It’s been so long since Diddy actually released an album, you’d be forgiven for forgetting he rose to fame as a rapper.
Perhaps realizing that his role in the industry has changed (reality show host, marathoner, party host) since The Saga Continues was released in 2001, Diddy is taking one more shot at proving his talents on the mic with his last solo album, set for a September 19 release.
“I’m taking from what I’ve learned from dance music, electro-clash, techno, hip-hop, soul and pop and kind of fusing it together,” Diddy told MTV Europe, and he’s enlisted the help of Mary J. Blige, Christina Aguilera, Brandy, Busta Rhymes, Nas, and Will.I.Am to help him out.
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But don’t expect Diddy to go the tried-and-true guns, cash and hos route with this album. Diddy wants to make this project all about the romance — with some sex, fashion, drugs, and spirituality thrown in for good measure.
“It’s like everything in hip-hop is so hardcore with guns and problems and beef, and nobody is being romantic — not in a corny way,” he said, “but just giving all of yourself. It’s still going to have that gangsta vibe to it, but it’s a musical journey. It’s going to feel good.”
For the first single, a club track, Diddy said, “We are going to bring a lot of high fashion, a lot of energy, a lot of sex, a lot of drugs, spirituality, good times. We’re going to have something for the kids, but it’s really an adult thing. It’s definitely pornographic, orgasmic, gangsta, to the point where your soul feels good. It’s like a spiritual revolution. It’s like being sanctified.”
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