Is Diddy Hip-Hop Friend or Foe???

I might be pretty late on this tidbit of information but I recently found out that Brooklyn-bred rapper, Red Cafe, became the newest member of the Bad Boy family. I was actually pretty surprised by his decision to sign with Puff. I mean over the years Puff hasn't gained a reputation of being the most ethical businessman, and I always respected Cafe's consistent underground buzz and willingness to stick to the grind, seemingly until the right opportunity came along.


I definitely would not call Cafe a new comer to the game. He's been a force on the underground mixtape circuit for years and has also had his fair share of record deals gone wrong. After splitting with his rap group Da Franchise (other members included Gravy & Q Da Kid), he then signed deals with Arista, Capital and RCA, none of which worked out.

For someone who's been in the background, witnessing (as we all have) the rise and fall of so many other artists on the Bad Boy label, I was shocked to learn that he too would follow this path. Bad Boy artists have accused Puff of everything from stealing their shine on their own projects, to extorting and underpaying them. Most recently Young Jock made accusations public of not receiving any label support since 2007, unpaid advance money and shady business moves preventing him from working on projects outside of the Block Ent./Bad Boy family.

(Shout out to Londell MacMillian of Dewey & Leboeuf LLP for representing Jock. He's in good hands and should be getting all that is owed to him)

Here are some familiar faces of those burnt by Puff in the past:

LOON

SHYNE

BLACK ROB

G-DEP

In Puff's defense Red Cafe made the point that he really does give guys the opportunity that alot of others don't. During a recent interview with Charlamange da God (formerly of the Wendy Williams show) Cafe explained that he really respected Puff for even approaching him, respecting his craft and bringing an offer to the table for negotiation. He acknowledged the special things that Bad Boy has brought to the game in the past. Cafe also mentioned that Bad Boy is the only Black owned major label left standing... I can't hate on him wanting to support that.

Former ghost writer and artist on the Bad Boy label, Mark Curry, has just released a new book entitled " Dancing With the Devil". You can read the first chapter of Mark's book for free here: http://www.markcurrybook.com/

I can't front, (minus the editing issues) the first chapter got me, I'm ready to pick up a copy tomorrow!

But you can't deny that for decades now, Puff has been introducing us to some of the most memorable artists in the game! Not just one hit wonders but artists that provide the soundtracks to our life. Mary, Biggie, 112, Mace, Faith, The Lox, to name a few. I mean, I couldn't picture life with out their music. If Puff didn't believe in these people and give them that chance when others wouldn't where would they be today? .. and even today Puff is still making dreams come true for kids like Danity Kane and Day 26.

Some of the BadBoy artist that Puff put on, changing the sound of Hip-Hop music and cranking out the hits that we so love:

Mary J. Blige
Notorious B.I.G.

Total

Faith Evans

Mace

112

At the end of the day Puff is HU alum so I gotta try to find the good in him :). Shout out to all the Bison's doing there thing out there. Hey, it's a dog eat dog world. Just make sure you're the one eating.... I guess that's how Puff is giving it up!

Please feel free to leave a comment on what you think of Red Cafe's decision to sign with Bad Boy, what you think of Mark Curry's new book... and how you honestly feel regarding Puff's position in the world of Hip-Hop... is he friend or foe?????