A 2016 interview featuring Usher has resurfaced, shedding light on his experiences living with Sean “Diddy” Combs for a year when he was just 13 years old.
The interview, which took place on The Howard Stern Show, showcased Usher’s insights into the lifestyle and environment he encountered while residing with Diddy in New York City.
During the interview, Usher mentioned “very curious things taking place” during his time with Diddy and recalled encountering famous artists like Biggie Smalls, Lil’ Kim, Craig Mack, Faith Evans, and Mary J. Blige.
He described the experience as “pretty wild” and admitted to staying up until the early hours partying with Diddy and his entourage.
“I got a chance to see some things,” Usher told Stern, 70, adding: “I went there to see the lifestyle — and I saw it.
“I don’t know if I could indulge and understand what I was even looking at. It was pretty wild.
“I can remember Outkast making their first records and being able to hear Rico [Wade] work on these songs, literally sleeping in this man’s living room, being in the dungeon, just kind of being around and just trying to figure out who’s who,” Usher recalled.
Despite the valuable lessons he learned about music and entrepreneurship during his time with Diddy, Usher made it clear that he would not send his children to “Puffy camp.”
“I got a tutor, went to New York City, and he began to show me the ropes,” Usher told PEOPLE. “Some of the most valuable lessons I could ever learn as an entrepreneur were picked up when I spent that time in New York with him, this unwavering desire to create and make certain that your creative ideas executed.”
He continued: “I saw him in the real time working it out, him building something from nothing, him understanding how culture and collaboration could build careers. Being able to see that, that’s what I got.
“Sex is so hot in the industry, man,” he explained. ‘There was always girls around. You’d open a door and see somebody doing it, or several people in a room having an orgy. You never knew what was going to happen.”
The resurfacing of this interview comes amidst recent raids on Diddy’s properties in Los Angeles and Miami by federal agents, related to ongoing investigations and allegations of sex trafficking.
Diddy’s lawyer has condemned the raids, stating that there is no basis for the accusations and emphasising Diddy’s innocence.
“There was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs’ residences,” said attorney Aaron Dyer in a statement to PEOPLE. “There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities or the way his children and employees were treated.”
“This unprecedented ambush — paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence — leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits,” added Dyer.
The statement concluded, “There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.”