'Making the Band' Star Freddy P Says Diddy Preyed on Struggling Rappers

Rapper Freddy P sat down with The Art of Dialogue for an interview on Diddy's arrest.Photo byYouTube/Art of Dialogue

Freddy P, a rapper who was signed to Bad Boy Records when he appeared on MTV's Making the Band, believes Sean "Diddy" Combs' arrest was "long overdue."

Freddy P, born Freddrick Watson, sat down with the “Art of Dialogue” YouTube channel to share his reaction to the mogul's arrest.

In the interview posted online Sept. 20, the Florida rapper said Diddy should have been locked up years ago. "It's just long overdue," he said.

Related: Diddy 'In Shock' as He Awaits Trial in Notorious New York Jail

Freddy P has been open in the past about having financial disputes with Diddy, alleging the mogul "robbed" him of his earnings.

Still, the rapper said in the new interview he's concerned about the disgraced mogul and his youngest children.

"I don't wish bad on him. Like, before this transpired, I had a lot of hatred toward him, but it was about financial reasons," Freddy P said. "At the end of the day, he's still somebody's father."

Freddy P was featured on Making the Band in the early 2000s. During that time, Diddy -- then known as Puff Daddy -- and his Bad Boy Records associates put together a hip-hop group called Da Band, made up of Freddy P, Sara Rivers, Dylan Dilinjah, Chopper, Babs, and Ness.

Freddy P told the "Art of Dialogue" that Diddy has "hurt" a lot of people. According to Freddy P, the mogul preyed on struggling rappers by dangling money and opportunities in front of them.

"I can imagine he approached these guys who are going through financial situations... then, when things don't be hot no more, you fall back on people like him. He preys on you. What he does is, he offers you things to keep up a lifestyle," Freddy P said. "It's a lot of rappers out here that got secrets because they fell into those situations with Puffy."

Da Band's album cover. The group was made up of (L-R) Ness, Sara Rivers, Freddy P, Chopper, Dylan Dilinjah and Babs.Photo byBad Boy Records

He said Diddy had the power to change lives and accused the mogul of abusing that power.

"You can imagine being propositioned by Puffy like that. [It leaves you] f--ked up. He can fly you to a private island, get rid of the security, and wire you a million or 20 million [dollars], or make sure that you get this endorsement deal. That's how easy it is for him to gain leverage over people," Freddy P said.

Making the Band's first three seasons aired on ABC and introduced the group O-Town. The series then moved to MTV and was overseen by Diddy from 2002 to 2009.

During the Diddy years, the show introduced Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang, with each act appearing on multiple seasons as the series charted their progress.

On Sept. 10, former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard filed an explosive lawsuit against Diddy in federal court, accusing the mogul of battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, stealing her copyrighted work, and other alleged crimes.

Freddy P said he wasn't surprised by Richard's filing.

"I been knew about the girl that came out. She was just afraid to tell her story," he said. "When you're in a circle like Da Band, things that transpired in their band, it gets back to us because they worked with people that we worked with."

Freddy P alleged there are many more disturbing stories about Diddy that have yet to be told publicly.

"I've been on phone calls where people were explaining their situations, crying about their situations and it's only going to get worse," he said.

Diddy was taken into custody on Monday, Sept. 16. The embattled music mogul faces 3 federal counts. If convicted as charged, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.