Sean “Diddy Combs” recently reassigned publishing rights to the artists that helped his label, Bad Boy Entertainment.
First reported by Billboard, the rapper and entrepreneur will be giving back all the publishing rights owned by the label to the artists that have previously worked under the company. The artists that have already signed agreements for the rights include The Lox, Mase, Faith Evans, 112 and the estate of the late The Notorious B.I.G.
According to the report, Diddy previously had offers for the label’s publishing rights. Instead, the rapper decided to give back the publishing rights to the artists themselves to promote financial mobility amongst artists in the Black community specifically, according to USA Today.
While the details of the new ownership of the rights are still unclear, the process reportedly began in May 2021 and is still ongoing as some artists are currently or will eventually be contacted.
In response to the announcement of the new transfer of rights by Diddy, rapper Mark Curry took to Instagram to criticize the new move. In a video, the “Bad Boy For Life” artist claimed that the publishing rights have now decreased in value and added that he would prefer to get compensated with a seven-figure payout instead.
“Diddy gave the publishing back. So what. It has no value,” said Curry in his caption. “It has no value. I want him to give me a million cash and then I can plan the rest of my life out well.”
Founded in 1993 by Combs, Bad Boy Records is reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
A year after it was founded, the label helped release artist Craig Mack’s “Project Funk da World,” making the album its first release.
Shortly after, Big Boy Records helped release “Ready To Die,” the debut album by music legend the Notorious B.I.G. The album went on to earn critical acclaim with many citing the album as the reason behind bringing back the East Coast hip hop scene.
Now considered one of the greatest hip hop albums and one of the greatest albums of all time overall, “Ready To Die” is 6x Platinum certified by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The label went on to release multiple albums, including Faith Evans debut solo “Faith” and 112’s “Part III.”
For his work as a musician and leader of Bad Boy Records, Combs is set to receive the Global Icon Award at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sep. 12. The rapper and music mogul is also set to perform, making it his first performance since 2005.
