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Sean “Diddy” Combs was as soon as essentially the most ubiquitous man in hip-hop. The producer-turned-rapper rose as an indomitable drive within the ‘90s by crafting shiny, infectious party anthems that helped catapult hip-hop into the mainstream. In 1997, he spent 26 weeks on the high of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, essentially the most of any artist that yr. Songs launched below his rap moniker Puff Daddy acquired equally comfy on the charts, and he additionally produced main hits for the Notorious B.I.G. and Mariah Carey. He was the primary hip-hop artist to exchange himself on the chart at No. 1, with the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems” overtaking “I’ll Be Missing You.”
Music was the gateway; Combs was a cultural visionary and his indefatigable drive and relentless pursuit of success remodeled him into some of the influential moguls within the leisure business with a billion-dollar legacy that included Bad Boy Records, luxurious trend line Sean John, Ciroc vodka, fragrances, eating places, annual events within the Hamptons, MTV’s Making the Band, and the Revolt media firm. He embodied extravagance and the great life, showcasing the limitless prospects of hip-hop success.
Read extra: Breaking Down the Charges Against Diddy
Combs’ status because the party starter is now his nightmare. On Sept. 16, the 54-year-old was arrested on costs of intercourse trafficking and racketeering in New York City. The indictment alleges that the Bad Boy Records honcho operated a legal enterprise from not less than 2008 by means of the current that, amongst different issues, used violence and threats to coerce victims to take part in drug-fueled sexual acts. “Sean Combs used the enterprise empire he managed to sexually abuse and exploit girls, in addition to to commit different acts of violence and obstruction of justice,” stated U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. Combs maintains his innocence, saying in an announcement: “Let me be completely clear: I didn’t do any of the terrible issues being alleged. I’ll struggle for my title, my household and for the reality.” He is at the moment in custody after being denied bail.
The mogul’s public picture began to crumble in November 2023 when singer Cassie Ventura first accused him of sexual assault and violence throughout their decade-long relationship. (Combs denied the allegations.) He’s since been stripped of accolades and celebrities are quietly distancing themselves as tales of prior dangerous acts resurface. Given how linked Combs was in varied industries, it’s price questioning whether or not his A-list buddies and cohort knew about his alleged conduct, and to what extent, and whether or not they might be quiet out of loyalty or due to their very own participation. Authorities alleged that some sexual acts, which Combs known as “freak offs,” have been electronically recorded and it’s not utterly out of the query that different acquainted faces could also be implicated.
As he sits in jail whereas awaiting trial, followers and the music business need to cope with a celebrity who’s now persona non grata. Should Diddy be deleted or can his music be parsed from the particular person? “I positively really feel like this indictment in opposition to Diddy goes to have an effect on his music legacy. There’s no method round it,” says Torae, rapper and host of The Tor Guide on SiriusXM. “He’s completed loads within the music enterprise and he’s placed on a whole lot of artists which have made unimaginable information. But the asterisk now seems due to the entire costs and the entire issues he’s accused of. You can’t hearken to the music the identical method.”
It’s a problem that has dogged in style tradition, particularly since numberous allegations of sexual assault in opposition to Harvey Weinstein set off the worldwide #MeToo motion in 2017. The music business specifically has struggled with its strategy to so-called canceled artists. Responses have diversified primarily based upon the artist’s stage of success, in style sentiment, and whether or not authorized motion has been taken as firms navigate creative freedom, commerce, and social duty. “At the tip of the day it’s a matter of asking the query: Should we actually separate the artist from the artwork?”says Kathy Iandoli, writer of God Save the Queens: The Essential History of Women in Hip-Hop and professor of music enterprise at New York University.
Given the music business’s normal glorification of intercourse, medication, and rock and roll, there’s nobody commonplace. But one instructive instance is singer R. Kelly, who’s essentially the most cited occasion of a predator turning into a pariah. “We can take a look at previous conditions like R. Kelly as maybe the compass for the way this could all go down,” says Iandoli. After many years of of allegations of sexual abuse, together with marrying his teen protege Aaliyah in 1994, Kelly was convicted in a courtroom of regulation for the primary time in 2021 for costs together with racketeering and sexual exploitation of minors. He grew to become the primary artist whose music was faraway from Spotify’s editorial playlists and algorithmic suggestions as a part of a brand new coverage in opposition to “hateful content material and conduct” in 2018. “The R&B singer’s music will nonetheless be out there on the platform, however Spotify will now not actively market it,” an organization spokesperson stated in an announcement on the time.
The subsequent yr, following the airing of the Lifetime documentary Surviving R. Kelly, which amplified the voices of his many accusers, Kelly was dropped by Sony Music and Universal Music Publishing Group. However, his again catalog, which encompasses his greatest hits—“I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition – Remix”—continues to be monetized. YouTube deleted the singer’s official channels and music movies after his conviction in 2021 however user-generated content material like music covers or unauthorized music movies uploaded by followers are nonetheless out there on the platform in addition to on TikTok. Billboard reported that streams of his catalog elevated by 116 % within the United States following the premiere of Surviving R. Kelly, in keeping with Nielsen Music, and he at the moment has 4.7 million month-to-month listeners on Spotify. Some of the cash generated has been used as restitution and in 2023, a judge dominated that greater than $500,000 from the singer’s royalties could be used to pay his victims.
In the case of Combs, company companions like Revolt, Hulu, and Peloton severed ties swiftly following Ventura’s lawsuit. Revolt introduced that Combs had offered his stake within the firm that he based and could be stepping down as chairman within the firm. “One-hundred % of Sean Combs’s shares have been redeemed and retired,” chief government Detavio Samuels stated in an interview with the New York Times. “He is now not chairman. He is now not on the board. He has no shares, no fairness in Revolt. We have utterly separated and dissociated from one another.” The firm later posted a message of solidarity with victims of home violence on Instagram following the discharge of surveillance video of Ventura being attacked by Combs. Meanwhile, music platforms have remained silent. Following the indictment, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL, and YouTube didn’t reply to a request for remark.
The Diddy dilemma is much more complicated due to his prolific attain and historical past of platforming new expertise, together with Ventura. For over three many years, he’s served as a producer and document label government identified for helming the success of a number of outstanding artists, usually by micromanaging their music, aesthetic, and presentation. A complete ban of every little thing Diddy touched would come with the whole lot of the Notorious B.I.G.’s discography in addition to that of Bad Boy Records. Beloved tracks by Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Mariah Carey, Lil’ Kim, and Usher could be out as nicely. “It’s a extra complicated scenario as a result of he wasn’t like R. Kelly, who was identified for his catalog and being the principle attraction on a observe,” says Angela Yee, host of Way Up With Angela Yee on iHeartRadio. “He was extra of an advert lib, visitor verse, and label proprietor. Imagine not enjoying the Notorious B.I.G. or the Lox or Total due to what Diddy did?”
Some of those artists have been doable victims themselves. In the indictment, authorities allege that Combs leveraged his energy over victims by controlling their careers and exploiting them financially or with blackmail in the event that they didn’t comply. Recently, Dawn Richard alleged sexual assault and battery by Combs when she was part of his group Danity Kane. Torae predicts that these artists’ music might be secure. “Although there’s going to be a damaging dialog round it, I believe the artists on the Bad Boy roster will nonetheless be capable to get the identical quantity of airplay that they’ve been getting,” he says.
And even within the worst instances, exiled artists often get one or two passes of their repertoire. For Combs, that can probably be “I’ll Be Missing You.” The treacly tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. has change into a mainstay at funerals and memorials and is performed perennially to honor the late rapper. “Some folks will say, ‘We don’t want to listen to that.’ But each Biggie birthday and anniversary, the DJs are going to make a combination and that’s a staple,” says Torae. “That document, as a result of it solely performs a pair occasions a yr, could be secure.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs at all times prided himself on being resilient. One of his most well-known rap maxims is, “can’t cease, will not cease.” For many years, that was true. No matter what occurred round him, or to these round him, he continued to flourish. There was at all times one other hit simply across the nook. Now he’s confronted with the potential for all of it coming to an finish. The substitute for his legacy of hits? Silence.
