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
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.
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.”
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.”
It’s not the first time Carmen Bryan has criticised the “Empire State of Mind” musician.
Bryan and Nas (full name Nasir Jones) met as teenagers and began dating in early adulthood, according to Africa Nation. She says she went on to have an affair with Jay-Z between 1995 and 2004, while she was still dating Nas. She also says she got pregnant with Jay-Z’s child, but suffered a miscarriage.
Bryan’s released her book, It’s No Secret: From Nas to Jay-Z, from Seduction to Scandal – a Hip-Hop Helen of Troy Tells All, in 2006.
The book aims to tell her side of the story with “the true candour and raw emotion of someone who has been there, done that, and survived”, according to the book’s description on Amazon.
Bryan wasn’t afraid of the potential backlash when it came to releasing her narrative. “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she told Essence. “It wasn’t my decision to make this a public affair,” adding: “Telling all is a full-time job. I still love SC [Jay-Z/Shawn Carter], and I still love Nas. Love is an energy that can never be destroyed.”
Bryan reportedly ended things with Jay-Z, after feeling “disgusted” by him rapping about them having sex in his song “Supa Ugly”. The 2004 track includes mentions of them having intercourse in a Jeep and leaving behind used condoms in Bryan’s daughter’s baby seat. “Wrong move! That was the moment I lost all respect for SC [Jay-Z],” she wrote.
Bryan welcomed her daughter, Destiny Jones, with Nas in 1994. Destiny Jones is now the CEO and founder of Matic Cosmetics, which is inspired by her father’s album, Illmatic, according to People magazine.
Audi’s busy adding to its roster of e-tron electric vehicles, and the latest to debut is the 2025 A6 e-tron, a sleek sedan with all of the brand’s cutting-edge technology. Audi expects EPA range to be as much as 390 miles per charge. The A6 e-tron is powered by a rear-mounted electric motor with 375 horsepower, while the A6 e-tron Quattro adds a second motor for all-wheel drive and bumps power to 456 ponies. If you want more, you’ll have to spring for the high-performance S6 e-tron, whose dual-motor powertrain produces a combined 543 hp. Unlike the gasoline-powered A6 sedan, the A6 e-tron hides a hatchback in its sloped rear roofline (making it a Sportback in Audi-ese), under which is a large cargo area similar to that of the current A7. Inside, there’s a full roster of infotainment features, plenty of standard amenities, and enough interior room for four adults to travel comfortably for long distances.
The A6 e-tron comes with a 375-hp electric motor driving the rear wheels, but the A6 e-tron Quattro comes with a dual-motor, all-wheel drive setup with 456 horsepower. The performance-oriented S6 e-tron boasts 543 horsepower, but we review that model separately. An air spring suspension system is optional and provides adaptive dampers with unique driving modes; it can also lower the A6 e-tron’s ride height for improved aerodynamic efficiency. When we drove the A6 e-tron, we found its driving dynamics to be ho-hum but appreciated its adjustable levels of regenerative braking capability.
According to Audi, the A6 e-tron can reach 62 mph in 5.2 seconds and the Quattro version can do it in 4.3. When we have the opportunity to test an A6 e-tron, we’ll update that number with real-world data.
A 94.4-kWh battery pack is expected to deliver an EPA range of 370 miles in the rear-wheel-drive A6 e-tron, with an available Ultra package stretching that to 390 miles. The all-wheel-drive version is estimated to bring an EPA range of 333 miles, or 375 with the Ultra package. (Although we’re still awaiting official EPA numbers.) DC fast-charging capability is standard, and Audi claims a max charging rate of 270 kilowatts. That means the A6 e-tron should be able to charge its battery from 10 percent to 80 percent of capacity in just 21 minutes.
