Pop star Kesha dropped her mention of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs from the opening line of her 2009 hit single “Tik Tok” during performances over the weekend in the wake of singer Cassie’s lawsuit accusing him of rape and abuse.
Cassie, who previously had a romantic relationship with Combs, filed the bombshell federal suit Thursday in New York City. The next day, both parties announced a settlement had been reached.
Videos on social media showed Kesha performing at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Saturday and changing the opening line of her song “Tik Tok” to “wake up in the mornin’ feelin’ just like me,” instead of its original version, “wake up in the mornin’ feelin’ like P Diddy.”
Performing in Oakland, California, on Friday night, she sang the same lyric, according to a video clip.
Her representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kesha burst onto the music scene with much fervor with her 2010 album, “Animal,” and her hit "Tik Tok," which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 2010 and stayed in the top spot for nine weeks.
In 2014, Kesha sued her former music producer, Dr. Luke, in Los Angeles and New York alleging that he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2005 and physically and verbally abused her for a decade.
Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, denied the allegations and in turn sued her for defamation, alleging she fabricated the allegations to get out of her recording contract.
The New York suit was dismissed in April 2016 for jurisdiction and statute-of-limitation issues. The California suit was dropped a few months later, her attorney told Rolling Stone, in the hope that Kesha could return to making music.
Dr. Luke won his civil case in 2020 when a judge ruled Kesha defamed him in her court filings and on social media. Kesha appealed the verdict; the New York Court of Appeals ruled in her favor in June, and the two parties announced a settlement.
"Only God knows what happened that night, as I have always said,” Kesha said in a statement at the time. “I cannot recount everything that happened. I am looking forward to closing the door on this chapter of my life and beginning a new one.”
Dr. Luke said: “While I appreciate Kesha again acknowledging she cannot recount what happened that night in 2005, I am absolutely certain that nothing happened. I never drugged or assaulted her and would never do that to anyone.”
Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Ventura, sued Combs — one of the most prominent names in hip-hop — Thursday in New York City alleging he raped and physically abused her, trapped her in a “cycle of abuse" and controlled her personal and professional life — allegations Combs' lawyer has vehemently denied.
The two met around 2005, and Combs later signed Cassie, a singer, model, actor and dancer, to his record label, Bad Boy Records, with a 10-album deal.
The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura said in a statement Friday. “I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Combs said in a statement: “I wish Cassie and her family all the best. Love.”
