Mark Savage
BBC Music correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Two years ago, rap musician and mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs threw a lavish 53rd birthday party at his $61m mansion in Beverly Hills.

A host of stars lined up to toast his career,, external with a guest list that included Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Mary J Blige, Kehlani, Tinashe, Chris Brown and Machine Gun Kelly.

The party coincided with his 30th year in the music industry - three decades in which he formed his own entertainment empire and changed the sound of hip-hop, both as an artist and a producer for the likes of Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and The Notorious B.I.G.

Fast-forward to today, and his career is on the ropes.

A 2023 civil lawsuit brought by his former partner Casandra Ventura, a singer and model known as Cassie, included graphic allegations of violent abuse. She accused Combs of sexual abuse and rape.

They settled the case for an undisclosed amount a day after it was filed in New York, with Combs maintaining his innocence.

In the weeks after, Combs was accused of sexual assault dating back to 1991 by multiple women.

The same Los Angeles mansion that hosted his birthday party was raided by police in March 2024. There, officers seized supplies that they say were intended for use in orgies known as "freak offs", including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.

In a case filed in New York, which we are covering today, the star has been accused of kidnapping, drugging and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes through the use of firearms and threats of violence.

Combs has denied all the charges. If found guilty he could face life in prison.

• Read more: Timeline of the charges against Sean Combs

Image source, Getty Images

Sean Combs is being held in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn, New York.

His lawyers have been unsuccessful in getting him released on bail ahead of the trial. They have argued the conditions inside are "horrific".

A New York federal judge denied the bail request, describing Combs as a "serious flight risk".

Prosecutors have alleged that Combs has been breaking prison rules by contacting potential witnesses.

The facility is known for its past and present inmates.

It has housed rapper R Kelly and Jeffrey Epstein’s associate Ghislane Maxwell.

Cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried, who once ran a company worth billions but was convicted on multiple counts of fraud, was also reportedly sharing the same unit of the Brooklyn jail as Combs.

• Read more: 'Chaos reigns' - the notorious jail holding Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from court

Image source, Pratiksha Ghildial / BBC

It’s an overcast day here outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan where the jury selection is beginning.

The NYPD and US Marshals are in charge of security and have barricaded the sidewalks to regulate the flow of people going in.

US networks and other media have set up live positions in a specially created "media pen", given the amount of public interest in this case.

For now, the traffic in front of the courthouse seems to be flowing smoothly and the weather has been favourable - but given the rain and flood warnings, we will see what the rest of the day brings.

Image source, Pratiksha Ghildial / BBC

Combs has consistently denied the allegations made against him in the civil lawsuits, describing them as "sickening" and suggesting they were made by "individuals looking for a quick payday".

In a statement to the BBC about the federal criminal charges, his lawyer said: "Mr Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process.

"In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone - man or woman, adult or minor."

Diddy's lawyers later filed a motion to dismiss one part of the federal indictment in which he is accused of transportation to engage in prostitution. His team argued he was being unfairly targeted due to his race.

In a hearing in New York a week before the trial, his attorneys told the court that the rapper led the "lifestyle" of a "swinger" and was not a criminal.

They said he thought it was "appropriate" to have multiple sex partners, including sex workers.

At the same hearing, prosecutors revealed that Combs had rejected a plea deal.

Pratiksha Ghildial
Reporting from court

In pre-trial hearings, Sean "Diddy" Combs’ team had asked to delay the trial by two months by asking for more time to prepare and to review more evidence.

But judge Arun Subramanian denied that motion, saying he can’t allow a "fishing expedition" and that Combs had enough attorneys to be able to prepare in time.

In his pre-trial hearings, Combs has come across as calm and solemn, sometimes turning back to smile and wave at the courtroom.

He has been wearing light tan coloured prison garb but the judge has now allowed him to wear non-prison clothing which we will see him in today.

Image source, Reuters

Jury selection starts today and it could take the rest of the week. The court must whittle down hundreds of potential jurors.

The trial starts in earnest after the panel of 12 jurors and six alternates is selected.

Prosecutor Emily Johnson told the judge that the government will need three weeks to present its case.

Diddy's legal team have indicated they will need a week to present their case.

The trial is to be open to the public, but it is not streamed online.

In the federal criminal case, Combs is charged with racketeering conspiracy, two charges of sex trafficking and two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Many of the most severe allegations relate to the racketeering conspiracy charge.

It includes accusations of kidnapping, drugging, and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes using firearms or threats of violence.

In a raid on his Los Angeles mansion, police found supplies that they said were intended for use in orgies known as "freak offs", including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.

He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Combs also faces dozens of individual lawsuits from people who claim he drugged, raped or assaulted them and intimidated them into silence.

Combs has also denied these allegations, saying those who filed them are "individuals looking for a quick payday".

Image source, Getty Images

Combs - who has also gone by the names Puffy, Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Love, and Brother Love - emerged into the hip-hop scene in the 1990s.

His early music career success included helping launch the careers of Mary J Blige and Christopher Wallace - aka Biggie Smalls, or The Notorious B.I.G.

His music label Bad Boy Records became one of the most important labels in rap and expanded to include Faith Evans, Ma$e, 112, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.

Combs also had a prolific business career outside of music, including a deal with British drinks company Diageo to promote the French vodka brand Cîroc.

In 2023, he released his fifth record The Love Album: Off The Grid and earned his first solo nomination at the Grammy awards. He also was named a Global Icon at the MTV Awards.

The trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, one of the most successful rappers and music moguls in the US, starts today in New York with jury selection.

The charges against him include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

The rapper also faces dozens of civil lawsuits from individuals who accuse him of using his power to drug, assault, rape, intimidate and silence people.

Combs has pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges and rejected the individual lawsuits as attempts "for a quick payday".

We will be bringing you updates from inside the courtroom throughout the day.

Stick with us.