For Myself & Others: Is P. Diddy Ready to Die?
By Bomani Jones
In September, Baby Boy Records commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘Ready to Die’ by releasing a re-mastered version of the seminal classic (along with a DVD of live performances). While it seems obvious that Biggie should have been honored, the real star of the album’s success was its executive producer, Bad Boy CEO Sean “P. Diddy” Combs.
Ten years ago, while watching the video for ‘Big Poppa,’ I asked my brother one question.
“Who is this Puff Daddy cat that Biggie keeps talking about?” Back then he was still Puff.
“He’s the dude in the hot tub with the process. The one making all the money.”
That was definitely the case, but more impressive than making bread was that Diddy was making B.I.G. a household name.
Think about it -- no matter how dope Biggie was, he was a fat, dark, unattractive rapper with a lisp and mostly dark subject matter. The beats on his first album, with a couple of exceptions, were East Coast basement staples of the era. So what did Diddy do? Made B.I.G. a sex symbol and a colossal star. As CEO of a label, that’s his job. His duty is to package acts and make them as famous as possible.
Talent only takes a man so far. As talented as Nas is, he’s never been a major star, and much of that can be explained by the fact that he’s never had an executive that’s been dedicated to changing that. He’s had no Suge Knight or Damon Dash like Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z had to trumpet their wares.
And he definitely didn’t have P. Diddy, once considered the greatest star maker of his generation.
But since B.I.G., Diddy has only created one enduring star -- himself.
None of the artists on his Bad Boy Records roster has remained relevant. Craig Mack is long gone. Black Rob’s been forgotten, though his inability to stay on the good side of the law aided his trip toward obscurity (he was recently incarcerated for burglary). Where’s Loon? The Lox -- Jadakiss, most notably -- are still around, but they left Bad Boy after one forgettable album. And does anyone care about any members of Da Band (except for Sara Stokes, but that’s because of a smokin’ spread in ‘King’ magazine)?
Mase was on top of the world for a while, but his star had fizzled by the time he retired in 1999. His highly touted return generated some excitement, but ‘Welcome Back’ isn’t on the fast track to platinum. One could argue that’s because his record isn’t strong, but making the record strong is the job of his executive producer, and that’s Mr. Combs.
Bad Boy did release a strong record this year, though -- 8Ball and MJG’s ‘Living Legends,’ one of the five best hip-hop records of 2004. Signed to a seven-figure advance, Ball and G were expected to reach new commercial heights by combining their loyal Southern fan base with the new ones that would be picked up by Diddy’s marketing wizardry.
After six months in stores -- and despite a sick first single, ‘You Don’t Want Drama’ --‘Living Legends’ still has not been certified gold and promotion slowed after two videos.
Diddy, however, has been all over the place. He spent most of this year using fear to send young people to the polls, giving them the option of voting or seeing an untimely demise. The campaign was successful because Diddy’s profile is so high. While the threads on his fashion label, Sean John, are cool, the same gear by any other name wouldn’t smell so sweet to buyers or sellers.
He’s an icon, one so large that Frank Sinatra’s daughter once said her father was the second coolest man alive, behind the man then referred to as “Puff Daddy.” That’s like Carl Lewis’ daughter saying her daddy is the second fastest man on earth.
Diddy has dated Jennifer Lopez, released many successful “solo” records, and was the real star of MTV’s ‘Making the Band.’ He’s a one-name star, one of the strongest indicators of a high Q-rating.
But once upon a time, he was a brilliant record executive. Hip-hop fans should thank him for bringing B.I.G. to the world. But since then, all he’s really given is himself. At times, he gave us more of him than we could stand. He’s a great businessman, but I care more about music than his bank account.
The only Diddy-made star left is Sean’s mother’s son. Ten years after making his genius clear, he remains its last living example.
Nov. 26, 2004