Barely a month after Rapper Diddy moved to court to sue drinks giant Diageo accusing them of neglecting his liquor brand, the company has ended the business relationship with the rapper.
In response to Diddy’s lawsuit filed earlier this month, the company claimed that Diddy made false accusations towards their brand, terming the claims defamatory. In his complaint, Diddy had accused the alcohol brand of neglecting his tequila brand while investing heavily in other brands that white investors owned. The rapper said that Diageo sidelined his DeLeón tequila and Ciroc Vodka citing that the brand looked at them as ‘urban’ brands.
Read Also: Diddy Sues Diageo for Breach of Contract, Cites Racism
Cloaking itself in the language of diversity and equality is good for Diageo’s business, but it is a lie. While Diageo may conspicuously include images of its Black partners in advertising materials and press releases, its words only provide the illusion of inclusion. As Combs Wines and Sean Combs have experienced firsthand, Diageo, by and through its parent company’s Chief Executive Officer Ivan Menezes, has proven unwilling to treat its Black partners equally— even when explicitly required by contract to do so
Diddy’s statement from the complaint.
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Diageo announced yesterday that the company was severing ties with the rapper after more than a decade-long business relationship saying that ‘the company sees no reasonable remedy and see no other path forward’ with the rapper’s brand. The company also accused Diddy of trying to use every chance he got to threaten Diageo or not using his alcohol brands.
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Diageo’s spokesperson on the matter further reiterated that Diageo invested more than $100 million in Combs’ brands to help them expand because it was dedicated to their success as much as any brand they worked with.
