Diddy’s Musical Talent Criticized by Associates in Sean Combs: The Reckoning
Sean “Diddy” Combs has garnered a range of accolades throughout his career, yet some peers believe he doesn’t merit the recognition.
In Netflix’s latest docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning, various former collaborators and industry figures share their insights on Diddy’s musical talents — and not all comments are flattering towards the contentious mogul.
Kirk Burrowes, a cofounder of Bad Boy Records alongside Diddy, 56, asserts in the inaugural episode that Diddy prioritized fame over music.
“He was drawn to the glitzy, flashy music scene,” Burrowes states. “He began with dancing and aspired to appear in videos. He aimed to be a notable figure in pop culture during a transformative era. Hip-hop was evolving.”
Burrowes continues by stating that Diddy was more adept at marketing and packaging than at the fundamental aspects of music production.
“He was the one who dressed Jodeci in baggy pants that sagged at the bottom, with unfastened boots. He knew how to draw from the community and the culture and present it,” he elaborates. “In the studio, he performed similarly. Sean wasn’t a producer who could specify, ‘You need a C here or an F there.’ However, he possessed a keen sense for what could become a hit.”
In episode 2, Burrowes and other Bad Boy affiliates further dissect Diddy’s competencies (or the lack thereof).
“I believe Sean had an envy towards his own artists,” Burrowes asserts. “He was envious of their abilities and thought, ‘This talent is being squandered on artists who don’t fully grasp it. If I had that talent along with my knowledge, wow!’”
When discussing Diddy’s rapping skills, former Bad Boy artist Mark Curry bluntly states, “Sucks.”
Curry, 54, adds that Diddy often sought his opinion because he was candid with his critiques.
“He always asked me to be present during sessions due to my honesty. I’d say, ‘That’s not it,’” recalls Curry, who collaborated with Diddy on the 2001 track “Bad Boy for Life.” “However, he always aspired to be an artist.”
Meanwhile, Burrowes characterizes Diddy as “strategically minded” and “stylish,” employing alternative methods to reach his objectives.
R&B artist Al B! Sure delivers some of the harshest assessments of Diddy, stating, “He has no musical talent. He doesn’t grasp R&B at all.”
Sure, 57, and Diddy have had their disagreements over the years, largely due to their relationships with the late Kim Porter, who passed away in November 2018 at 47. Sure and Porter had a son, Quincy Brown, in 1991, and after Diddy started dating Porter in 1994, he adopted Quincy, now 34.
Sure has alleged that Diddy played a role in Porter’s death, but Diddy and his children have adamantly rejected these accusations. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office confirmed in January 2019 that the cause of Porter’s death was lobar pneumonia.
While both Burrowes and Sure express doubts about Diddy’s skills in the docuseries, Erick Sermon of EPMD presents a slightly more favorable view.
“Ultimately, it all comes back to the music,” says Sermon, 57. “Even if I didn’t create it, I showed you the path.” He acknowledges that Bad Boy [label] was established on Diddy’s vision. “You can’t take that away from him. But I feel like Puffy desired the spotlight he always craved.”
Diddy was arrested in September 2024, facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He pled not guilty and denied all allegations.
In July, a jury found him guilty on two counts of transportation but cleared him of the other charges. He is currently serving a 50-month sentence at New Jersey’s FCI Fort Dix.
Diddy condemned the docuseries in a statement released through his spokesperson on Monday, December 1.
“Netflix’s so-called ‘documentary’ is a despicable hit piece. Today’s GMA teaser affirms that Netflix relied on unauthorized footage for release,” the statement read. “As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos are aware, Mr. Combs has been compiling footage since he was 19 to narrate his own story. It is fundamentally unjust and illegal for Netflix to misappropriate that work. Their desperation to sensationalize every detail of Mr. Combs’ life, disregarding truth, is evident. If Netflix valued honesty or Mr. Combs’s legal rights, it would not be distorting private footage, including conversations with his attorneys meant for confidential discussions. No rights to this material were ever ceded to Netflix or any third party.”
Furthermore, the statement continued, “It is astonishing that Netflix granted creative authority to Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson — a longtime rival who harbors a personal grudge and has spent considerable time disparaging Mr. Combs. This represents an egregious breach of trust. Mr. Combs has long respected Ted Sarandos and valued the legacy of Clarence Avant. For Netflix to award his life story to someone who has consistently attacked him feels like an unnecessary and deeply personal insult. At the very least, he anticipated fairness from people he held in high regard.”
Director Alexandria Stapleton previously asserted that the footage was obtained lawfully.
“The footage came to us legally, and we possess the necessary rights,” she told Netflix’s Tudum last month. “We went above and beyond to maintain the confidentiality of the filmmaker’s identity. Sean Combs has always been recording himself, and it has been an obsession over the years.”
Sean Combs: The Reckoning is now available for streaming on Netflix.
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