"He didn't like the fact that she liked Tupac"— Gene Deal claims Diddy treated Cassie badly over her love for Tupac

Amid Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ongoing federal trial, his former head of security, Gene Deal, sat down with The Art of Dialogue podcast and claimed the rapper ill-treated his ex-girlfriend and R&B singer Cassie Ventura because of her “love” for deceased hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur.

In a video uploaded on YouTube on June 4, 2025, Gene was asked by the host why Cassie was the “only woman” Diddy was seemingly doing the freak-offs with. In response, the ex-bodyguard stated:

“I have come to find out that, and people [are] going to think this is weird, Cassie was a die-hard Tupac fan. Cassie loved her some Tupac… I think it has something to do with that. Uhh, he didn’t like the fact that she liked Tupac. And it’s crazy… to believe that… to even think that.”

Gene Deal added that Diddy perhaps also thought he could seemingly “get away” with exploiting Cassie, besides being upset that his then-girlfriend admired his West Coast rap rival, Tupac.

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Exploring more about Gene Deal’s recent comment on Diddy, Cassie, and Tupac

During his recent appearance on The Art of Dialogue, Gene Deal claimed Cassie was a “die-hard fan” of Tupac, which reportedly did not sit well with Diddy. The bodyguard claimed to have received the alleged information from a source close to the former couple.

“I believe that Puff may have found that out or known that, and he put that against that girl. And he treated her like that, because, one, he thought he could get away with it, and two, she had a love for Pac,” Deal stated.

According to Gene, Combs’ other partners, including Kim Porter and Sarah Chapman, “loved Pac too.” However, the bodyguard claimed that Diddy didn’t perform freak-offs with Sarah, who Deal called “highly intelligent,” as she was “smart.”

Combs’ former head of security alleged that his ex-boss knew he couldn’t get away with abusing Sarah as much as he could with Cassie, despite Chapman reportedly dating Tupac before him.

Gene Deal also referred to Kirk Burrowes’ lawsuit and claimed that it proved how “obsessed Puff was with Tupac,” and wanted to date every woman Shakur dated and own, do everything that the late rapper owned or did.

The bodyguard alleged that the Bad Boy Records owner’s obsession with Tupac seemingly reached its height when he dated Cassie between 2007 and 2018, as the Me & U singer was Shakur’s fan.

Gene Deal also mentioned that Cassie probably didn’t know that she loved Tupac’s music as she was too “young.” However, Diddy “hated Pac that much to take it out on that little girl.”

So far, Tupac Shakur has not been mentioned in Sean Combs’ trial, where he is facing five charges, including two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, one count of racketeering conspiracy, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

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Over the years, Diddy has been suspected to have being involved in Tupac’s murder that happened in September 1996 murder in Las Vegas. Most recently, former Bad Boy Records president and co-founder Kirk Burrowes sued Sean Combs and claimed his ex-business partner was behind Shakur’s death.

Burrowes mentioned in his March 2025 lawsuit that Puff Daddy felt an “unchecked jealousy” toward Tupac because of the latter’s talent and popularity and his growing friendship with The Notorious B.I.G., which later seemingly pushed him to orchestrate the killing.

Notably, Burrowes’ lawsuit also mentions Duane “Keefe D” Davis, who is awaiting trial for Tupac’s murder. According to the swirling allegations, Diddy made a $1 million deal with Davis to get rid of the All Eyez on Me rapper.

Earlier, former Death Records executive and now-convicted felon Suge Knight also claimed Combs was reportedly responsible for Shakur’s fatal drive-by shooting.