper and provocateur formerly known as Kanye West, entered the building where Sean Combs is standing trial.
The rapper was accompanied by Christian Combs, one of Mr. Combs’s sons. Wearing a white denim jacket and pants, and a pair of sunglasses, Ye was asked by a reporter if he was there in support of Mr. Combs. He said yes.
For months, Ye has been one of the only major celebrities to offer public support for Mr. Combs, who is charged with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors have said that employees of Mr. Combs, including security staff, worked on his behalf as part of a “criminal enterprise” to commit and cover up a variety of crimes, including kidnapping, arson and obstruction of justice. Mr. Combs has pleaded not guilty.
Mr. Combs and Ye have stayed touch while Mr. Combs has been detained in a Brooklyn jail ahead of trial. A leaked clip of a phone call between the rapper this spring included snippets of Mr. Combs encouraging Ye to make new music and promising to call again.
“Fifty-nine more days before trial, so I’ll definitely be touching in, to tap into your energy or something,” Mr. Combs said in the recording.
The 23rd day of the trial began on Friday with a federal agent detailing the guns, drugs and copious stores of lubricant seized from the music mogul’s Los Angeles-area mansion during a raid in March 2024.
