Jay-Z and the rape allegations

The Story

The rap mogul’s, whose real name is Shawn Carter, billion dollar empire is at risk after he was named in a civil lawsuit accusing him of raping a 13-year-old in 2000. Jay-Z was named alongside Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Both men strongly deny the claims. So how did Jay-Z become a giant of American culture?

If you've been affected by issues in this podcast:

Victim Support provides emotional and practical help to victims or witnesses of any crime, whether or not it has been reported to the police. Phone: 0808 16 89 111 (24/7) Visit the Victim Support website

Rape Crisis England & Wales offers confidential support and information to women in England and Wales who have survived any form of sexual violence, no matter how long ago. Also provides immediate support to friends and family on how to support female survivors of sexual violence. Phone: 0808 802 9999 (12–2:30pm & 7–9:30pm daily) Visit the Rape Crisis website

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory

Guest: Craig MacLean, freelance arts journalist and contributor to The Times. 

Host: Luke Jones.

Further listening: The P Diddy lawsuits: The downfall of a rap legend 

Read more: Jay-Z, Beyoncé and a billion-dollar hip-hop empire in jeopardy 

Get in touch: thestory@thetimes.com

Clips: On The Red Carpet, Forbes, CBS, NBC News, CNN, UNICEF, MTV, BBC News, BBC Glastonbury. 

Music clips

Brooklyn’s Finest, JAY-Z, ℗ 1996 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Distributed by Equity Distribution, Roc-A-Fella.

Izzo (H.O.V.A.), JAY-Z, ℗ 2001 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Universal Music Group.

Dead Presidents II, JAY-Z, ℗ 1996 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Distributed by Equity Distribution, Roc-A-Fella.

Empire State Of Mind, JAY-Z ft. Alicia Keys, © 2014 S. Carter Enterprises, LLC., Distributed by Roc Nation Records, LLC. 

Sorry, Beyoncé, ℗ 2016 Parkwood Entertainment LLC, under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a Division of Sony Music Entertainment, Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia. 

Photo: Getty Images 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada