Who is Carmen Bryan, who had a ‘9-year affair’ with Jay-Z? The ‘hip-hop Helen of Troy’ just weighed in on the Diddy assault allegations against Beyoncé’s husband, and shares a daughter with Nas

Dec 15 , 2024

Carmen Bryan recently decided to weigh in on the allegations against rapper Jay-Z on Instagram. Photos: AFP, @carmenbryan/Instagram

Carmen Bryan claimed to have had a 9-year affair with Jay-Z while she was dating rapper Nas, which was at the centre of one of the most famous feuds in hip-hop history – so what do we know about her?

Jay-Z’s ex-girlfriend Carmen Bryan – who claimed she had a nine-year affair with him in her 2006 memoir – has weighed in on the allegations the rapper sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl in 2000.

Jay-Z says he is heartbroken for his family as a result of the recent allegations, which he says are false. Photo: Imagn Images

The 52-year-old took to Instagram Stories to write: “These days people don’t defend what is right, they defend who they like! And that’s why we call you ‘groupie’.”

She also cited the rapper’s controversial lyrics in the Kanye West song “Monster”: “None of you n***** have seen the carnage that I’ve seen/I still hear fiends scream in my dreams/Murder, murder in black convertibles, I kill a block/I murder the avenues, I r*** and pillage your village, women and children.”

Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who have been married since 2008. Photo: @beyonce/Instagram

Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, was recently accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000, allegedly along with Sean “Diddy” Combs, as reported by NBC News. The anonymous accuser, who originally filed the lawsuit in October without revealing Jay-Z’s name, alleges that the assault happened at an MTV Video Awards after-party. She claims that an unnamed female celebrity watched, adds the source.

The musician, 55, has since strenuously denied the allegations. “My only heartbreak is for my family,” Carter said in the statement. “My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people. I mourn yet another loss of innocence.”

Carmen Bryan says she had a nine year affair with Jay-Z while with Nas. Photo: @carmenbryan/Instagram

It’s not the first time Carmen Bryan has criticised the “Empire State of Mind” musician.

Carmen Bryan has taken to Instagram to make pointed remarks about the new Jay-Z allegations. Photo: @carmenbryan/Instagram

Here’s what we know about her – and her links to the music world: