A female singer has accused popular rap artist  Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape and sexual abuse, media reports said.

In a lawsuit, ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura said she was trapped for a decade in a cycle of abuse and violence, BBC reported.

Combs has denied all allegations levelled against him.

He accused the singer of trying to extort him.

Ventura - an R&B singer and dancer who performs under the stage name Cassie - alleges that the rap producer raped and beat her over 10 years starting when she was 19 and he was 37, reported BBC.

"After years in silence and darkness, I am finally ready to tell my story," she was quoted as saying in a statement on Thursday (November 16, 2023) by BBC.

The lawsuit included several graphic descriptions of the violent abuse which the singer accused occurred since she met the rapper in 2005.

According to the complaint, Combs signed her to his record label, Bad Boy, and "plied the vulnerable Ms Ventura with drugs and alcohol, causing her to fall into dangerous addictions that controlled her life", reported BBC.

In a statement to BBC News, Combs' lawyer said Ventura had demanded $30m (£24m) "under the threat of writing a damaging book about their relationship".