Jay-Z vehemently denied accusations that were made public Sunday alleging the now-55-year-old raped a 13-year-old girl at a post-VMAs party alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2000. In a statement to the Daily Beast via a publicist for the rapper, whose real name is Shawn Carter, Jay-Z claimed he was the victim of a “blackmail attempt” from the lawyer who filed the suit, Tony Buzbee. “What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” the rapper wrote. “No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”Jay-Z claimed his “only heartbreak is for my family” and while not mentioning Beyoncé by name, he added, “My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people. I mourn yet another loss of innocence. Children should not have to endure such at their young age. It is unfair to have to try to understand inexplicable degrees of malice meant to destroy families and human spirit.” He finished: “I look forward to showing you just how different I am.” Buzbee, in his own statement to the Daily Beast, said, “The pleading speaks for itself. This is a very serious matter that will be litigated in court.”
