Fans were taken aback when Sean "Diddy" Combs, a rapper in legal hot water, posted a tribute on Instagram honoring the passing of a music producer.
Some said this is a massive indication that the controversial music mogul no longer cares about his legal troubles, even these have not yet died down.
Diddy Pays Tribute to Rico Wade
Over the weekend, reports surfaced indicating that 52-year-old Rico Wade, a renowned hip-hop producer from Atlanta who aided in the beginning of OutKast and Future's careers, had passed away.
Sean "Diddy" Combs, 54, shared a picture of Rico in the recording studio on Monday, writing, "Rest in peace @ricowadedf One of the greatest producers God ever created! You will be missed but your music will live forever! LOVE #dungeonfamily #atlanta."
The rappers Killer Mike and Fat Joe, who first broke the news of Rico's death, expressed similar feelings in the post's comments area.
While many other admirers followed suit, most were taken aback that Diddy had kept the comment section open, as reported by the US Sun.
ALSO READ: Tupac Murder Suspect Keefe D Left High and Dry Despite Past Generosity to Former Gang Allies
"It's diddy turning his comments on to check the temperature out," one person alleged.
"He wanna see what ppl saying lol," one more said.
"Testing the waters," added another.
"He knew exactly what he was doing the comments on!" another astounded commenter said.
"He figured everybody's attention been on Drake and them and not him for once," one more surmised.
Diddy Case Going to End Up Like R. Kelly's?
It's not that Diddy is already out of the woods. Cases such as his is said to take a long time to build and ultimately prosecute. However, if R. Kelly's case will be taken as an example, it's not impossible that Diddy will end up the same.
On the investigation, the authorities have not revealed much.
However, law enforcement officials have told The Times that Combs is being investigated for sex trafficking, which is connected to civil cases brought by multiple women who have accused him of wrongdoing, at least partially. Combs has denied any wrongdoing, and his lawyers have called for an end to the investigation.
The artist's lawyer denounced a "premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs" and claimed the probe "is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits" after federal authorities investigated the artist's houses in Florida and Los Angeles a few weeks ago.
Meanwhile, once said to be notorious, R&B vocalist R. Kelly is currently spending what amounts to a life sentence in federal prison, following decades of claims of child pornography.
A documentary series called "Surviving R. Kelly" ultimately offered his critics a voice and assisted in discrediting the artist.
Six months after it aired, Kelly was being prosecuted federally in New York. He was found guilty of both racketeering and sex trafficking, which define offenses where a person's "enterprise" was utilized to commit crimes.
It remains to be seen if such a breakthrough can happen in the case of Diddy.
READ ALSO: Tupac Murder Suspect Keefe D's Confession Branded 'Self-Sabotage' by Ex-Cop
