While he’s mostly known for his sports commentary, Stephen A Smith just ruffled a lot of feathers with his thoughts on the Diddy trial. Specifically, Smith addressed the court’s use of evidence and the court of public opinion. “Of course, his mother Janice Combs showed up, walking into the federal courthouse as well,” he remarked on his self-titled show. “So his family’s there in full support of him. I was just taken aback by them making noise about the [Cassie] video being leaked. ‘Cause I was like, ‘How the hell is that gon’ help them?’ But in the end, when you really think about it, it does kind of help him in the court of public opinion.
“‘Cause whenever a Black man is being prosecuted,” Stephen A. Smith continued concerning Diddy. “And we think that the government has done something salacious or unethical in their pursuit of him, we gon’ side with him. At least, to a degree in terms of pointing out the kind of links they will go through to take him down. We’re also hearing that they’re coming with additional charges down the pipe, this is just the start, it ain’t the finish line. But by doing this, their belief is that that’s going to help them in the court of public opinion. I don’t know if they’re wrong, they might be right about that.” Check out the comments section of the Instagram post below to see people’s critical reactions
“But they especially win if they get that tape removed and it’s not allowed to be seen by the 12 jurors that’s going to be assigned to decide whether or not he’s going to jail for 20, 25 years, to 40 years, the rest of his life, or whether he’s going to be made to be a free man,” Stephen A. Smith said about Diddy. “He still ain’t been let out on bail. If I remember correctly, a judge was removed from the case, and a different judge came about. Still ain’t removed from jail. They still haven’t granted him bail.
“But this revealing of the tape and the accusations that it was leaked by the government to assist the prosecution – well, they are the prosecution, the government,” Stephen A. Smith concluded his thoughts on the Diddy situation. “It does make sense, it might not be that bad of a strategy. And if you can get that tape removed… Hmm. They don’t have to see what he did to his ex-girl. Hmm… It’s interesting. I’m just saying, I’m just saying.”
About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output.
Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond.
Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C.
His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.
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