Diddy has revealed that it was all his son King Combs‘ idea to pick up the mantle and bring the Bad Boy brand to life for a new generation of fans.
In a recent conversation with Billboard News, the two revealed that the elder artist had minimal involvement in his youngest son’s career until very recently.
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“I’ve been extra hard on him and really just telling him the truth that, ‘Yo, you’re my son and you have to deal with these things,'” Diddy explained. “I never picked a beat for him, I never set up a meeting for him; then now to see him do it himself, and we’re out here doing it together, I didn’t imagine that.
He continued: “I’m overwhelmed with joy because when he was like, 3 years old, for his birthday, he just wanted to be with his Daddy on tour. Before I would end the show he would break out in a tantrum and start crying unless he could get on the stage. So to see him chase his dream and to see all of the obstacles that he had to overcome without my help. And then him doing it, it’s just really mind-blowing. His mother has to be just so proud of him and I’m just so proud of him.”
King Combs’, whose mother Kim Porter passed away in 2018, revealed that his parents took two different approaches to his music.
“She was my biggest fan,” he said. “‘Cause I really been working and doing music since I was like, 16. And like my pop said, from the jump he said he wasn’t gonna help me, gimme no producer help, writer help; ’cause he ain’t want me to have to ever lean on him and depend on that.”
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Diddy and his former partner clashed about his hands off approach, as Kim Porter felt he should have been putting his full support behind their young son’s ambitions. But the veteran music exec believed that the younger Combs’ path would actually be easier if he struck out on his own.
Once King Combs began finding his lane as an artist, Diddy says it was actually his son’s idea to remain under the Bad Boy umbrella, thus forcing him to revive the renowned imprint.
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“I had stopped Bad Boy,” Diddy revealed. “Sometimes you gotta leave the game while it’s hot, you know? And a lot of things were changing with streaming and everything. And one day I woke up, he had a Bad Boy chain on, and I’m like ‘Bro, Bad Boy is on pause for a second…’ He’s keeping Bad Boy alive and taking it to the next level without even no coaching or prompting from me.
“He did this on his own and I don’t even care if it’s hard to believe because the proof is there, he has the receipts to prove it,” Puff added. “He’s been on the road, people know he’s been working hard, they been seeing him. When you have your receipts, then that’s what matters.”
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Now Diddy and King Combs — who recently became the first father-son duo in history to top the charts simultaneously — are gearing up for a potential first quarter faceoff, as both announced they will be dropping new albums close to the top of the year.
Diddy has been teasing a musical comeback for some time. Last year, the Harlem-bred mogul revealed plans to drop a new project called Off the Grid Vol. 1, although its scheduled September 2021 release date came and went.
In May, Puff appeared to recommit his focus by launching the R&B-leaning Love Records in partnership with Motown. It was reported a new solo album — his first 2015’s MMM (Money Making Mitch) — would be the first release from the imprint.
Diddy’s “Love era” — which also includes a collaboration with The Weeknd — appears to be part of his plan to reinstate New York as a force to be reckoned with in Hip Hop and R&B.
Earlier this year, he delivered the Bryson Tiller-assisted “Gotta Move On,” which peaked at No. 79 on the Billboard Hot 100. The R&B tune later received a “Queens Remix” makeover featuring Yung Miami and Ashanti, with the latter addressing her former Murder Inc. label boss Irv Gotti’s comments about their alleged romance.
He’s since released “Whatcha Gon’ Do?,” a 2017 collaboration with Rick Ross and the Notorious B.I.G. as two new videos: “Diddy Freestyle,” which he delivered in October, with a clip featuring Yung Miami, King Combs, and his eldest biological son Justin Combs; and a separate edit of the song focused on Rozay’s verse, which arrived on Saturday (December 10).
In November, King Combs’ new single with Kodak Black“Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” went to No. 1 on Urban radio. That same week, Diddy’s “Gotta Move On” topped both the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay charts.
