‘Stop’ lets ’90s rap stories shine

Gehrig biopic ‘Luckiest Man’ in development

LOS ANGELES, June 22, (Agencies): Sean “Diddy” Combs is often thinking of his old friend, the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G., whose career he helped launch in the early ’90s.

The Grammy-winning rapper and producer said it’s the right time to commemorate his and B.I.G.’s legacies 20 years after his protege was gunned down in Los Angeles during the height of rap’s East CoastWest Coast rivalry.

Combs stars in the new documentary “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop”, which chronicles the rise of his label Bad Boy as a hip-hop powerhouse, culminating in a 2016 tour that honored its successes as well as B.I.G. The concerts brought together some of the late rapper’s frequent collaborators, including Lil’ Kim and Faith Evans.

Combs, 47, acknowledges his story is a part of history. So when the opportunity arose to chronicle his life, he agreed. If someone was going to tell it, Combs said he’d better do it himself.

“You have to get to a certain point to smell the roses”, he said. “If not, then you’ll get an award when you’re 60, you’ll be trying to smell the roses then and you can’t do the latest dance”.

“Can’t Stop Won’t Stop”, which will be released on Apple Music on Sunday, arrives at a time when many others are reflecting on the gangster rap era.

“Straight Outta Compton” found critical and commercial success in 2015 depicting the rise of N.W.A. and its stars, Easy-E, Dr Dre and Ice Cube. Last week, Tupac Shakur’s biopic, “All Eyez On Me”, exceeded expectations by earning $27 million its opening weekend. “The Defiant Ones”, a HBO documentary series about producers Jimmy Iovine and Dr Dre, premieres on July 9.

Combs compared the multi-generational interest in ’90s hip-hop to previous documentaries about iconic rock bands, including The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and U2.

“It was important to tell that story for the generations that were catching-up, that were there and that don’t know about it”, he said.

The 20 year mark is common when reconsidering major cultural moments, said Todd Boyd a professor of race and popular culture at the University of Southern California.

Boyd said hip-hop was viewed as a fad in the 1970s and early ’80s. He credits Dr Dre and Combs with showcasing the genre’s viability.

“The culture is starting to recognize, appreciate and respect the contributions of people who have been able to do it over a long period of time”, said Boyd, who specializes in the history of hip-hop.

The genre is rooted in the history of violence and race, Boyd said. Both B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace, and Shakur were shot to death during the mid1990s East Coast-West Coast feud.

Director Daniel Kaufman weaved archival footage with new video to highlight both the immediate effect and ongoing aftermath of B.I.G.’s death. The film shines light on Faith Evans and Lil’ Kim’s reconciliation. Kim previously dated B.I.G., but Evans was married to the rapper at the time of his death in 1997.

“It was a blessing to see it happen — for two grown women to put their differences aside and just go to the love”, Combs said. “That’s what family is about”.

Family is how Combs runs his successful businesses. Forbes magazine recently named him the highestpaid celebrity. With his Sean John clothing line, a stake in Ciroc vodka and the Bad Boy reunion tour, Combs made $130 million between June 1, 2016 and June 1, 2017, the magazine reported.

Combs said he wants to continue being a platform for the next generation of artists, including two of his six children already in the entertainment industry. Quincy Brown, 26, is a series regular on Fox’s “Star”, while Christian Combs, 19, has a record deal with Bad Boy.

As for his next chapter, Combs said his success has always stemmed from trust, whether it was promoting B.I.G. or new artists.

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An authorized biopic of iconic baseball player Lou Gehrig was announced Wednesday, the 78th anniversary of Gehrig’s retirement from the New York Yankees.

The baseball team has given its endorsement to the new project “The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth”. The film will be directed by Jay Russell (“My Dog Skip”, “Ladder 49”) and based on the biography “Luckiest Man” by Jonathan Eig, with a screenplay adaptation by Dan Kay.

The movie will focus on Gehrig’s playing career from 1923 to 1939, when it was cut short by Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and his relationship with his wife Eleanor. Gehrig died in 1941 and his life was recounted in 1942’s “Pride of the Yankees”, which starred Gary Cooper and received 11 Oscar nominations.

The title is taken from a speech Gehrig gave at Yankee Stadium two weeks after his retirement. The speech began, “Fans, for the past two weeks, you’ve been reading about a bad break. Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for 17 years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans”.

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Kat Graham has joined the cast of Netflix’s upcoming action thriller “How It Ends”, also starring Forest Whitaker and Theo James.

The film follows James as a young man desperate to get home to his pregnant wife (Graham) after an apocalyptic event turns roads to mayhem. Forest Whitaker plays Graham’s father.

Graham is best known for her role as Bonnie Bennett in The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries”, and has also acted in “17 Again”, “The Roommate” with Leighton Meester, and “Honey 2”. She recently played Jada Pinkett in the Tupac Shakur biopic “All Eyez on Me”.

Graham also has a burgeoning singing career, including a performance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in 2012 following a stint as a supporting act for The Black Eyed Peas on their 2007 tour. She is currently working on a debut album and released a single, “Power”, in 2013.

“How It Ends” is directed by David M. Rosenthal from a script by Brooks McLaren. The project is being produced by Paul Schiff, Tai Duncan, Kelly McCormick, and Patrick Newall, with executive production from Sierra’s Nick Meyer and Marc Schaberg. Sierra/Affinity developed the project with Paul Schiff Productions and is handling worldwide sales and financing.

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In Japan, “Wonder Woman” will get some help from homegrown hero Hello Kitty to promote the DC Comics film.

The promotion marks the first time Hello Kitty character has partnered with a major Hollywood film, though Hello Kitty previously helped market local films such as “The Ring”. “Wonder Woman”