Diddy is one of hip-hop's most successful, iconic, and influential moguls. While he's always been in conversations surrounding the game, he's recently started to become more of a notable force in the music world once more. He released the successful "Gotta Move On" with Bryson Tiller, which even got its own remix EP, and released a greatest hits-style compilation this June. He's just dropped a video for a freestyle titled "Diddy Freestyle" that features Yung Miami, his rumored partner but self-affirmed best friend.
The video opens at 5AM in New York City, and while the bright lights and skyscrapers fit the Big Apple vibe, the song certainly doesn't. It uses the same sample from Dre and Snoop's iconic West Coast classic, "Nuthin' But A G Thang," and it's weird to see Diddy flaunt around New York with a beat synonymous with Compton palm trees. Still, the beat works in some traditional East Coast claps and shimmering synth pads to bring the track back to blunger-out city streets. But what's interesting about this new music video is that it's for a four-year-old song.
This "freestyle" video is actually Diddy's verse on the track "Bad Boy Watcha Gon' Do? Dre Day," which also features Rick Ross and the legendary Biggie Smalls. So, you might be asking, what really makes this new and what makes it a freestyle? Well, it's unclear whether Diddy's original verse on "Bad Boy..." was off the top, but despite the misnomer, it's still a pretty cool video. It was actually shot in between takes for his "Gotta Move On" Queens remix visuals.
Mr. Combs, who just became hip-hop's third billionaire, spits bars walking on NYC streets with a puffy coat, switching between a quick pace through storefronts or just sitting next to his coupe. He also rides around the city in it with none other than Yung Miami of City Girls, with whom Puff Daddy has a very close relationship. Fling rumors have dogged them for months, but there's still not much hard evidence for fans to work it. It's basically one of those unspoken truths that everyone's just waiting for confirmation on.
Stay tuned to HotNewHipHop for the hottest new music video drops, and to see what crazy career moves Diddy makes in the future.