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A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Saturday 24 June 2017
Diddy’s ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop’ lets ‘90s rap stories shine

By JOSEPH LONGO protege was gunned down
Associated Press in Los Angeles during the
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sean height of rap’s East Coast-
“Diddy” Combs is often West Coast rivalry.
thinking of his old friend, Combs stars in the new
the late rapper The Notori- documentary “Can’t Stop
ous B.I.G., whose career he Won’t Stop,” which chron-
helped launch in the early icles the rise of his label
‘90s. Bad Boy as a hip-hop pow-
The Grammy-winning rap- erhouse, culminating in a
per and producer said 2016 tour that honored its
it’s the right time to com- successes as well as B.I.G.
memorate his and B.I.G.’s The concerts brought to-
legacies 20 years after his gether some of the late

In this June 19, 2017 photo, Sean Combs, producer of the documentary film “Can’t Stop Won’t
Stop: A Bad Boy Story,” poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.
Associated Press
rapper’s frequent collabo- ing The Beatles, the Rolling Kim previously dated B.I.G.,
rators, including Lil’ Kim and Stones and U2. but Evans was married to
Faith Evans. “It was important to tell the rapper at the time of his
Combs, 47, acknowledges that story for the genera- death in 1997.
his story is a part of history. tions that were catching- “It was a blessing to see it
So when the opportunity up, that were there and happen — for two grown
arose to chronicle his life, that don’t know about it,” women to put their dif-
he agreed. If someone was he said. ferences aside and just
going to tell it, Combs said The 20 year mark is com- go to the love,” Combs
he’d better do it himself. mon when reconsidering said. “That’s what family is
“You have to get to a cer- major cultural moments, about.”
tain point to smell the ros- said Todd Boyd a profes- Family is how Combs runs
es,” he said. “If not, then sor of race and popular his successful businesses.
you’ll get an award when culture at the University of Forbes magazine recently
you’re 60, you’ll be try- Southern California. named him the highest-
ing to smell the roses then Boyd said hip-hop was paid celebrity.
and you can’t do the latest viewed as a fad in the 1970s With his Sean John clothing
dance.” and early ‘80s. He credits line, a stake in Ciroc vodka
“Can’t Stop Won’t Stop,” Dr. Dre and Combs with and the Bad Boy reunion
which will be released on showcasing the genre’s vi- tour, Combs made $130
Apple Music on Sunday, ar- ability. million between June 1,
rives at a time when many “The culture is starting to 2016 and June 1, 2017, the
others are reflecting on the recognize, appreciate and magazine reported.
gangster rap era. respect the contributions
“Straight Outta Compton” of people who have been Combs said he wants to
found critical and com- able to do it over a long continue being a platform
mercial success in 2015 period of time,” said Boyd, for the next generation of
depicting the rise of N.W.A. who specializes in the his- artists, including two of his
and its stars, Easy-E, Dr. Dre tory of hip-hop. six children already in the
and Ice Cube. Last week, The genre is rooted in the entertainment industry.
Tupac Shakur’s biopic, “All history of violence and Quincy Brown, 26, is a se-
Eyez On Me,” exceeded race, Boyd said. Both B.I.G., ries regular on Fox’s “Star,”
expectations by earn- born Christopher Wallace, while Christian Combs, 19,
ing $27 million its opening and Shakur were shot to has a record deal with Bad
weekend. death during the mid-1990s Boy.
“The Defiant Ones,” a HBO East Coast-West Coast As for his next chapter,
documentary series about feud. Combs said his success has
producers Jimmy Iovine Director Daniel Kaufman always stemmed from trust,
and Dr. Dre, premieres on weaved archival footage whether it was promoting
July 9. with new video to highlight B.I.G. or new artists.
Combs compared the both the immediate effect “I built a reputation through
multi-generational interest and ongoing aftermath all of that to be trusted with
in ‘90s hip-hop to previ- of B.I.G.’s death. The film their stories — to be trusted
ous documentaries about shines light on Faith Evans with the content,” Combs
iconic rock bands, includ- and Lil’ Kim’s reconciliation. said.q