Diddy Seemingly Influenced Kanye West’s Decision to Marry Kim Kardashian: "Inspired So Many..."

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of sexual abuse that some readers may find distressing.

Kanye West and Diddy have emerged as the two most controversial rappers of the era. While their mutual admiration for each may not come off as a surprise, Ye (formerly West) once hinted at the now-disgraced rapper’s influence in his marriage to Kim Kardashian during a marked moment in the latter’s music career, per the Daily Mail. 

Ye had the privilege of presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to Diddy at the BET Awards in 2022. Hence, the Heartless rapper reflected on his long history with Diddy to mark the occasion while hailing him as his 'favorite artist' too. However, the part that caught the attention of many was his insinuation about Diddy inspiring his life choices, including finding his partner. “I go to him for advice to this day. He inspired so many of my choices. So many of my life choices. My wife choices,” Ye said at the time. 

Although the 24-time Grammy winner did not directly mention his wife’s name, he was likely talking about Kardashian since the ex-couple had been married since 2014 and share four children – North, Saint, Psalm, and Chicago. However, she filed for divorce in 2021, which was finalized the following year, per People.

Nonetheless, West reserved immense respect for Diddy and his rule-breaking endeavors in the hip-hop sphere at the time. Impressed by Diddy's music, Ye was determined to meet him and even considered him a music idol. The fashion designer said, “I just need to meet this man. This is my favorite artist. You see I'm saying favorite artist — everything, not specifically production, the trip. Back then there was so many rules to hip-hop, and he broke all of them.” 

Much like his marriage to Kardashian, Ye’s friendship with Diddy also found its end. A very public feud that kickstarted over text snowballed into a serious beef only months after Ye sang high praises of his R&B pal. The two music moguls had a major falling out in October 2022 after Ye launched the controversial ‘White Lives Matter’ campaign amid ongoing racial inequality in the nation. Diddy went ahead and publicly denounced the CARNIVAL hitmaker’s t-shirts as 'tone deaf' during an appearance at The Breakfast Club. 

But Ye was not one to be meddled with, even by Diddy. “I'm selling these tees. Nobody gets in between me and my money. This is my grandfather texting you now. Never call me with no bulls*** like that again unless you ready to green light me. Cause anybody who got on that tee is me,” West is said to have texted in response to Diddy’s critique; the text brawl that ensued between them was eventually shared on the internet for Ye’s fans to see.

Their feud remains unresolved as reports emerged that Ye refused to meet Diddy after he wanted to personally greet the rapper at one of his concerts. Diddy was recently arrested on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and multiple lawsuits of sexual abuse against women dating back to the 1990s. 

If you are being subjected to sexual assault, or know of anyone who is, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673).