WTH?!?! Sohh.com referenced in USA Today for an article on Diddy's "Press Play" CD!!!

[CodaRed]

By Steve Jones, USA TODAY
When Diddy moved his Bad Boy Entertainment label from Universal Records to Atlantic, he found himself suddenly partnering with some longtime competitors.
Warner Music Group chairman and CEO Lyor Cohen and other top executives had spent 10 years at rival Def Jam, and now they'd be the ones to inspire him and help end the label's three-year slump.

"He made a commitment, and we saw it in his eyes," says Kevin Liles, Warner Music Group executive vice president. "Puff was really geared up and ready to focus on the music industry again."

Diddy, a notorious workaholic, admits he had become burned out in the studio.

Getting out and seeing the world, he says, helped his sound evolve. With the resurgent Bad Boy, the timing was right for him to return with his own record.

There always had been a shadow over his previous album releases — the slaying of the Notorious B.I.G., the champagne bottle assault charges, the club shooting incident, the breakup with Jennifer Lopez. There's nothing like that with Press Play.

"It's the first time I really became an artist," he says. "On other albums, I was talking about drama. This is about the music instead of who I've got a problem with or how I'm not going to be stopped."

Not that he has become suddenly humble. There is still plenty to dance to and declarations like "... got it to blow, got it to spend/fly as before, cool as the wind." But the music is more diverse, with more songs about personal feelings and the joys and pains of relationships. "The album is about my love for my music and falling in love with a woman," Diddy says.

The different tone is reflected in the album's star-studded guest list, which includes Christina Aguilera, Ciara, Big Boi, Nas, Cee-Lo, Brandy, Keyshia Cole, Mary J. Blige, Nicole Scherzinger (*****cat Dolls), Mario Winans and Jamie Foxx.

Previous albums have been largely Bad Boy Entertainment family affairs, with other rappers from the label playing prominent roles. Diddy says that this time, he aimed for "a more global appeal."

He also tried a new approach as a rapper. Although he famously proclaimed "I don't write rhymes; I write checks," Diddy says he did more writing and tried new rhythmic patterns and tempos with his deliveries. He concedes that he had to improve his "basic 101 monotone style" and get more creative with his voice. He even sings on Last Night with Cole.

"My stuff was always really slow because that was my limitation," he says. "I had experienced a huge amount of success, never had a chance to nurture my craft. The time off did me well."

Rashaun Hall, content editor of the hip-hop website SOHH.com, says Diddy has critics who say he samples too much or doesn't do real hip-hop. But Diddy has never claimed to be the greatest rapper.

"You have to respect him for staying true to who he is," Hall says. "He creates good party music, and it's worth noting that not too many MCs are willing to make fun songs or dance in their videos."

Diddy accepts critics as part of the game, but he doesn't worry about them.

"I realized that the biggest person I have to compete with is myself," he says. "All I can do is do my best. There have been times when I didn't do my best, and it's hard for me to live with that."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/n...ddy-main_x.htm

[dumassispumanti]

I don't like that the internet is do influtential over music these days. People who get on here tend to be sheepish which is pretty bad for any kind of music.

[JUSE_HEDD]

Originally Posted by dumassispumanti

I don't like that the internet is do influtential over music these days. People who get on here tend to be sheepish which is pretty bad for any kind of music.

If that was the case then hip-hop record sales wouldn't be in such a slump these days...the sheep usually tend to follow suit and cop the albums.

[CodaRed]

Originally Posted by JUSE_HEDD

If that was the case then hip-hop record sales wouldn't be in such a slump these days...the sheep usually tend to follow suit and cop the albums.

He may have been referring to the fact that people also "sheepishly" criticize things. In this case Diddy and the criticism he gets for "not writing his lyrics" or for thinking "that he's the greatest rapper" when he has never made these claims.