Getty Image
Retirement in hip-hop is a funny thing. We’ve heard many artists over the years claim they were going to, and eventually came back. The allure of our business is too hard to resist. But, then there are artists that you know are telling the truth and Diddy is one of them. He’s not even considered much of a rapper nowadays. He’s a mogul with focus on business ventures and occasionally dropped a show-stopping verse. The music game has been calling him, and he’s going to satisfy his fans one last time.
“I’m going to put out my last album and devote 100 percent of my time to doing films … I want to stop at a great place,” Diddy told Cigar Aficionado. “And a final album is a great place to stop. I want to take a victory lap, to do a world tour and really enjoy it once last time.”
It’s the right way to go out. While I’m skeptical of a No Way Out 2, because sequel issues, it’s undoubtably that people don’t want to see Diddy on one big tour. This could also be a Diddy and Bad Boy reunion tour (since they’re doing a big NY show in May), which is going to sell out arenas across the country. That’s an event for any hip-hop fan to enjoy.
Without completely writing off the music, MMM, his free-turned-retail mixtape, was a good body of work. Puff has to step it up for NWO2, though. If this is his final album and one of the things he’s remembered for, it has to be near-classic level. He makes it clear that he’s understand this too.
“When I’m gone, only the songs will survive. I know I’m making music that will live on. I don’t go into the studio just to be hot or to hear myself on the radio,” Diddy explained. “Michael Jackson, Tupac, Biggie – part of them lives on in their music, even though they’re not here anymore. That’s really deep, man. The only thing like that is religion.”
His mindset is in the right place, so let’s hope he (and his collaborators) can put together an album that only honors the legacy of No Way Out, Bad Boy Records, and Diddy’s musical career.