By now, most sports fans have come to accept that Cam’ron is not your traditional talking head.
Apparently CNN never got the memo.
On Monday night, NewsNight‘s Abby Phillip welcomed the multiplatinum-selling rapper to discuss the security footage that appears to show Sean “Diddy” Coombs assaulting his former girlfriend, the singer Cassie, in 2016. Only nobody appeared to have prepared Cam’ron for what he’d be asked about during the interview, which quickly devolved into one of the more bizarre segments to have ever aired on CNN.
After Cam’ron stated that Diddy’s behavior in the video was “egregious” and that the entire situation has made him “upset,” Phillip proceeded to play a clip from the 48-year-old rapper’s Underdog Fantasy IT IS WHAT IT IS podcast. In the clip, Cam’ron’s co-host, Mase, emotionally discussed steering him away from Diddy’s Bad Boy Records label when the two were young rappers in the 1990s.
“Can you tell us a little bit more about that?” Phillip asked after returning from the clip. “Is there something known in the industry about how Diddy treated his artists?”
As Phillip asked her question, Cam’ron downed a shot of his signature “PinkHorse Power” drink, which according to its website, “is designed to empower man’s sexual intimacy by helping to improve stamina and libido.”
“Sorry, I’m going to get some cheeks after this Horse Power joint,” Cam’Ron stated matter of factly.
Well then.
Cam’Ron proceeded to deflect, noting that he couldn’t speak for Mase, who had a much closer relationship with Diddy when they were up-and-coming rappers in the 1990s. He did, however, make sure to get another plug in for IT IS WHAT IT IS, which previously employed O.J. Simpson as an analyst before his death last month.
So Cam’ron went on CNN tonight and it was an absolute disaster pic.twitter.com/xm3tCe9O7N
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 21, 2024
From there, Phillip asked whether he felt the hip-hop community had protected Diddy despite his alleged predatory behavior. That proved to be the final question of the interview, as it totally came off the rails.
“Who the talent agent for this joint?” Cam’Ron asked. “You think I be sitting around and watching what Diddy do and all this? I didn’t know this was a Diddy joint that y’all invited me to. Yo, who booked me for this?”
Whether it was actually the case or not, Cam’Ron seemed to be genuinely caught unaware that he’d be discussing Diddy throughout his CNN appearance. That, however, didn’t stop him from using the opportunity to promote his Underdog Fantasy podcast — as well as his PinkHorse Power drink — to a national audience.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.