The long-awaited return of Verzuz is upon us, and the comeback event will ensure it’s well worth the wait. After a nearly year-long hiatus since the last event, which featured R&B stars Mario and Omarion, Verzuz will return on September 8, pitting superproducers Diddy and Jermaine Dupri against each other in a matchup the duo previously confirmed in October. On Sunday, Busta Rhymes posted a video to his Instagram Story in which Diddy confirmed the next Verzuz date and promised to have Busta “in the rafters” of Madison Square Garden, “flying out the sky.”
No doubt, Diddy’s gift for showmanship will serve him well at the next Verzuz, which he initially refused to do as a result of Swizz Beatz and Timbaland’s lawsuit against Triller. However, it seems once the Verzuz founders reached a settlement with the streamer, all bets were back on the table. The battle between the Bad Boy Records and So So Def founders could see appearances from the likes of former Verzuz participants The Lox, Mase, Mary J Blige, and more on Diddy’s side, while JD could tap Bow Wow, Da Brat, and a string of JD’s collaborators including Ludacris, Usher, Monica, and more. You can find more info at VerzuzTV.com.
Bad Boy Records is one of the most iconic labels of all time. Home to arguably the greatest rappers, The Notorious B.I.G., the New York label has racked up hits. In the late ’90s to mid-2000s, Bad Boy controlled the game. With artists like 112, Craig Mack, Mase, The LOX, and Faith Evans, Puff Daddy, as he was known back then, took the label to new heights.
In what is Diddy’s biggest song to date, “I’ll Be Missing You” recently garnered much attention. Famed rockstar Sting was on Power 105.1’s The Breakfast Club in 2018, where he admitted that Diddy pays him $2,000 daily for sampling his song for the tribute track. Diddy sampled Police’s 1983 song, “Every Breath You Take.” After going viral, Puff returned to say he actually pays $5,000 per day but later admitted he was joking.
Regardless, Bad Boy Records’ catalog continues to dominate playlists. The label has been studied and dissected for decades, so here are our choices for the best records Bad Boy has released.
10. “Whoa!”- Black Rob
”Whoa!” is one of those songs that you can’t forget. Black Rob easily made one of the best songs in the 2000s. The Harlem native dropped two albums under Bad Boy, Life Story, and The Black Rob Report. ”Whoa!” appeared on Life Story, a certified platinum album.
9. “Peaches & Cream” – 112
112 is one of the best groups R&B has seen. When you think of the group, “Peaches & Cream” instantly comes to mind. It was one of the biggest records of the 2000s. The song was nominated for a Grammy in 2002. ”Peaches & Cream” was up for the prestigious award in the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. That year, “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child took home the gramophone trophy. ”Peaches & Cream” stayed in the Top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for over six months.
8. “Hypnotize” – The Notorious B.I.G.
Known as one of the greatest Hip Hop songs of all time, “Hypnotize” was the last song we heard from Biggie. He was killed a week after releasing the track. ”Hypnotize” landed in the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 1998 Grammys, Big was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance for the hit record. ”Men in Black” by Will Smith won that category that year. The song reached international success as “Hypnotize” was the Brooklyn MC’s first Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom. It went 2x platinum in the U.K. and platinum in the United States.
7. “I’ll Be Missing You” – Puff Daddy ft. Faith Evans & 112
This is easily Diddy’s best song. In “I’ll Be Missing You,” the Bad Boy founder reminisces on his late friend, The Notorious B.I.G. He grabs Faith Evans, Biggie’s wife, to sing the hook while 112 contributes vocals in the background. Diddy made a relatable song about losing someone he truly loved. We all can relate to death, making this song popular worldwide. Sauce Money reportedly wrote Diddy’s verses after Jay-Z turned it down.
”I’ll Be Missing You” won a Grammy in 1998 for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. It also spent 11 weeks in the No. 1 spot, giving Diddy & Bad Boy another hit. As discussed earlier, Diddy said he paid Sting $5,000 daily royalties for the song, but ultimately that wasn’t true.
6. “I Need A Girl (Part One)” – Puff Daddy ft. Loon & Usher
Diddy made a real heartbreak anthem with “I Need A Girl (Part One).” It was one of the best songs of the 2000s. During this time, he was going through a breakup with Jennifer Lopez. Diddy has been open about this time in his life as he was in a dark place after his split with the Maid in Manhattan actress. The third verse in the song is mostly about her. Usher nails the chorus while Loon delivers on his verse.
5. “One More Chance (Remix)”- The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Mary J. Blige & Faith Evans
Biggie made a smooth hit with “One More Chance (Remix).” The video was just as fun as the song, with many people making appearances. Big also had multiple people singing the chorus, even radio host Miss Jones. This song and video defined the ’90s as Big captivated the era’s sound, style, and music. Another hit for Bad Boy as they were running the ’90s.
4. “Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)”-Craig Mack ft. The Notorious B.I.G., LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes
Craig Mack will always be remembered for “Flava In Ya Ear.” He even scored a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1995. The remix is what made people pay attention. Craig Mack got on a track with three other heavyweights in Biggie, LL COOL J, and Busta Rhymes—and did his thing! ”Flava In Ya Ear” is one of those songs you must mention when discussing ’90s Hip Hop.
3. “Big Poppa” – The Notorious B.I.G.
”I love it when you call me Big Poppa.” That line is one of the most infamous lyrics in Hip Hop. Though “Juicy” was a big hit, “Big Poppa” earned The Notorious B.I.G. a Grammy nomination. It lost Best Rap Solo Performance in 1996 to “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio. ”Big Poppa” was a popular song throughout the entertainment world. It was repeatedly sampled in movies, TV shows, and commercials. Once again, Big has one of the best songs on Bad Boy and one of the best in Hip Hop history.
2. “Mo Money Mo Problems” – The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Mase & Puff Daddy
”Mo Money, Mo Problems” is one of the biggest Hip Hop songs ever. The video is pretty iconic as well. The way they flipped Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” can’t go unnoticed. ”Mo Money Mo Problems” was released after Biggie’s death, to which he set another record. He is the only artist in music history to have two No. 1 posthumous hits. The song received a Grammy nomination in 1998 for Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group.
1. “Juicy” – The Notorious B.I.G.
An unforgettable track from The Notorious B.I.G. is still a favorite decades after its release. Bad Boy took off with Biggie, and “Juicy” was Big’s first official introduction to the mainstream world. After initially not wanting to do the record, Diddy assured him this would be life-changing. And the rest is history!
Though Diddy founded Bad Boy, The Notorious B.I.G. carried the label on his shoulders. Without Big, there might not be a Bad Boy. He’s the reason the label will forever be remembered. Let us know your favorite Bad Boy song in the comments.
They were a girl group that stormed the industry after being constructed by Sean “Diddy” Combs, but Dawn Richard is giving insight into the trials of Danity Kane. Richard was a singer in the quintet that took over the charts after coming together on Making the Band. The reality series followed hopefuls looking for their big break. Diddy and his team not only chose each singer but they documented the process of whipping them into shape. All these years later, many of the ladies have spoken out against their time on the show.
Dawn Richard has continued her career as a solo artist and creative. She’s continued to release music, and in a new interview, she revealed the Bad Boy “didn’t believe” in Danity Kane. “We were a show,” Richard told FashionXRadio. “Puff saw money. He saw ratings. MTV, that was where the money was. Danity Kane was just a concept of something bigger. He had no clue we were gonna be that big.”
NEW YORK – MAY 18: Music group Dirty Money’s Dawn Richard snd Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs attend the 2010 BET Awards nominees, host and performers announcement at 230 Fifth Avenue on May 18, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic)
“I’ll tell you: when we first came out, they said only do 100,000 copies ’cause they not gon’ do more than Cassie. That’s what they told us when the first album came out. We sold 100,000 in a day, and they had to figure out how to get more units in by the time the week [ended]. They barely got it, and we ended up selling 230,000 copies.”
The host chimed in to say that the label was lacking and didn’t have enough product. “They didn’t think we would sell,” Richard added. “When were touring, they wouldn’t give us any money. So, we were sewing our costumes from Forever 21.” This isn’t the first grievance a Danity Kane artist has brought up against Diddy. Aubrey O’Day has been vocal about Combs, often lashing out about his methods on social media.
Over the years, there have been murmurs about some of Danity Kane’s reunions. Richard, O’Day, and Shannon Bex came together as a Danity Kane trio, but still, the ladies opted to continue flying solo.
From his infamous all-white parties in the Hamptons to New Year’s Eve extravaganzas in Miami, it’s no secret that Diddy, 52, presented the culture with some of the most memorable parties throughout his 30-year-plus career. While promoting the upcoming Billboard Music Awards, Diddy titles himself the “Best Party Thrower” in a new commercial that instantly sparks a reaction from Award-winning Los Angeles Casting Director and Party Thrower Ed “E. MillsDidIt” Mills, followed by him suggesting a debate for the rightful owner of the moniker to the general public on social media in order to determine who is the real “best party thrower” between the two.
In reaction to Diddy’s declaration, E. Mills — who’s not looking to self-proclaim the title like Diddy — shared a Tik Tok promo that uses a clip from Diddy’s 2022 Billboard Music Awards commercial where he states “Interrupting your regularly scheduled program, I have an announcement to make. I’m the best muthaf*ckin party thrower…”, a scene from the classic film Coming To America with Hakeem (Eddie Murphy) asking: “…You’re the prince, then who am I?”, a clip of E. Mills turning his head with a stunning look and a puzzled mannerism, and a few clips of him partying hard while surrounding around an army of models. The clip issues the vote-requesting statement “Let’s let the people decide…”, followed by taunting remarks and signature catchphrases from E. Mills, like “oh yeah. E. Mills Did It,” “Mill Ticket” and “Mr. Imma Out Work You Ni**as.”
The song in the clip is Wallet Green’s “F*ck It Up,” which name drops E. Mills and his entertainment company Mill Ticket Entertainment in a verse that raps: “… I got hoes like Mill Ticket / They gon think E. MillsDidIt.”
Diddy was announced as this year’s Billboard Music Awards’ host and executive producer last month. While the mogul made the statement in the commercial — it was neither confirmed nor denied that the mogul’s statement was an open invitation to all challengers. Now, E. Mills is well aware of the billionaire mogul’s high-profile party-throwing history but approaches the conversation for sheer acknowledgment of his rivaling partying-throwing resume across the U.S. throughout the 2000s.
“Let’s be clear,” said E. Mills in an issued statement when reached for comment by The Source’s Bryson “Boom” Paul. “It wasn’t necessarily a challenge set forth, but more so me putting the world on notice. I’m not a walk through the park, so to speak when it comes to this lifestyle. I’ve created a lot of vibes over the years and know I’ve planted my feet in these couches [laughing] but hey I’m not running from a challenge either — never have and never will. We can definitely do it for the culture. With that being said, I do give credit where credit it’s due. He’s earned his stripes, just give me mine too ”
Mills is the Founder and CEO of Mill Ticket Entertainment, a popular Los Angeles-based entertainment brand for years now best-known for casting models in music videos for the majority of hip hop’s biggest superstars. The brand’s resume includes a wide variety of high-profile brands and the biggest superstars in today’s music such as 1800 Tequila, New Balance, and Adidas. Mill Ticket models have been seen starring in music videos for everyone, ranging from Drake to Chris Brown to YG to Tyga to 2 Chainz, and so many more. Interestingly, E.Mills has provided models for the Diddy-owned television network, Revolt TV, and its popular original talk show, Respectfully Justin hosted by Justin Laboy.
E.Mills cast the brand new Diddy-starring Ciroc commercial promoting the brand’s new ready-to-drink line in Miami.
Diddy has yet to rebuttal to Mills’ promo at this time but the streets is talking, and want the two to go head-to-head for the title, party-for-party. Mills shared a fan-made versus flyer featuring himself and Diddy with the caption “Somebody just sent me this lol who wants to see it?”
“We need this!,” wrote Lauren Banks under the Instagram post with fire emoji. “Come on now we all know you gonna win,” commented rapper Joey $ynth$ with side-eyed eyes and 100 emoji. “Let’s goooo!!” comments hyped photographer Jam-X.
The Source’s requests for comment(s) from Diddy and/or representatives have gone unresponded at press time. More as this story develops.
Billboard Music Awards hosted and executive produced by Diddy, aires live this Sunday (May 15) at 8PM ET/5PM PT on NBC-Peacock. Watch the trailer below.
The fans have spoken. Who will be #1? Don’t miss the Billboard Music Awards, this Sunday May 15 at 8pm ET/5 PM PT on @nbc. #BBMASpic.twitter.com/aQqOp1QztR
To be perfectly honest — following the example set by the late, great Christopher Wallace himself — the world didn’t need another Biggie Smalls documentary. The details of The Notorious B.I.G’s life and death have been thoroughly picked over by now, nearly 23 years later, with dozens of works from books and films to podcasts and television series providing reams of conjecture, speculation, and solemn reflection on the gritty self-styled King Of New York who rose from the streets of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn to become the epitome of the “ashy to classy” archetype established by hip-hop in the decades since.
That didn’t stop Netflix from releasing yet another entry to the growing canon of works about the Brooklyn big man this week, the hyperfocused and touchingly graceful Biggie: I Got A Story To Tell. But where this more down-to-earth production differs from those that came before it is its intent attention to Christopher, the person at the center of the mythos, rather than on the lurid details of his beef with Tupac or his violent, unsolved death in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997.
Nearly an hour of the film’s 90-minute runtime is devoted to Wallace’s life before he released his game-changing debut album, Ready To Die, in 1994. Through interviews with his mother, Voletta Wallace, and unseen archival footage provided by Big’s right-hand man, Damion “D-Roc” Butler, a clearer picture of Christopher Wallace is developed throughout. From his trips to visit his mother’s family in her native Jamaica to the early musical education he received from a neighbor, jazz musician Donald Harrison, we can see the foundation of his unique, seismic flow and outsized stage persona.
In one particularly engaging scene, Harrison breaks down how Big’s flow imitated the rat-a-tat tapping of a bebop drummer, his percussive delivery playing invisible notes as he freestyled on corners. Scenes like this one offer new lenses through which to view iconic moments like Big’s sidewalk battle with Supreme; while familiarity can breed contempt, Harrison’s quick jazz lesson gives viewers new context and deeper understanding of not just the battle, but Big’s songwriting approach as a whole.
The film also touches on Big’s time spent dealing drugs around the corner from the apartment he shared with his mother, this time with the added texture of commentary from the men who stood out there with him. One, an elder ex-hustler named Chico Del Vec, spends much of his intro fussing at the cameraman that he doesn’t want to get into details of “the game” before crisply detailing the mentality that drove young boys like Big and his friends into it with a veteran’s well-weathered perspective. “If you wasn’t into hustling, good in sports, or going to school, you was a nobody,” he summarizes.
But Big’s cohort is also clear-eyed about their bad decisions as well. Here, just 30 minutes in, the film crystallizes the core concepts of hip-hop, its artifice and artfulness, its originality and creativity, and its universality. These 14-year-old kids had no clue of the world beyond their borough; as Big explains in an interview clip of his breakout hit “Juicy,” he didn’t know that there was money in rap. He only knew what he saw on the covers of magazines, that his favorite rappers wore gold chains and posed with flashy new cars. It never occurred to him that his hazy childhood vision of becoming an art dealer could be every bit as lucrative (and, in truth, probably more so, the way contracts were structured in those days).
It’s what makes Big — and his story — the perfect avatar of hip-hop, from its artists to its fans. He could have been any one of them. By focusing on his humble beginnings, I Got A Story To Tell finally humanizes him in a way few of the biopics or mini-series ever could because the focus shifts away from the big, pivotal moments of a hip-hop legend’s life to tell a simpler story about a boy with a dream, who hung out with his friends, got into trouble, got scared straight by a tragic loss, and persevered through normal, relatable doubts to remain as close to still being the person he always was when fame finally found him.
Of course, staying away from the more familiar notes of his greater life story allows the film to polish his rough edges, such as his alleged abuse of his romantic partners — which again, reflects a broader tendency in hip-hop and pop culture of flattening and simplifying complicated people. At one point early on, Sean Combs — you know he had to make an appearance here, although the film wisely minimizes his presence — notes, “You always were able to hear some remnants of previous rap artists. This guy, I don’t know where he came from with his cadence, with his rhythms, with his sound…” From Compton rapper King Tee, Puff.
But, then again, those rough edges are plain to see in other places. The point of Netflix’s documentary is to add another layer of context and humanity to the legend. It explains a little more of the hows and whys surrounding Big. When the film ends — as the 2009 biopic Notorious did — just after Big’s celebratory 1997 memorial in his hometown, it does so with a better understanding of the person who actually died, beyond the loss of his musical potential. So, did the world need another Biggie Smalls documentary? The answer is still “no,” but we’re all better for this one’s existence.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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