After years of working in fashion, liquor and television, Sean “Diddy” Combs is ready to return to music. However, he’s planning to change things up and it won’t be hip-hop he lends his talents to.
Per Variety, the prolific producer is starting R&B-focused Love Records with the backing of the classic label Motown. Love Records “will be dedicated to R&B music and will release singles and collaborative projects from a collective of world-class artists, producers and songwriters.”
In even bigger news, Diddy himself will be the label’s first artist, with a new album planned for this summer. With artists like Silk Sonic, H.E.R. and Jazmine Sullivan, does R&B need Diddy right now?
“Music has always been my first love, Love Records is the next chapter is about getting back to the love and making the best music of my life,” he said. “For the label I’m focused on creating timeless R&B music with the next generation of artists and producers. Motown is the perfect partner for my album and I’m excited to add to its legacy.”
In an interview with Tressie McMillan Cottom for the September issue of Vanity Fair, Diddy spoke about his plans for the label, stating that he learned from mistakes he made with Bad Boy.
“Yeah, all R&B label, because I feel like R&B was abandoned and it’s a part of our African American culture,” he said. “And I’m not signing any artists. Because if you know better, you do better. I’m doing 50–50 partnerships with pure transparency. That’s the thing. [The new label is so that] we can own the genre; we don’t own hip-hop right now. We have a chance to—and I’m going to make sure that—we own R&B.”
I’m not trying to be mean, but does working with Diddy still have the same draw that it once had? If you’re trying to make your music sound current or unique, is Diddy going to give you that over someone who’s been active in the business for the last 10-15 years? If he’s really going to release a new album this summer, his hosting/executive producing gig at the 2022 Billboard Music Awards could be where we get our first preview of Diddy’s new sound.