"They are so scared" — Suge Knight explains why Diddy's peers are hesitant to discuss his sex trafficking case 

Suge Knight, rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs' longtime rival, recently shared his opinion on why many of the latter's peers are afraid to publicly discuss his ongoing sex trafficking trial. On June 16, Suge Knight, currently incarcerated for voluntary manslaughter, called in to the iHeartRadio podcast Covering the Diddy Trial.

During his conversation with podcast host Aubrey O’Day (a former Danity Kane singer), she asked Knight why he believed many of Diddy's associates, like Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and fellow Bad Boy Records artists, have not addressed Combs' arrest or his trial.

As reported by Billboard on Monday, Suge claimed that these associates were scared of "the people in the suites," which prevented them from speaking up.

“The reason why they’re so silent is this: They are so scared. They are slaves. These people are slaves to these people. They’re not scared of the guns and the knives, they’re not scared of the streets. They’re scared of the people in the suites," he said.

Combs' trial, which began on May 5, is nearing its end with the prosecution looking to wrap up its side by the end of this week. The government has brought forth several witnesses in a bid to prove the rapper guilty of the federal charges of "sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution."

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Suge Knight was brought up during Diddy's trial

Suge Knight and Diddy's rivalry, which began in the 90s, spanned a long-running animosity between East Coast and West Coast rappers that ultimately culminated in the fatal shootings of 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G., aka Biggie. Biggie represented the East Coast and was signed with Combs' Bad Boy Records, while 2Pac represented the West Coast and was under Knight's Death Row Records.

The rivalry between Diddy and Knight was also brought up during Cassie Ventura's testimony at the former's trial. Ventura, Diddy's former girlfriend and the prosecution's star witness, testified that Combs once left a "freak-off" to confront Knight after he was allegedly spotted at Mel's Diner in Los Angeles in 2008.

As reported by HotNewHipHop on May 23, Ventura told the jury that she was scared of what Combs might do, as she alleged that he and his men "covered their heads, grabbed guns, and drove to [Mel's Diner]."

"I was crying, I was screaming, ‘Please don’t do anything stupid.' I was just really nervous for them, what it meant, what they were going to do," Ventura claimed.

According to HotNewHipHop, the alleged incident was brought up again during the testimony of David James, Combs' former assistant. On May 20, James testified that he was in the car with Combs and his men driving to Mel's Diner, claiming that he had three handguns in his lap during the drive. He also testified that it was "the first time [he] realized [his] life was in danger."

Following Ventura and James' testimony, TMZ reached out to Suge Knight to question him regarding the alleged incident, as he responded:

"If he’d have confronted me and he had a gun, you best believe he was going to have to use it, or something was going to happen. Things can go wrong when you dealing with drugs and alcohol and even fear. Some people, if they scared enough… They feel they got to do something. They can’t do it with their hands, so they got to make sure they bring guns."

Then, on May 27, Capricorn Clark, Combs' former personal assistant, testified that the rapper once threatened her because of her connection to Suge Knight. During her testimony, Clark claimed that on the first day of her new job under the Bad Boy Records founder, Combs found out she had previously worked for Knight. She further stated, "He said, ‘If anything happened, I might have to kill you.’”

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In other news, during a phone conversation with CNN’s Laura Coates on May 30, Suge Knight urged Diddy to take the stand and testify in the trial in an attempt to "humanize" himself.

According to AP News on June 18, Combs is unlikely to testify in his trial after the defense revealed that its presentation required only two to five days. For context, Cassie Ventura's testimony lasted four days, while Diddy's anonymous ex-girlfriend, going under the pseudonym "Jane," testified for six days.