P Diddy ‘Cant Stop, Won’t Stop’ . . .
THIS year, Diddy wants you to take that, take that, take that history lesson. The music mogul known as Puff Daddy and P Diddy to us, and simply Sean Combs to his mom has just released a documentary. Called Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story, this film is exclusive to Apple Music.
It was directed by Daniel Kaufman and uses last year’s Bad Boy Records’ anniversary and reunion tour as an anchor to tell the story of how the record company became a force to be reckoned with in the world of entertainment. By extension, this is also Diddy’s life story.
In the first few scenes of this 80-minute documentary, we see Diddy in a doctor’s room. His active lifestyle and rigorous schedule has meant that he can’t move in the way his boisterous, younger self would have. But you already know his solution to that problem. I thought he told you that he won’t stop.
While Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story is a concert film, it takes special focus on the history of the label as opposed to strictly focusing on the on-stage antics. In that sense, Jay Z’s film, Fade to Black, is better.
Everyone who had anything to do with Diddy’s success (except Craig Mack) appears in this film. The Bad Boy team tried in vain to get Mack to put flavour in the ears of concert-goers but the former rapper is now a die-hard Christian who believes setting a foot on to that stage to perform secular music is a sin.
Anyway, there is commentary from mentors like Andre Harrell and peers like Jigga. Almost all of the artists who were, or are, signed to Bad Boy show up and show out. From Mary J Blige to 112 and of course, Pastor Ma$e.
Lil Kim is there and so is Faith Evans. The film doesn’t dwell on the relationship between the late Notorious BIG’s mistress and ex-wife but the pair seem to get along in the doccie. It’s quite obvious that Diddy calls the shots.
There is a scene where he scolds an engineer and tells him to go home because his energy is not right. Imagine. There are parts that seem contrived, though. Like when Diddy arrives to the rehearsal space and says aloud that the lights used for the staging look cheap. It seems like he is hamming it up just so the viewer can believe he has creative control.
It’s a weird idea to try and assert because the entire film is already almost a hagiography of Diddy. But watch Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story anyway because it will definitely take you down memory lane. Watch Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story on Apple Music