Lawsuit puts Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs and Jay-Z’s decades-long friendship in the spotlight

(CNN) — The chorus to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ song “Do You Like It… Do You Want It,” which also features Jay-Z, asks a now eerily prophetic question: “Wanna know what it’s like to be me?”At the time, perhaps no one knew what it was like to be Combs better than Jay-Z, who was born Shawn Carter. Both rappers, producers and businessmen, they topped charts and commanded respect in the recording booth and the boardroom in equal measure.But there was, seemingly, no rivalry.Back in 2009, Combs was asked by a reporter if he remembered a photo showing him in conversation with Carter. Combs explained the moment had been captured at his birthday party. Jay-Z had flown in specifically to attend, even though he had limited time, Combs recalled.“People see us as competitors and different icons in the hip-hop game, but that was just a moment of two Black brothers telling each other how much they appreciate each other,” Combs said.Years later, as Combs sits in federal detention awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, Carter is loath to be connected to him, though a lawsuit is doing exactly that.A woman, who in October filed a civil lawsuit alleging...