How Diddy Derailed The Careers Of His Most Famous Artists

The Bad Boy curse refers to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records imprint, which has signed numerous famous rap and R&B artists over the course of the last 30 years.

Despite the record label serving as a springboard to platform these rappers to superstardom, most of the talent at the label has flamed out, become incarcerated, or even died in violent shooting deaths of mysterious origin.

Diddy’s first and most prominent famous artist to join his label was The Notorious B.I.G., who most music fans remember for producing such hits as “Hypnotize,” “Juicy,” and “Who Shot Ya.”

While the artist, whose real name was Christopher Wallace, saw massive highs during his tenure with Bad Boy, he also became embroiled in a gnarly regional feud, headed by Diddy and his long-time rival Suge Knight, who represented Death Row Records.

Biggie was tragically killed in a still-unsolved 1997 shooting incident at the young age of 24.

Some hip-hop insiders have maligned Diddy as being responsible for B.I.G.’s death, while others have even claimed that Diddy placed the hit on his famous artist personally due to a payment dispute at the label.

While these claims have never been proven, prosecutors have likely been examining them closer than ever in recent months, as Diddy has also been named a key figure in the related murder of Death Row rapper Tupac Shakur.

Another rapper who suffered under the yoke of Bad Boy Records was Shyne, a young Belizean national who moved to the United States to pursue a career behind the mic.

After finding some early success under Diddy’s label, the famous artist wound up convicted for a 1999 nightclub shooting which was sparked by a confrontation between Diddy and one of his associates.

By most accounts, Diddy was primarily responsible for the scuffle and the ensuing shots fired, though the record industry head never saw a day in prison for his involvement.

Forensic analysts even confirmed in the courtroom that the shots could not have come from Shyne’s weapon, though the rapper was ultimately sent to prison for 10 years, and subsequently deported back to Belize.

On the bright side, Shyne escaped from the Bad Boy curse with his life, and even went on to have a promising career as a politician in his home country. Still, it is inarguable that his association with Diddy derailed the life that the famous artist had built for himself up to that point.

While Shyne and B.I.G. are the most glaring examples of Diddy’s Bad Boy curse, many other famous artists have departed the label on bad terms with the rap mogul, only to have their careers caught in limbo for years to come.

Acts like Mase, Craig Mack, and Loon have each accused Diddy of stealing from them, manipulating their contracts, or otherwise mishandling their careers.

Others such as Cassie and Dawn Richard of Dirty Money fame have stepped forward to accuse the Bad Boy founder of physical abuse, sexual assault, and other heinous crimes.

As the state of New York moves forward with the numerous counts of sexual assault, sex trafficking, and racketeering Diddy is currently facing, more information regarding his past is sure to come up on the stand.

For any hip-hop head that has had their finger on the pulse, this comeuppance is a long time coming, as Diddy has derailed the careers of his most famous artists for years with untold acts of alleged violence, criminal behavior, and shady business practices.