A RTS The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 6, 2002 -9
.P. Diddy and the Bad Boy Family proudly present
the 'proof' that they invented the remix, or something
By David Moss. ly resigned with the label in an effort to resurrect his career. Crazy," which is itself a spin on his lone hit to date, "Whoa."
For the Daily Still another street banger is a remix of last summer's popular P Diddy does his best to spice up the track by adding verses
single "Bad Boy for Life, from Snoop Dogg and Missy
Back in 1991, in his days as an executive at Uptown Records, featuring Busta Rhymes and Elliot but the dreadful beat and
Sean "Puffy" Combs, the flamboyant hip-hop mogul everybody M.O.P. goofy hook remain. Another
loves to hate, convinced himself that he erected an Criticized in RE CADS PRESENT track that could go is 112's
idea that has revolutionized the industry - the S the past for "Dance With Me" remix,
remix. When his first experiment, a remix of exploiting the where Beanie Siegel's
Jodeci's "Come and Talk to Me," sold 2.5 million memory of the mediocre flow adds little to the
records, Puffy knew he was on to something. late Biggie original version.
While the innovation quickly spread, over the PDIDDY AND Smalls, P. Fans expecting a nostalgic
years, few have taken advantage of it quite like BAD BOY Diddy limits ourney through Bad Boy's
Combs. Remixes of Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya RECORDS his fallen extensive catalog will be dis-
Ear" and Notorious B.I.G's "One More Chance," PRESENTS ... friend to a appointed. Neither Mase nor
are among the most legendary songs in rap histo- mere three the Lox are anywhere to be
ry. Incidentally, it was a remix of Mary J. Blige's We Invented the tracks. First, he found and B.I.G.'s contribu-
"Real Love" which first showcased the Brooklyn Remx pairs Biggie's tions are limited. On the R&B
hustler's lyrical prowess to the world. Bad Boy Records lyrics from front, Total is surprisingly
So with a depleted roster, about to become even "#* @ You 4Y 4 1 ignored. P. Diddy's formula is
thinner if you believe the rumors of 112's impend- Tonight" with fairly simple. He uses reliable
ing departure, the self-retitled P. Diddy has devised a plan to Ashanti's current hit "Fool- - R&B acts as the foundation for
keep his empire afloat. His latest release, We Invented the ish." He also includes a the album while dropping vers-
Remix, affords Diddy the opportunity to dust off some old remix of "Notorious B.I.G," es from his new generation of
material mixed with new voices, keeping Bad Boy's name on maintaining the same vocals rappers.
the charts as he searches for his next star. over a different beat and Overall, "We Invented the
The album's prize number is P. Diddy's smash hit "I Need A uses Biggie's first verse Remix" appeals more to the
Girl" featuring Usher and Loon, which is actually preceded by from "My Downfall" on a R&B fan who gets the rare
"I Need A Girl Part 2." The sequel has a similar theme with track with Carl Thomas. chance to hear stars like Faith
Diddy searching for a female companion, though in this ver- The album cootains sev- Evans, Mary J. Blige and
sion Usher passes the baton to Genuine. eral interesting Rap and R&B pairings such as G-Dep drop- Usher in the same CD. None of Bad Boy's young guns will
For hardcore rap fans, the album includes a scintillating ping a verse onto Faith Evans' "You Gets No Love." Perhaps blow you away and P.Diddy's own flow is still a work in
remix of G-Dep's "Special Delivery," which evokes memories most intriguing is the reunion between P. Diddy and Mary J progress. But the album does contain three or four sure fire
of the aforementioned "Flava in Ya Ear." Bad Boy's newest Blige on "No More Drama," almost a decade after then hits, which should keep the spotlight on the controversial
Harlem discovery shares the mic with Keith Murray, Wu- "Puffy" Combs molded Blige into the queen hip-hop. CEO while he continues to rebuild.
Tang's GhostfaceKillah, and Craig Mack himself, who recent- The only ill-fated song is a remix of Black Rob's "That's
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