A man of many nicknames, Sean Combs, known as Diddy, is iconic in music, fashion, and entrepreneurship. Born in Harlem, New York City, he founded Bad Boy Records and propelled artists like The Notorious B.I.G, Usher, and Mary J. Blige to stardom. The artist and producer has fundamentally shaped urban culture, leaving a legacy as a trailblazer and visionary.
Over the last 13 years, Diddy has released singles, but he has officially made his triumphant return to music with his first album since Last Train to Paris (2010). On September 15th, following the MTV VMAs, where he received the Global Icon Award, Diddy released his highly awaited album, The Love Album: Off the Grid, via his new all-R&B label, Love Records. HOLA! USA, had the opportunity to talk to Diddy in Miami, where he shared his take on Latin music, what made this album different, his late girlfriend Kim Porter visiting him in dreams, and more.
We’re kind of seeing this Latin renaissance right now on a global scale. As an expert in music, how would you explain what we’re seeing?
I think, to be honest, it’s really just technology. I think that it would’ve come sooner, but I think that it’s not a fad, and it’s beautiful to see how many directions the genre of Latin music could go into. It could go in so many directions. It reminds me of hip hop, how hip hop can be meshed with anything. Latin music could be meshed with anything.
That’s so true. And what’s your relationship with Latin music? Are you ever busting a cumbia at home?
They call me Salsa Negro because when I dance salsa, I still dance like a black man. You know what I’m saying? So they call me Salsa Negro. That’s my big hobby too, just going all over the world and dancing in salsa clubs.
So let’s dive into the album. Love Off the Grid. How was making this album different, whether it’s physically, emotionally, or spiritually?
With this record, this whole record was about love. On my other albums, I got to talk about the other facets of my life that were going on, but this was just really focused on matters of the heart. So that’s one of the things that really, really made it different. And just like the vulnerability, the vulnerability and the passion. The passion was different. When I’m making hip-hop, it’s kind of hard. This was really sensitive, sensual, and passionate, so it was a great experience. A lot of lovemaking.
In the song “ I like” with Mary J Blige, you sing, “I want to love you like my first love. Can you be down like my first love?” Tell me a little bit about your first love and why, decades later, we still think about them.
I can’t get rid of any of my loves, to be honest. But your first love, there’s nothing like your first love. And when you think of your first love, you just think about the innocence of it, the happiness that it gives you, the giddiness of love. Love as you grow up gets to be heavier. The lighter side of love is what my first love feels like.
I read an interview where you talked about the beautiful song dedicated to Kim Porter and how she started visiting you in dreams. I lost my mom, and when I do have those visitations they’re so special. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Yeah. One of the things when dealing with grief is there has to be a moment that you understand it is what it is, but you still yearn for that person. And I wanted her to come visit me in my dreams. It was like me just trying to find another option that maybe God could bless me with to still feel her presence. So when I made the record, I believe that music is magical. It has magical powers. So I wanted to use my magic to get her to visit me in my dreams, and she has come and visited me in my dreams. It makes me want her to visit me more, but making the record, she got the message
Kim Porter and Diddy 2015
You have cultivated incredible artists. Biggie, Mary J Blige, Usher, and now you’re working with Jozzy. When you’re meeting a new artist, how do you know this artist is destined for greatness?
I basically kind of know it in the first meeting. Jozzy is special, just like her name is original. She’s an original person, and you just know that there’s something about her. You ever just in a room with somebody, and you’re like, ‘Oh, there’s something about that person?’ That’s the way Jozzy’s voice sounds and the way she is as a person
: Sean “Diddy” Combs attends Sean “Diddy” Combs Album Release Party For “The Love Album: Off The Grid”.
I love that. It’s beautiful. I saw you posted a reel recently where you said there was still one artist you wanted to work with. I came up with four names. I have Shakira, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and Lauryn Hill.
I tried my best.
But It’s going to help narrow it down to who’s left. But I love all those artists.
