American rapper Sean Carter, known as Jay-Z, has vehemently denied allegations of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 alongside embattled music mogul Sean Combs, also known as Diddy.

The accusations were brought forward in a civil lawsuit filed by attorney Tony Buzbee, who alleged Jay-Z’s involvement in statutory rape.

In response, Jay-Z released a statement on his social media accounts on Sunday, categorically refuting the claims and challenging Buzbee to pursue criminal charges instead of a civil lawsuit.

https://x.com/RocNation/status/1865917852542247358?t=mbnK63RT7LJh865o2qV72w&s=19

“These allegations are completely false and amount to nothing more than blackmail,” the rapper asserted.Part of his statement read:“

My lawyer received a blackmail attempt in the form of a demand letter from Tony Buzbee, a so-called lawyer. He thought the weight of these heinous allegations would pressure me into settling. Quite the opposite—it’s motivated me to expose his fraud publicly. I will not pay a single cent.

“These accusations are so vile that I urge you to file a criminal complaint rather than a civil one. Crimes of this nature against minors deserve real justice, and anyone guilty of such acts should be imprisoned.

”The controversy comes amid a separate legal battle involving Diddy, who was arrested in September by Homeland Security on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and interstate transportation for prostitution.

Jay-Z and Diddy have long been associated as industry allies, but these recent allegations have further complicated their public standing