Who is Dallas Austin? Grammy winner's name surfaces during Diddy trial

Diddy’s trial began on May 5, 2025, and the name of Dallas Austin appeared on a list of celebrities reportedly associated with the rapper, as per USA Today. The list also featured other names such as Cassie Ventura, Lauren London, Kid Cudi, Michael B. Jordan, and more.

Notably, Dallas Austin is well-known for producing singles such as The Boy Is Mine and Creep. According to the songwriter’s biography on the Songwriters Hall of Fame, most of his songs have been commercially successful, and he has collaborated with artists like Michael Jackson. He also won a Grammy Award for the album Fanmail, released by the girl group TLC.

Meanwhile, the list of names allegedly linked with Diddy’s trial drew significant media attention. As per People magazine, Judge Arun Subramanian jokingly said that he felt like he was “reading an appendix.” During jury selection, potential jurors were asked if they knew anything about the personalities included in the list.

A juror reportedly claimed that he knew Michael B. Jordan and Mike Myers, along with some other names. Another juror claimed to have known Cudi, following which the duo asserted that they could check the evidence.

As reported by USA Today on May 5, Dallas Austin's inclusion may stem from his close relationship with Kim Porter, who was previously romantically linked to Diddy.

According to Variety, jurors were given a questionnaire where they were told to open up on a lot of things, including their alleged experience with s*xual assault. Diddy’s trial is supposed to go for eight weeks, and the opening arguments are expected to happen after the jury selection next week on May 12, 2025.

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Dallas Austin has produced multiple songs: Career and other details explained

The Columbus, Georgia native has released several singles throughout his career as a record producer. He has also established a few record labels, including Rowdy Records, Limp Records, and Freeworld Entertainment.

According to All Music, Dallas Austin developed an interest in music during childhood. He taught himself to play instruments such as guitar and keyboard and later began playing in bands after relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1980s. At the same place, Austin opened a recording studio called DARP.

In a 2019 interview with Songwriter Universe, Austin said that he used to listen to a lot of music and that he was a part of the school’s marching band, where he played drums. He revealed that he collaborated with Joyce “Fenderella” Irby on a song titled Mr. DJ, recalling the experience:

“She was one of the first people to tell me, ‘Hey man, you’re a great songwriter. You know melodies and you know stories.’ At this point, I still don’t know what that meant with what I was doing. I got more into writing and production…we worked with (the group) Troop. And then I got to Another Bad Creation and Boyz II Men (on Motown Records).”

In 1995, Austin produced Michael Jackson’s song 2 Bad. A few years earlier, he served as a producer of Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg by the girl group TLC, which grabbed a spot on the Billboard charts. His list of hits included Cool by Gwen Stefani, featured on the singer’s debut album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby.

A year after working with the King of Pop, Dallas Austin collaborated with Madonna on Don’t Stop. He continued producing other hits for TLC, including 3D, Automatic, Case of the Fake People, Creep, Defend on Myself, His Story, and more.

Over the years, Dallas Austin produced more singles for Michael Jackson and Madonna. Other songs in his credits include titles such as Perfect Strange, Sourpuss, Take Him Back, Things I Collected, Understand the Flow, Where’s The Steel, Ugly, Trick Me, The Choice Is Yours, Survival, Swingin, Sympin, and more.