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Sean Combs, popularly known as P. Diddy, is credited with discovering music icons like the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher. The Harlem-born artist released hits that peaked atop the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100 charts.
P. Diddy's debut studio album, No Way Out, has been certified septuple platinum by the RIAA. His hit track, I'll Be Missing You, spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first hip-hop song to reach number one on the chart.
In 1997, P. Diddy broke the Guinness World Record as the Most Successful Rap Producer. He was inducted in 2021 into the Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame. He received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award and the Key to New York City in June 2022 and September 2023, respectively. This article explores some of P. Diddy's most popular songs.
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Disclaimer: This article is ranked according to Spotify streams at the time of writing.
I'll Be Missing You, Bad Boy for Life, and other popular tracks from P. Diddy explored
1) I'll Be Missing You (609,141,622 Spotify streams)
I'll Be Missing You is a rap-rock and soft-rock track in memory of The Notorious B.I.G. and features Faith Evans and the R&B group 112. I'll Be Missing You was released on May 27, 1997, as the second single from P. Diddy's album, No Way Out.
Faith Evans, Sting, and Todd Gaither are credited as writers on the track. The song won Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards and spent eleven weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. I'll Be Missing You explores themes of loss and pain, and these are reflected in the chorus:
"Every step I take / Every move I make / Every single day, every time I pray / I'll be missin' you / Thinkin' of the day / When you went away / What a life to take, what a bond to break / I'll be missin' you (I miss you, B.I.G.)"
2) Bad Boy for Life (134,052,532 Spotify streams)
Bad Boy for Life is from P. Diddy's 2001 album, The Saga Continues. The hip-hop and rap-rock track features vocal contributions from Mark Curry and Black Rob. The songwriters include Dorsey Wesley, Mark Curry, Robert Ross, and James Fisher. The song climbed to number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart upon its release.
Bad Boy for Life projects the strength of the Bad Boy label and denounces speculations of the record label dwindling. This is reflected in the chorus:
"We ain't goin' nowhere / We ain't goin' nowhere / We can't be stopped now / 'Cause it's Bad Boy for life / We ain't goin' nowhere (Uh-uh) / We ain't (Uh-uh) goin' nowhere (Uh-huh) / We can't be stopped now (Bad Boy) / 'Cause it's Bad Boy for life (Come on)"
3) Victory (70,311,978 Spotify streams)
Victory is an East Coast hip-hop song with Mafioso-style lyrics released on March 17, 1998, as the fifth and final single of P. Diddy's debut album, No Way Out. The song features vocals from Busta Rhymes and verses recorded by the late Notorious B.I.G. just a few days before his murder. It was written by Jason Phillips, Trevor Smith, and Christopher Wallace.
Victory peaked at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and, later that year, was certified gold by the RIAA. Victory centers on themes of dominance, winning, and self-confidence. The third verse reflects these themes:
"Put your money on the table and get your math on / Break it down, split it up, get your laugh on / See you later, dawg, I'ma get my stash on / There's a bed full of money that I get my ass on / I never lose the passion to go Platinum / Said I'd live it up 'til all the cash gone"
4) It's All About the Benjamins (67,355,490 Spotify streams)
It's All About the Benjamins was released on August 12, 1997, and features vocals of the Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim, and the Lox. It also features an uncredited vocal arrangement by Missy Elliot and a signature guitar hook by Marc Solomon.
It's All About the Benjamins was written by P. Diddy, Christopher Wallace, David Styles, and Kimberly Jones and produced by Deric Angelettie; it was released as the third single from P. Diddy's debut studio album, No Way Out.
Benjamins is a slang word for the $100 bill of the United States. The song expresses the singers' passion for making money and living a good life. Verse two reads:
"I wanna hold figures, f**k bein' a broke nigga / Drinkin' malt liquor, drivin' a broke Vigor / I'm with Mo' sippers, watched by gold diggers (Uh) / Rocking Girbaud denims with gold zippers (Come on) / Lost your touch, we kept ours"
5) Been Around the World (57,847,963 Spotify streams)
The East Coast rap song features Mase and the Notorious B.I.G., who sang the sampled interpolation of Lisa Stanfield's song All Around the World.
Been Around the World was released on November 14, 1887, as the fourth single in Diddy's debut studio album, No Way Out. P. Diddy, Mason Betha, Ron Lawrence, Christopher Wallace, and David Bowie are credited as writers on the track.
Been Around the World peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In Been Around the World, the rapper reflects on the negativity he's faced in his journey and how he has risen above them. The chorus captures the essence of the song:
"Been around the world and I, I, I / And we been playa hated (Yeah, yeah, uh-huh, we been playa hated) / I don't know and I don't know why/ Why they want us faded (Why, why they want us fated?) / I don't know why they hate us (Why they hate us?)"
6) Can't Nobody Hold Me Down (54,877,427 Spotify streams)
Can't Nobody Hold Me Down is P. Diddy's debut single. The song features American rapper Mase and was first released to Rhythmic Contemporary radio in December 1996 before its official release on January 7, 1997.
The hip-hop song was written by Mason Betha and was produced by Nashiem Myrick, Stevie J, Carlos Broady, and Sean Combs. Can't Hold Me Down debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 32 but later peaked at number 1 and remained there for six weeks.
The song encourages listeners to stay true to their goals and to disregard the opposition. The refrain captures the essence of the song:
"Can't nobody take my pride (Uh-uh, uh-uh) / Can't nobody hold me down / Oh, no / I got to keep on movin' / Can't nobody take my pride (Uh-uh, uh-uh) / Can't nobody hold me down / Oh, no / I got to keep on movin'"
7) Last Night (50,254,093 Spotify streams)
Last Night is an R&B song released by Atlantic and Bad Boy Records on February 27, 2007, as the third single from the rapper's fourth studio album, Press Play.
The song features American singer and songwriter Keyshia Cole and was written by P. Diddy, Keyshia Cole, Shannon Lawrence, Jack Knight, and Mario Winans. Last Night peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and became the second single from the Press Play album to peak within the chart's top 10.
Last Night is a desperate plea from a man to his lover. He showcases his vulnerability as he begs her to come back. The chorus reads:
"Last night (Oh, last night), I couldn't even get an answer / (Oh baby, what you wanna do to me?) / I tried to call (Alright), but my pride wouldn't let me dial / (Why would you just hurt me, baby? Oh) / And I'm sitting here, with this blank expression"
8) Gotta Move On (46,864,345 Spotify streams)
Gotta Move On is a Dancehall song released on June 17, 2022, in the expanded version of The Love Album: Off the Grid. The song features vocals from Bryson Tiller and was composed by P. Diddy, Jerome Monroe, Kentaro Kawamura, Joshua Huizar, and Olubowale Victor, amongst others.
Gotta Move On reached number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became P. Diddy's first entry on the chart since his 2010 single, Coming Home. The song highlights themes of unrequited love and healing captured in the lyrics of the chorus:
"She don't want my love, I guess I gotta move on / Yeah, oh yeah (Oh yeah), oh yeah (Oh nah, woah) / Oh but, if she don't want my love, I guess I gotta move on / Oh yeah, yeah, oh yeah, oh no (Come on) / If she don't want my love, I'm guessin' I gotta move on, I guess"
Other popular songs by P. Diddy include Satisfy You, Another One of You, Tell Me, and Creepin.
