I used to think Sean Combs was a little ridiculous because as the success of his clothing line grew, his persistent attempts to rap seemed to detract from the intoxicating effect of what he was achieving in the fashion world. Why not just leave the rapping to other artists who aren't diversified moguls, let the record label do what it does, and run with the Sean John project? The other thing that bothered me was that whenever he was photographed without sunglasses, his eyes appeared oddly beady. And then there was the whole J-Lo episode, during which he came across as a bit of a thug. Not to mention the seemingly endless name changes. It was all just a little off.
But the truth is, you've got to love this guy. He's like hip-hop's male Oprah. Witness the longevity of Bad Boy Entertainment. Witness his Sean John line (and now its multiple offspring) conquering the fashion industry. Witness his annual White Party becoming as hot a ticket as the Cannes Film Festival or the
Vanity Fair Oscar party. Witness his righteous VOTE OR DIE campaign. Witness the gorgeous record ("No More Drama") Mary J. Blige made when she and Puffy reunited. Witness his new cologne, Unforgivable (an unforgivably stupid name, IMO), becoming the number one selling men's fragrance in the U.S. And witness the return of his Bad Boy label to the top of the charts with the success of his second reality-TV group, Danity Kane. Holy smoke... he's on fire!
Not only that, but when you really delve into what he says and does and represents, he is a very powerful - and important - icon on the popular culture landscape. His value as a role model is immeasurable on many levels. And beyond the social implications of his achievements (which are vast - both the achievements and the implications), he's having a damn good time, and that in itself is worth a lot these days.
