As pressure mounts to revoke Diddy’s honorary key to New York City, Nas has been suggested as a potential replacement. Calls to rescind the key have intensified following the release of CCTV footage showing Diddy assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie. Several NYC council members have urged Mayor Eric Adams to take action.
Sandy Nurse, a council member, told TMZ, “Mayor Adams should immediately revoke Diddy’s key to the city. As an abuser, Diddy lost his right to have such an honor and should be held accountable for his actions. Mayor Adams should set the example and take it away.” Another council member, Shaun Abreu, echoed this sentiment, stating, “Mayor Adams should snatch back Diddy’s key and slam the door behind him. We won’t be missing you.” Additionally, council member Justin Brannan proposed Nas as a suitable replacement, referring to the Queensbridge rapper as the “G.O.A.T.”
Diddy was awarded the key to the city last September, just two months before Cassie filed a lawsuit against him for sexual assault and other crimes. Mayor Adams addressed the possibility of revoking the key in a recent interview with PIX11, acknowledging the disturbing nature of the footage. “I think all of us were deeply disturbed by watching that chilling video of the young lady being assaulted by him,” Adams said. “The committee and the team, we’ve never rescinded a key before, but we are now sitting down to see what the next steps forward are going to be […] We are taking everything under analysis and the team will come back [to] me with a final determination.”
The footage, obtained by CNN, depicts a 2016 incident where Diddy violently assaults Cassie in a hotel corridor. He can be seen exiting his room wearing only a towel, attacking Cassie as she waits for an elevator, and dragging her back to his room. Despite his apology on Instagram, in which he admitted his actions were inexcusable, Cassie’s lawyer dismissed it as “disingenuous.”
Diddy stated, “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”