An early Bad Boys Records hit was playing from a boombox outside the courthouse. A Manhattan traffic sign had been graffitied, twice, with “NYPDiddy.” Nearly two years after Sean “Diddy” Combs was first sued for sexual and physical abuse, setting into motion a public reckoning, a criminal trial, and a torrent of hip-hop gossip , he was due to be sentenced on two prostitution-related counts—for which a judge would ultimately order him to spend more than four years in prison.

Before what would become a full day of testimony and arguments got underway, the crowd on hand on Friday morning was among the largest and most fervid since opening statements in the case began in May. For all the fanfare, the proceedings against Combs had generally amounted to something of a letdown for the cl

See Full Page