“The Fall of Diddy” Docuseries Review

Lara Murray-Sterzel, Editor in Chief

Music mogul Sean Combs, better known as P. Diddy, was arrested and charged with a list of accusations including sex trafficking and racketeering last year. From then to now, people have come forward to tell their story about their experience with Combs in the music business. From the producers that brought you “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” comes another docuseries digging deep into Combs’ life and the dark secrets in the music industry. “The Fall of Diddy” is a five-part docuseries that explores the power, influence, and control one person can have to do anything. 

On Jan. 28th, the first two episodes of the five-part docuseries premiered. The first episode opens with makeup artist Mylan Morales describing her encounter with Cassie Ventura, Combs’ then girlfriend, after she was beaten by Combs during Grammy weekend in 2010, to how that encounter impacted her reaction to the Cassie-Diddy elevator video. 

In one aspect of the first episode, journalist Mara S. Campo and Combs’ childhood friend Tim Patterson break down the making of P. Diddy from his younger years. Combs was born in Harlem to Janice and Melvin Combs. His father died when was a boy, leading to their move to Mount Vermont where Combs met Patterson. Combs was bullied by other kids in Mount Vermont and was often scolded by his mother to take charge of those situations. 

This would become Combs’ motivation to make something of himself. And with the rap and hip-hop takeover of the 1980s, Combs seized the opportunity to work in the music industry. According to Patterson, “Puff” is slang for from nothing to something. Through hard work and the creation of his label Bad Boys Records, Combs became the powerful man we know today. Through research, personal stories, videos, and photos, the first episode explores the depth of Combs’ early stages in the music industry. 

The second episode opens with the death of rapper Christopher “Notorious B.I.G” Wallace and the assaination of Tupac Shakur within six months of each other. It appears to have been a result from the Rap Wars between the East Coast and West Coast of hip hop. Combs and The Notorious B.I.G. were close before his death, which visibly affected Combs. It wasn’t until a few days later Combs produced the song “I’ll Be Missing You.” This song would go one to touch the nation through its grief and would become known as a memorable tribute song.

As time passed, Bad Boys Records became an empire, redefining culture and rhythm to music. Which ultimately led to Combs’ wild White Parties, which would come to represent the cultural impact which celebrities had at the time. In the beginning, these parties were reportedly fun and no different than any other. But little by little, pictures captured at these White Parties would reveal a different side to these stories. But nothing was ever publicly disclosed about these activities, merely becoming a rumor in the media. 

Combs’ power also came at a great cost through the City College Incident of 1991 and the Steve Stoute incident where Combs reportedly assaulted the music executive after not meeting his demands about removing a scene from a music video. Private knowledge of Combs’ aggressive demeanor would become known in the industry. But most notably the P. Diddy Nightclub Shooting Case, which cost the career of young rapper Shyne. According to the episode, Diddy had turned Shyne into his fall guy and had witnesses lie on the stand.  

In every episode in the five-part docuseries, Combs’ web of lies and crimes are uncovered to the public. Each episode will leave you on the edge of your seat during shocking revelations to the agonizing stories of the victims. Last year, a federal judge set the start date for Combs’ trial to be this May. You can watch “The Fall of Diddy” now on Max or Investigation Discovery.