Portrait and Profile of Cassie Ventura, Sean Diddy's Ex-Girlfriend Who Filed a Rape Case for the First Time

Casandra Elizabeth Ventura is an American singer, dancer, actress, and model. She was born in New London, Connecticut, United States on August 26, 1986. She is famous for her single Me & U, which became a hit in the summer of 2006.

Cassie is a five-time National Twirler Champion. Twirling was the beginning of Cassie's entry into the modeling world. On the other hand, she also continued her studies and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and Sociology with a focus on Psychology from the University of the Incarnate Word, Texas.

Cassie moved from New London, Connecticut to New York City to pursue her career as a model. She also attended classes at the Broadway Dance Center. One day, music producer Ryan Leslie spotted her in clubs and parties at the end of 2004.  

After the official introduction to Ryan Leslie, Cassie became the focus of Next Selection. The two wrote a duet titled Kiss Me. After recording the song, Next Selection took management steps to play the song for music executive Tommy Mottola. 

Leslie also co-wrote and produced Cassie's first single, Me & U. Cassie was then introduced to Sean Diddy Combs by a makeup artist from one of her modeling gigs, who also helped her get the opportunity to pursue a career in music.

Before signing with Bad Boy Records, Cassie's first single Me & U had already aired and became a huge hit in clubs. When officially released, Me & U proved to be a hit song. The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the Billboard Pop 100.

Her debut album titled Cassie was released on August 8, 2006, and sold 321,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen Sound Scan. Unlike her album sales, Cassie's hit single, Me & U, sold over 1 million digital downloads.