Puff Daddy The Saga Continues RARE

Ialready know what you're thinking. I saw it happening while I waswriting today's post. My efforts to quietly attempt to continue thisblog, sneaking in and completely ignoring the fact that I've been away for nearly twomonths, are going to be quickly thwarted by reactions of the “ Thisis what you come back with?!?” variety. And it won't really matterwhat I write, or that I even returned to begin with, because you twowill only focus on the subject of the post, a man whom most of youhave already formed an opinion that isn't going to budge regardlessof what I say.

Icertainly didn't want a planned short hiatus to balloon into a forcedvacation because of a computer problem turning into an issue with themotherboard, which then turned into my hard drive being wiped clean,which caused me to have to try to rebuild my music collection fromnearly the ground up. (By the way, I lost a shit-ton of mixtapes inthat fiasco, but I just don't give enough of a shit to look for themagain, so sorry, Wale, Asher Roth, and everyone else I never got backaround to because I quickly lost interest. Although if one of youtwo happens to have all of Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Friday leaks(including alternate versions of some of the tracks) and are willingto share, I would greatly appreciate them.) So I'm under enoughstress as it is, and I don't really have the time or the patience todeal with people bitching about free content on a site that helps you killtime at work. Let'stry listening to the album, track-by-track, and forming opinionsbased on what you hear, not what you read (that's right, I'mperfectly happy with you disagreeing with me entirely, even though Iknow I'm right), and, and this is really important, not based on whatyou already think of the artist. Because here's the thing: everyone hatesPuff Daddy.

You're not special. Hell, I do, too.

Bad Boy Records is still trying toshake their classification as a label that relies heavily on samplesfrom other, better songs in order to get their points across. Andthey're doing so while still reeling from the loss of The NotoriousB.I.G., one of the best rappers of all time (although eventhat is based on the fact that we never got to hear Biggie flounderand pick up cameos on inferior artists' projects, but that's asubject for another time). And you have to admit, you have liked (oreven loved) some of what the label has released, and at least threeof those things include a co-starring role for Sean “Puffy”Combs. So get over yourselves, and actually try listening to thegoddamn album. If you hate it after the fact, that's on you, but at leastyour opinion will be much more informed.

Came during a time of reconstruction. Is Puffy's third album, although his debut, No WayOut (which featured the masterful Biggie and Busta Rhymes-featured“Victory” and “It's All About The Benjamins (Remix)”, which Istill hear once a week on Sirius XM's Backspin and never fails tobrighten my mood), was credited to Puff Daddy & The Family, andthe follow-up, Forever, is assigned to Sean only.

It wasn't alwaysintended to be his third album: Puffy was actually working on agospel album alongside Hezekiah Walker entitled Thank You, and got sofar as to have press releases and sampler CDs shipped out beforeabandoning the project altogether. Forcedto work with what he had (not only did he lose the heavy hitters onhis label roster, he also had previously severed his workingrelationships with many of the Hitmen, Bad Boy's former in-houseproduction team that was responsible for why No Way Out didn't sucklike it should have), Puff Daddy recruited lesser-known producers towork alongside bigger names such as The Neptunes and, well, himself,technically, and those beats were then handed over to rappers with namessuch as Loon, G. Dep, and Black Rob, the only dude on the label atthe time who had the distinction of also appearing on No Way Out backwhen Puffy had more famous friends.

In fact,isn't only the first Puff Daddy solo album (although, since it iscredited to a nonexistent group, he doesn't shoulder all of theblame for the album's trajectory) to not feature Biggie, Pastor Ma$e,or The Lox, it's also the first to exclude still-living (at the timeof this writing) outside guests such as Jay-Z and Lil' Kim. And theoutside influences on here are minimal at best: Puffy appears to havelocked his entire roster in the studio and forced them all tocontribute in some form, or else they wouldn't get any pudding. (Thisactually only applies to the rappers on Bad Boy: the R&B side ofthe house, which also made Puffy a substantial amount of disposableincome, didn't suffer nearly as much turnover as of 2001, althoughgirl group Total was no longer among its ranks.). Thefirst feeling you have once this title track kicks off is one ofempathy for Puffy. I'm being serious: after two albums featuring thelikes of The Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e, The Lox, and other A-listers,Sean Combs is forced to reintroduce both himself and his label,reciting mission statements and platitudes alongside names not quiteas likely to garner as much interest as those I gave above.

Thanksto the sample from The Alan Parsons Project's “Sirius”, “TheSaga Continues” is a blatant bid to incite excitement at the merepresence of.um, Black Robert (who sounds okay), Ma$e's formerfriend Loon (who doesn't), and current correctional facility residentG. Dep (formerly of the Gang Starr Foundation, which is a true fact)?The fuck?

Maybe they're getting ready to make it rain threes, too?(You'd have to hear the song to understand what I'm trying to saythere.) It's really bad when you hear the host try to talk himselfinto believing that the new roster is better than Bad Boy ever hadbeen. I'm fairly certain Puffy couldn't sleep at night while puttingthis project together. (Interestingly enough, the actualscratching on here is credited to one DJ Khaled, who I guess used to do real deejay things before he gave up and started shouting onwax for a living.). Thesecond single, which sums up the overall theme for as a whole: Puffy and his friends “ain't goin'nowhere” because “it's 'Bad Boy For Life'”. Upon its releasein 2001, I didn't care for it much, but it eventually grew on me,thanks to the Megahertz beat, which layers fat slices of funk inbetween what would have been a generic beat, and its accompanyingvideo, which became an MTV staple thanks to the participation ofactor/director Ben Stiller and the absurd dance styles of AccessHollywood's Pat O'Brien. Puffy embraces his role as a rapper whodoesn't write his own rhymes, but gives himself credit for“surviving what he's beet through” (um, I think Biggie andShyne's respective families suffered through much more than you,motherfucker), while Black Robert makes a bid for the mainstreamacceptance that alluded him after his “Whoa!”, and Mark Curry,oddly not the guy who starred on Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, tries toprove to his parents that he is (was) signed to Bad Boy, see?

That'shis name in the liner notes and everything! For what it is, not bad,but don't expect much out of this. (I'm aware that there's anofficial remix of “Bad Boy For Life” featuring Busta Rhymes andM.O.P., an artist and a group, respectively, who are not affiliatedin any way with Bad Boy Records, so their participation makes verylittle fucking sense, but that collaboration appears on anotherproject, one that will probably eventually make its way to my pile,so I'll hold off on commenting until then.). BlackRob's first bar is the same as it was when he kicked off “Whoa!”(a song that still works today, quit lying to yourselves), making itvery clear for those of you who can't pick up subtle hints that“That's Crazy” is intended as a spiritual sequel, if not just arip-off.

The titular phrase punctuates every single goddamn bar,whether the preceding words spoken by Puffy, Robbie, or G. Dep couldbe considered crazy or not. Our host sounds like he's addressing theinfamous club shooting where Shyne took the fall while he walked awaywithout a scratch, but he quickly shifts the subject and startstalking about himself, and as such, I didn't give a shit. And G.Dep's line, “I got a mil when I signed my deal” is funnier if youimagine him saying, “I got a meal when I signed my deal”, but forreasons I don't feel like transcribing here. Oh, and this songsucks. Thefirst single, which also doubles as the first single from G-Dep'ssolo album Child Of The Ghetto, which dropped later in 2001, whennobody gave a shit because it was the post-9/11 world. Since Deppyis the star attraction (even though the track was originally creditedto a collective called Three The Hard Way for some fucking reason,Dep gets most of the lines), the second half of that last sentencemakes sense, at least, as Sean and Robert sing backup over the Yogiand Mario Winans Al Green-sampling instrumental.

Just as I felt backin 2001, Dep's introductory salvo as a solo artist outside of theGang Starr confines (which would never have happened when Guru (R.I.P.) and Premier were at their peak, although today I'm sure Primo would back a G.Dep solo album just as quickly as he would every other no-name artist he promotes) isn't veryconvincing, but it could have been a lot worse, and Robbie (whorefers to himself as “Rob Marciano”, which only made me thinkthat a collaboration between himself and Roc Marcy could possiblyelevate the performances from both men) sounds okay. Puff doesn'tembarrass himself nearly as much as he deserves should, becauseI don't care enough to finish this statement. PuffDaddy teams up with The Neptunes (who both receive the 'featuring'credit even though only Pharrell actually speaks on here) because hecould easily afford them, and also because they were very popular atthe time. From Pharrell and Chad's perspective, this is a swing anda miss, thanks to a beat that is repetitive and a Skateboard P hookthat is pretty fucking stupid.

But for our host, it's actually not abad performance, as whoever wrote these rhymes for him was clearlyexcited at the prospect of reaching a wider audience, which it did,briefly, because The Neptunes. “Diddy” (which should be stylizedas “D-I-D-D-Y”, technically) runs through his bars with ease,even burning through the controversial “got Asian women who changemy linen” stereotype without breaking a racist sweat. Still, thatbeat is very annoying, and it's incredibly difficult to look past it. Ad-libsaside, Puffy doesn't appear on “Blast Off”, the first time hetakes a break on So with the inmates runningthe asylum, Deppy, Curry, and Loon waste an already-too-noisyproduction with pedantic boasts and threats that lead nowhere.

Mike“Punch” Harper's work behind the boards recalls a time whenRockwilder was considered what one would call a “popular producer”whose bleeps and bloops extended further than he could ever imagine,and trust me, Rockwilder is not the guy you should be emulating inthis here game. At least Black Robert dodged a bullet by skippingout on this weed-carrying shitstorm. Memphisstalwarts Eightball and MJG were still relatively new to the Bad Boyfamily back in 2001, so since they already had a built-in fanbasethanks to their work on the Suave House label, it was a foregoneconclusion that they would pop up on in somecapacity. Also, Puffy feels especially comfortable standingalongside overweight rappers. Are we still pretending thatisn't the case (.

cough. Rick Ross. cough.)? To overemphasize justhow “smooth” this song is supposed to be, Puffy brings alongFaith Evans, who, yes, was still employed by the label in 2001 eventhough most widows probably would have left the label their deceasedspouse was signed to at the time of their passing but maybe that'sjust me, to croon along to Spike and Jamal's not-awful instrumental.While “Roll With Me” isn't bad, it isn't a good showcase foreither Eightball or MJG, who I always preferred even though he soundslike a Ludacris clone without cocaine or caffeine to aid him. I cansee some of you two claiming this track as a personal favorite,though.

Puffymissed his cash cow Ma$e so much that he opted for what he thoughtwas the next best thing: rhyming alongside his friend Loon. (Thisisn't the first time Sean chose his collaborators because of theirassociations: he also rapped alongside Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease afterBiggie passed away. And should Officer Ricky score a date with theReaper, Puffy will quickly release a duet with Meek Mill. Mark mywords.) However, Pastor Ma$e, never the best rapper but everyonekeeps forgetting that thanks to nostalgia, at least managed to be apart of some catchy-as-hell tracks, a feat which Loon will absolutelypositively never manage.

Fuck that guy. Who calls themselves“Loon”, anyway? And the mysterious “Marsha” in the creditsis actually the once-ubiquitous Marsha Ambrosius, of Floetry and rapsong hook fame, if you're so inclined. Aposse cut-as-a-cheesy-action-flick is certainly not a bad idea, andthe instrumental (credited to Mario Winans, something called “TheNatural”, and Puff himself) actually matches the alleged mood asmuch as possible, but “Where's Sean” might have worked a bitbetter if Puffy weren't so dependent on newbies to carry his legacyon their shoulders. I mean, seriously, what the fuck is a Big AzzKo?

The Saga Continues Weird Al

Nobody knows. Can you imagine what this could have sounded likehad Sean come up with this same idea during the days of Biggie andThe Lox? A wasted opportunity, albeit one where Puffy mimics TheWarriors, a pretty fucking great movie, so I'm not mad at all. I'mnot sure why Puffy felt the need to borrow a couple of songs fromG-Dep's Child Of The Ghetto, including its title track, instead offorcing Deppy to special deliver two new tracks. Maybe it wascheaper this way? But then the audience has to sitthrough a Coptic production that doesn't gel with the rest of theproject, because it was so obviously not created for the project.But the thing is, Coptic's beat is pretty good, and Deppy Deppy DepDep does his damnedest over it, with boasts 'n bullshit that onlyconnect about half the time but still sounded enjoyable anyway. Soit may not really fit, but neither did Black Rob's “I Love YouBaby” on No Way Out, and that song is kind of awesome (even withits Puffy verse, whatever).

Ourhost had two fairly big radio hits with 'I Need A Girl”, a love rapreleased in two parts with varying guests and tempos. Both of thosetracks originated from this song, which was never serviced to radioand will probably sound completely foreign to those of you two whoremember the aforementioned alternate takes. Coptic's instrumentalis repetitive but not horrible, while Puff delivers a verse thatyou'll probably recognize from one of the remixes. (I can't rememberif Loon also reused his performance from “I Need A Girl (ToBella)”, but I don't care enough to look it up right now.) This isjust another love rap that insists that, for any female companion tomeet his absurdly high standards, she must be willing to “ride”for Puffy, and both our host and Loon sound insincere as shit.

Thevocals, coming from Mario Winans (who also factors into the remixes)and something called a Lo and Jack, are also bland and listless. Nowonder Sean felt the need to rework this shit for human consumption. Ourhost comes straight from the “ write recite ghostwrittenrhymes about what you know” school, so “If You Want This Money”is all about how much influence one can wield when you have the bankaccount to back you up, with a sample from Schooly D's “P.S.K.(What Does It Mean)?” (or, say it with me, Siouxsie & TheBanshees's “Kiss Them For Me”) backing them up. Puffy and hispoorly-compensated weed carriers, some of whom are grouped under thestore brand name “The Hoodfellaz” because back cover typesettingcosts by the word, all spit inane bullshit, and you know this shit isuninspired when Puff motherfucking Daddy has the best verse. There'sno contest. Puffy'sempire was at least partially built from sampling well-known songs tocreate his own hits, and the most blatant theft on occurs on the Faith Evans and Carl Thomas duet “Can'tBelieve”, which, improbably, takes place over the beat Dr. Dre puttogether for the only song from supergroup The Firm that anybody gaveor still gives a fuck about, “Phone Tap”.

Weirdly, this wasn'tterrible: the vocals from Bad Boy's veteran crooners (trio Total hadlong since been dropped from the label, and 112 was.wait a minute,why isn't 112 on this album? They were still on the label! How thefuck did they manage to skirt this contractual obligation?) clashwith the methodical beat (whose production credit should have beenceded to Dre, since he did all the goddamn work (relatively speaking;I realize Dr. Dre doesn't really handle production exclusively, hehas lots of help, get off my back about it)), but in an interestingway.

Not great, but you won't skip over it, either. FINALTHOUGHTS: Ican't imagine that the two of you who remain would have any doubt asto whether is worth the time and effort, butI'll explain anyway: it's really not. Puffy struck gold when hesigned The Notorious B.I.G., and even though Ma$e has his own issues,he was still legitimately popular for a good time in the late 1990s,but these motherfuckers on here don't hold a candle to what Bad Boywas in the previous decade.

The Saga Continues Lyrics

And I say that even though I stillbelieve Black Rob's Life Story is under-appreciated: just because Ilike the guy and his debut doesn't mean that he ever really stood achance at hitting the lottery like his predecessors. Puffy findshimself being propped up (for the most part, except when forced tocarry a track himself) by Robbie, G. Dep (who somehow turned soundingpreoccupied into a short-lived rap career), Loon, Kain, and everyoneelse who I can't be bothered to name because they don't really exist,and these are not the strongest supports for his body weight.Admittedly, some of the beats veer off into interesting directions,but a good majority of them are stuck in neutral, a gear Puffy isused to thanks to his obsession with radio airplay, and the generalnon-offensiveness of it all turns into almost naked hatred for theaudience, since Sean is convinced that he can do whatever he wantswithout consequence. This is the guy who once attacked Steve Stoutewith a broken bottle, mind you, and never mind that whole thing aboutthe club shooting. Anyway, this was a roundabout way of saying thatthis album sucks, but it was nice to get back to writing, which iswhy this is much longer than it deserves to be. You're welcome. All content is Copyright © 2007-2019.

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