All About Laughs
With the unfortunate passing of former Bad Boy artist Black Rob (shortly following the passing of DMX) still fresh on the minds and hearts of the Hip-Hop community and its fans, the topic of conversation for many has been directed toward none other than Sean “Diddy” Combs. Lovers of music have been speaking on the mistreatment of many artists that were once beloved in the music industry and then quickly forgotten with no security for their future, and once again, many are speaking on what the public feels is the downside of being signed to Diddy.
For years, Diddy’s label has carried the stigma of the “Bad Boy Curse”. Within their history, artists have signed to the label, many showing signs of long-term success. Hits have poured out of Daddy’s House (the studio famously accessible to the roster) for years, holding a tight grip on the radio airwaves and the Billboard charts as well.
But just as well, many of those artists who have seen their rise, living on top of the world for whatever period of time, see their unfortunate fall. Their fans have also would bear witness to the subsequent failures of the label as well, wondering “what happened to (insert Bad Boy artist name here)?”
It also does not hurt that quite a few of his artists who have seen success (perhaps on paper) would eventually speak out against him. Young Joc had a major hit, and later became a reality star and occasional uber driver. Mase became a pastor, but then eventually came back to fulfill another album for the label. But just as recently as last year, Mase made news for calling out his former boss for not allowing him to buy out his publishing, as well as revealing the astonishingly low amount that he was signed for.
And then there are those that have been locked up (Shyne, Loon, etc..) caught up in other illegal activities, or died (Notorious B.I.G., Black Rob, etc…). With Black Rob’s recent passing, former topics concerning the “Whoa” hit-maker have resurfaced.
For one, an old interview with 50 Cent on the Breakfast Club where he once touched on the “Bad Boy Curse” and how it affects Diddy’s artists. “When he came out with the ‘Angels; record, I said ‘Naw man, that’s wack,” said 50. “You gotta stand next to something.’ And he knew exactly what I meant, cause he’s been standing next to something his entire career. He stood next to Biggie. He stood next to Mase. He stood next to Joc. Look, Puffy might be the destination for anybody going nowhere. Nobody survived him. Look at it.”
In addition, another instance where a “disgruntled Bad Boy associate” spoke up in Black Rob’s defense to Village Voice in regards to Puff’s handling of his career. “Do you know how long Black Rob was on Puffy’s label?” they said in the 2001 interview. “Forever and a day. Puffy didn’t put him out until the s**t hit the fan. He was down in the dumps. His record sales were slumping. Everything was going down the drain. The Biggie song had worn off. The group 112 was not the success he anticipated.”
