Daddy's House
To celebrate the release of Diddy-Dirty Money's Last Train to Paris, BET.com looks back at all the music superstars Diddy's helped create. Bad Boy!
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Daddy's House - Diddy wasn’t lying. He can’t stop, won’t stop. With Diddy-Dirty Money's Last Train to Paris hitting stores, BET.com takes a look back at some of the noteworthy artists Diddy’s worked with throughout his illustrious career. Take that!
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Jodeci - Bad Boy Records wasn’t created out of thin air. Diddy had to pay his dues first. During his tenure at Uptown Records, Puff had a hand in Jodeci’s 1991 classic debut Forever My Lady. The record was eventually certified triple-platinum.
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Mary J. Blige - Puff helped blur the lines between hip-hop and R&B as the executive producer of Mary J. Blige’s first two albums, What’s the 411?”in 1992 and My Life in 1994. The albums both went triple-platinum. The two reunited nine years later for Mary’s Love & Life, which went platinum.
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Usher - Who do you think Ush got his swag from? After failing to meet expectations on his '94 self-titled debut, the young R&B singer was sent to New York to learn the ropes under Puff’s wing. No sophomore jinx here. Usher’s My Way went six-times platinum in '97. Though he’s not credited as a producer on the project, Diddy definitely helped mold Usher into the star he is today.
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Craig Mack - As one of the first artists on Bad Boy, Craig Mack helped kick off the imprint with his gold-selling debut, Project: Funk Da World, in ’94. The album produced a Top 10 smash, “Flava in Ya Ear.” The song's remix, featuring Biggie Smalls, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes and Rampage the Last Boy Scout, is considered one of the best of all time.
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The Notorious B.I.G. - One the best to ever grab a microphone, Biggie Smalls’ impact can still be felt in hip-hop today. His two albums, 1994’s Ready to Die and 1997’s Life After Death are both considered classics across the board; they sold 4 million and 10 million copies respectively. During his too-brief reign, Big became Bad Boy’s flagship artist and helped establish it as a bran, setting the stage for it to become one of the most successful labels in hip-hop history.
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Total - This New York–based R&B trio contributed to Bad Boy’s ‘90s dominance with two releases, the platinum-selling Total and its gold follow-up, Kima, Keisha, Pam.
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Faith Evans - Faith was the first lady of Bad Boy from the Biggie days until the new millennium. Under Puff’s watch, she released two platinum albums, Faith in 1995 and Keep the Faith in 1997, and a gold album, Faithfully in 2001, and became one of the game’s most in-demand writers and hook girl. She now records with E1 Entertainment (formerly known as Koch).
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112 - There isn’t always more platinum on the other side of Bad Boy. Following three double-platinum albums—1996’s 112, 1998’s Room 112 and 2001’s Part III—112 released its fourth album, 2003’s Hot & Wet, through a joint venture between Bad Boy and Def Jam. The LP didn’t sell. Their fifth album, Pleasure & Pain, released solely on Def Jam, went gold, but the numbers still pale in comparison to their impact during their Bad Boy days.
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Ma$e - This Harlemite carried the flag for Bad Boy Records at the heart of the shiny-suit era. His debut, '97's Harlem World, sold 4 million copies. He left the game behind in 1999 to devote himself to God, eventually becoming a pastor at the S.A.N.E. Ministry in Atlanta. His sophomore disc, Double Up, was released right on the heels of his departure and only went gold. He returned five years later with Welcome Back, which went gold as well.
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The Lox - This Yonkers trio’s grit served as the alternative to Bad Boy’s shiny suits. Their debut, Money, Power, Respect, struck platinum in 1998. They left the label soon after, and their second effort, We Are the Streets, sold gold. The guys have since been releasing solo material, with Jadakiss going gold twice and Styles P going gold once.
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Black Rob - With Biggie dead and Ma$e retired, Diddy’s best days seemed behind him. Not only was his rap roster in limbo, but his sophomore album, Forever, had failed to match the success of No Way Out. Enter Black Rob. Building from his smash single “Whoa,” he put Bad Boy on his back and released the platinum-selling Life Story in 2000.
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Shyne - Shyne Po took the baton from Rob and helped re-establish the Bad Boy brand in hip-hop. Early talks of Shyne being a Biggie knock-off didn’t stick, as his self-titled debut went platinum. The Brooklyn MC later left the label shortly after being convicted of reckless endangerment and other charges following a shooting at Club New York in which Diddy was also involved. Puff was cleared of all charges.
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Carl Thomas - Carl Thomas was part of Bad Boy’s resurgence in the early 2000s. His debut, Emotional, is considered a contemporary classic by many; it hit platinum in 2000.
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Mario Winans - After providing writing and production for others for years, Mario Winans tasted success on his own with 2004’s platinum-selling Hurt No More.
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8Ball & MJG - Puff gave these Southern veterans a home in 2004. Their first release on Bad Boy, Living Legends, went gold.
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New Edition - After an eight-year hiatus, boy-band phenomenon New Edition returned with the double-platinum Home Again in 1996. Puff produced two songs on the album, including the single “You Don’t Have to Worry.” The collaboration set the stage for the group to sign with Puff later on. NE released their Bad Boy debut, One Love, in 2004; it produced a club-pleaser, “Hot 2Nite,” and was certified gold.
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Yung Joc - This Atlanta rapper added to Bad Boy’s legacy with his gold-selling debut, New Joc City, in 2006. The album produced a smash hit, “It’s Going Down,” complete with the motorcycle dance. Joc’s second LP, Hustlenomics, tanked in 2007. He's no longer with Bad Boy; Joc now has his own imprint, Swagg Team, under Polo Grounds Music.
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Cassie - Cassie Ventura first came to prominence with her smash hit “Me & U,” but she’s become much more than a singer over the years. A standout in the urban fashion world, her Sean John spreads are inescapable. She also impacted pop culture when she shaved one side of her long locks, creating a new hairstyle that spread like wildfire.
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Danity Kane - Da Band didn’t work out too well, but Puff brought back his Making the Band series in search of a R&B-pop group. The result? Danity Kane. Consisting of D. Woods, Aubrey O’Day, Dawn Richard, Shannon Bex and Aundre Fimbres, the group had short-lived success with two releases: Their self-titled debut went platinum in 2006, and its follow-up, Welcome to the Dollhouse, went gold two years later. The group was later disbanded during the final season of Making the Band.
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Day 26 - Day 26 didn’t fare as well as their female counterparts. Also assembled during Making the Band, the R&B quintet failed to earn any certification on two releases.
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Elephant Man - One of dancehall music’s best-kept secrets for years, Elephant Man reached a wider audience when he signed with Diddy. “Pon De River” and “Jook Gal,” featuring Twista, YoungBloodz and Kiprich, penetrated Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
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Janelle Monáe - What Janelle lacks in sales, she more than makes up for in critical acclaim. Her debut, The ArchAndroid (Suites II and III), released earlier this year, was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and its lead single, “Tightrope,” is up for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.