This Is How Joe Jonas Changed The Diddy Lyric In “Cake By The Ocean” Amid The Mounting Allegations Against The Music Mogul

Interestingly, this seems to be how a lot of people learned there even is a Diddy lyric in the 2015 hit.

By
Stephanie Soteriou
by Stephanie Soteriou

BuzzFeed Staff

Joe Jonas is the latest celebrity to alter his Diddy-referencing lyrics in light of the harrowing allegations that the music mogul is currently at the center of.

Sean "Diddy" Combs wearing a leather jacket, dark shirt, layered diamond necklaces, including a prominent cross, and dark sunglasses
Shareif Ziyadat / Getty Images for Sean "Diddy" Combs

For reference, Sean “Diddy” Combs was arrested and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution on Sept. 16 following 10 months of abuse allegations. 


The 54-year-old billionaire pleaded not guilty in court and currently awaits trial at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after being denied bail twice.


At a press conference held in Houston, Texas, on Tuesday, a group of lawyers stated that they received more than 3,000 responses after they put out a call for other alleged victims to come forward. Diddy is now facing an additional 120 sexual assault lawsuits that will be filed in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami.


The alleged victims are said to be a mix of male and female and range from the ages of 9 to 38 at the time of the alleged incidents. 

So, it is completely understandable that Joe was reluctant to namecheck the rapper when he performed his band DNCE’s hit song “Cake by the Ocean” at a Jonas Brothers concert last week.

Joe Jonas performs on stage, wearing a leather jacket and jeans, singing into a microphone
Medios Y Media / Getty Images

In the song, which was released in 2015, Joe sings: “Walk for me, baby / I'll be Diddy, you'll be Naomi, woah-oh,” which is a reference to Diddy’s early-2000s relationship with the British supermodel Naomi Campbell.

However, in a video of the JoBro’s performance at the LDLC Arena in Lyon, France, on Saturday, Joe appears to omit Diddy’s name entirely, instead singing: “Walk for me, baby / I’ll be watching you be Naomi.”

Joe Jonas performing on stage, holding a microphone. Text in image: "Joe changing the Diddy line in Cake By The Ocean is ICONIC !!!!!" TikTok video view data displayed
TikTok @opheliesgr / Via tiktok.com

While Joe was widely praised for this move, after watching the clip, many fans were forced to admit that they actually had no idea that Diddy was ever referenced in the original lyrics.


A comment that has been liked more than 265,000 times reads: “I didn’t even know diddy was mentioned in the song.”


“I feel stupid for the fact I didn't even know he sings this song 😅” a comment with over 110k likes says. 


A similarly popular response echoes: “there was a diddy line in cake by the ocean-“ 


“I didn’t even know that line existed 😭” another user added, while multiple people in the comments admitted that they thought the original lyric was: “I’ll be there and you’ll be my only one.”

Of course, Joe isn’t the first singer to remove Diddy’s name from one of their hit songs, with Kesha famously tweaking the opening line to her smash hit “Tik Tok” back in April.

Kesha performs on stage at a festival, wearing a white tank top and denim shorts, in front of a large crowd
Amy Sussman / Getty Images for Coachella

As you’re probably aware, the song’s extremely memorable opening lyric is: “Wake up in the mornin’ / Feelin’ like P. Diddy,” which Kesha pointedly changed to: “Wake up in the morning like / Fuck P. Diddy” during a performance with Reneé Rapp at Coachella. 


In August, Kesha confirmed in a tweet that this lyric change “is permanent” as she revealed her plan to officially re-record the song with the edited line as soon as she has the “legal rights to.”

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here. 

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