Diddy is leaving Cîroc in the rearview amid his ongoing litigation with the vodka brand’s parent company, and has since declared UK personality Charlie Sloth’s Au Vodka the supreme.
The declaration came amid Puff’s recent London show with Giggs at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on Tuesday night (November 7). While backstage with Au Vodka in hand, the Bad Boy mogul named it the “number one” vodka.
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“If y’all don’t know, number one! Number one right here,” he said alongside Sloth. “Very, very, very proud of you. I saw you work this from the ground up. Everybody must support because when he breaks down doors, I break down doors, more of us can get in. It’s that simple. Shit nice and smooth too. Shit feel like London!”
You can watch the clip below:
During the concert, Diddy surprised fans by bringing out his former Bad Boy signee Shyne, who performed “Bad Boyz” and “Bonnie & Shyne” off his eponymous 2000 album.
“Ayo Shyne, I love you from the bottom of my heart,” Puff said on stage. “This is real love. My brother Shyne is fighting for his people of Belize right now. He’s gonna be the future, I predicted it, Prime Minister of Belize.”
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Diddy also presented the Belizean rapper-turned-politician with a birthday cake backstage to celebrate him turning 45 on Wednesday (November 8).
As for his case with Cîroc’s parent company Diageo, he won his first round of battles against them in September when Judge Joel M. Cohen rejected Diageo’s request to have the case dismissed or resolved privately (via arbitration) between the two parties.
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The case, therefore, is set to proceed in the New York Supreme Court, and will be open to the public when it begins.
“This case has always been about getting fair and equal treatment,” Diddy’s lawyer John Hueston said in a statement (via Billboard). “Today’s decision is an important step in the right direction. Diageo tried to end this action. Today the judge soundly rejected that effort.”
Diddy added: “I’m fighting for fair and equal treatment for everyone. This isn’t just about me. I look forward to continuing this fight in court. We all deserve the same 24 hours.”
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A spokesperson for Diageo responded to the ruling in a statement provided to HipHopDX.
“While we are disappointed with today’s procedural decision, it is important to underscore that this is not a ruling on the merits of the claims, which we maintain are false and baseless,” the statement reads. “We are currently considering all legal options.”
The Bad Boy Records founder filed a lawsuit against the company back in May. In the suit, Diddy claimed that Diageo was “racist” in its handling of Cîroc vodka and DeLeón tequila.
The suit also alleges Diageo’s North America division “starved Combs’ Cîroc vodka and DeLeón tequila brands of resources” while carefully tending to other celebrity concoctions.
Diddy also claims that “in advance of the launch of Ciroc’s watermelon flavor, [he] and his team explained that Diageo needed to be careful about ‘watermelon’ with a brand that it consistently characterized as an ‘urban African American brand.’
“After Diageo’s assurances, [Diddy] signed off on the watermelon flavor for Ciroc,” read the lawsuit. “He was adamant, however, that DeLeon should not launch any flavor until the public learned more about the brand. Yet Diageo showed up in person to Mr. Combs and his team with a developed watermelon-flavored DeLeon Tequila.
“They did this despite DeLeon not having flavored tequila, Mr. Combs’ consistent objection to adding flavors, and the efforts to educate Diageo about the racial history and connotations relating to watermelon.”
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Founded in 2015, Charlie Sloth’s Au Vodka is “inspired by gold” and “incorporates the periodic table where gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79.”
The brand is available internationally and features 12 flavors including Au Original, Cosmic Berries, Pink Lemonade, Black Grape, Fruit Punch, Blue Raspberry, Green Watermelon, Red Cherry, Pineapple Crush, Bubblegum, Golden Caramel Liqueur and Double Espresso Coffee Liqueur.
