Kings here, kings there, kings everywhere. It’s reached the point where artists have been stepping up to issue their royal claims, to the point where New York alone has already fielded dozens of aspiring rulers. Not long ago, Diddy — easily one of hip-hop’s biggest success stories — declared himself to be the king of New York, Miami, and L.A during a conversation with Quality Control’s P last week.
“We have a lot of kings, but P baby, we’re going to put some respect on that name,” explained Diddy, before turning to the camera. “Since I’m king of New York, Miami, and L.A, I come with greetings from the other empires. I pay respect to you.” Now, it would appear that Puff is doubling down on his claims, as evidenced by a recent video in which he issues a royal decree of sorts.
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“I came to open the city back up,” he declares, in a video shared by Akademiks. “The city is officially back open! Says I, the king of New York, Miami, and L.A!” Given that Diddy has previously — at least, so the stories go — taken issue with rappers claiming dominion over outside turf, one has to wonder about his motivation in setting his sights beyond the Big Apple. To think, the “kingdom” of New York is already contested enough as it is, and it’s easy to imagine many hailing from both Miami and L.A displeased with Diddy’s overreach.
In truly kingly fashion, however, it’s unlikely Diddy will be concerned with the naysayers. Expect him to continue pushing this narrative until he meets resistance, if he even does. In the meantime, sound off in the comments — to those who hail from Miami and Los Angeles, would you pledge your allegiance to Love? If not, would you be prepared to meet him in open combat?