Being humble isn’t an attribute many rappers openly possess. However, there have been several times over the years where artists have had to break down and admit fault.
In 2001, Jay-Z famously went on New York City’s Hot 97 and apologized for his Nas diss song “Super Ugly,” which found Hov making scandalous claims about Esco’s child’s mother Carmen. Another famous apology that often gets lost in history is Ye saying sorry for infamously interrupting Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
“I’M SOOOOO SORRY TO TAYLOR SWIFT AND HER FANS AND HER MOM,” Ye tweeted the same night as the incident. “I SPOKE TO HER MOTHER RIGHT AFTER AND SHE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD’VE SAID. SHE IS VERY TALENTED! I LIKE THE LYRICS ABOUT BEING A CHEERLEADER AND SHE’S IN THE BLEACHERS! …………………… I’M IN THE WRONG FOR GOING ON STAGE AND TAKING AWAY FROM HER MOMENT!”
Apologies on video tend to hit different, though. In the past, a bunch of artists have taken the extra step to record their apology statements. After Lil Nas X ruffled feathers with his “J Christ” song and video in January of 2024, he shared a video saying sorry to the Christian community. In April of 2024, J. Cole issued a public apology to Kendrick Lamar after retrospectively feeling some type of way about dissing K-Dot on “7 Minute Drill.”
Most recently, Diddy publicly expressed remorse after a video was leaked that shows him viciously assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016. After previously denying the incident, which was initially detailed in Cassie’s lawsuit against Puff in November of 2023, the rap mogul had no choice but to come clean when faced with video evidence.
“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” Diddy began in his video apology.
“I was f**ked up—I hit rock bottom—but I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video,” he continued. “I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now. I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace.”
“I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry,” Diddy concluded.
Check out several instances of rappers saying sorry on video below.
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Diddy Apologizes for Assaulting Cassie
In May of 2024, after video evidence was released that showed Diddy brutally assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassie, the Bad Boy Entertainment founder finally came clean in an apology video he shared on Instagram.
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Lil Nas X Apologizes to Christian Community
Lil Nas X’s “J Christ” song and video had the Christian community up in arms over the depiction of the “Old Town Road” rapper as Jesus Christ. Following the fallout, Nas X said sorry via a video on social media.
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Soulja Boy Apologizes to J. Cole
In November of 2023, Soulja Boy went off on a vengeful tirade at J. Cole after the Dreamville rapper admitted he initially didn’t like SB’s music. Following a conversation with Nicki Minaj, Soulja realized the error of his ways and apologized to Cole.
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Ye Apologizes to George Bush Jr.
Ye shocked the world when he dissed George W. Bush during a live taping Hurricane Katrina relief concert, A Concert For Hurricane Relief, when he said the sitting president did not care about Black people. The controversial rapper changed his tune during an interview on the Today’s Show in 2010.
Kanye West apologizes to George W. Bush from Jaimz Asmundson on Vimeo.
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J. Cole Apologizes to Kendrick Lamar
After J. Cole responded to Kendrick Lamar’s “Like That” diss on “7 Minute Drill” in March of 2024, the North Carolina spitta had a change of heart, denouncing his song and apologizing at the 2024 Dreamville Festival.
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The Game Apologizes to 50 Cent
The Game and 50 Cent’s beef got intense in the mid-2000s and has not been completely smoldered to this day. However, in 2009, Chuck apologized to Fif for his part in the feud.
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Kid Cudi Apologizes to Fan He Punched
In December of 2009, Kid Cudi punched a fan during a show in Vancouver during an incident involving wallet being thrown on stage. Cudder later apologized and brought the kid out during a show at the Sasquatch Music Festival in 2010.
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Benzino Apologizes to Eminem
Benzino and Eminem’s beef included diss tracks, magazine slander and lawsuits. However, Benzino apologized for his contribution to the kefuffle in 2012.
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Pitbull Apologizes to Lindsay Lohan
A seemingly innocuous lyric name-dropping pop star Lindsay Lohan on the 2011 song “Give Me Everything” got Pitbull embroiled in a lawsuit. The Miami rhymer later apologized for the line (“I got it locked like Lindsay Lohan”). The suit was dismissed in 2013.
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Ice-T Apologizes to Soulja Boy
In 2008, Ice-T made headlines for dissing Soulja Boy’s music. He later apologized to the “Crank Dat” rhymer, kind of.
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Doja Cat Apologizes for Racist Song Title
Doja Cat was the object of scorn in 2020 after it was revealed she allegedly participated in racist chat rooms and her song “Didn’t Do Nothing” resurfaced online. The song’s title derives from an alt-right phrase mocking Black people for police brutality claims. The California rapper-singer went on Instagram Live and issued an apology following the backlash.