Photo: Press
Despite founding the label in 1993, Bad Boy Entertainment began celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2015 with a live medley of hits at the BET Awards. It stretched into 2016, starting with the label's May reunion sold-out shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York - this in turn inspired the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, starting in North America in the last week of August.
On top of this, the powerhouse of a label who introduced the world to The Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e, The Lox, Faith Evans, Black Rob, G. Dep, Loon, Total, Carl Thomas, and of course Puff Daddy AKA Diddy, will be releasing a 5CD Digitally Remastered 20th Anniversary Box Set in celebration of 20 years of Bad Boy.
Released in conjunction with Rhino Records, the box set will include hits like ‘I Need A Girl’, ‘Juicy’, ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, ‘Hypnotize’ and ‘Money, Power & Respect’. In addition to the music, the box set is accompanied by a 64-page historiography and foreword by hip-hop journalist Michael A. Gonzales, which takes readers on a journey through the history of Bad Boy Entertainment, with contributions from music industry veterans.
“Bad Boy helped make hip-hop what it is today - and this collection highlights all the music, history and vision that made Bad Boy number one,” said Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the Founder and Chairman of Bad Boy Entertainment. “We wanted to thank our fans, celebrate the music, the people, and the Bad Boy lifestyle that have defined the past two decades. We’ve always made music that makes the people dance; this collection does all that and more, and it is a celebration of all things Bad Boy.”
With so many Bad Boy albums released over the years we decided to list our favourite 20. Featuring a few obvious ones, there are also some you might question and even some you’ve never heard of.
Ma$e - Harlem World (1997)
“I was Murda/ P. Diddy named me pretty.” Simmering down the tough talking lyrics he began his career with as part of the group Children of the Corn (alongside Cam’ron, Big L, McGruff and Bloodshed), Ma$e danced the line between hardcore rapper and dimple-yielding pop star like a pro on Harlem World. Featuring the chart hits ‘Feel So Good’ and ‘What You Want’, as well as the street anthems ’24 Hrs. to Live’ and ‘Niggaz Wanna Act’, this album proved to be one of Bad Boy’s finest moments.
G. Dep - Child of the Ghetto (2001)
Arguably one of the hardest albums to be released from the Bad Boy catalogue, G. Dep’s audio depiction of street life was detailed and unrelenting. With its title track leading the way, other tracks that caught the attention of listeners included ‘One Way’, ‘Keep It Gangsta’, ‘Danger Zone’, and of course ‘Special Delivery’ - although the remix, which acted as an unofficial sequel to Craig Mack’s ‘Flava In Ya Ear’ remix, proved to the most popular of the two. Not giving himself a chance to follow it up with anything half decent, G. Dep surrendered himself to authorities in 2010 and confessed to a cold case crime, a murder he committed in 1993.
Puff Daddy & The Family - No Way Out (1997)
Picking up the reigns after his best friend and artist The Notorious B.I.G. was shot and killed in Los Angeles on March 9th 1997, Puff Daddy - adding artist to his resume - released No Way Out with his Bad Boy family four months after Biggie’s death. The popular record executive held his own - thanks in part to the team of ghostwriters he had on his payroll - and earned the respect of his peers with this album. Selling over seven million copies in the United States alone, aside from the hits ‘Been Around The World’, ‘Victory’, ‘Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down’, and ‘It’s All About The Benjamins’, the biggest hit came in the form of the Police-sampled tribute to The Notorious B.I.G., ‘I’ll Be Missing You’.
Black Rob - Life Story (1999)
Truly one of Bad Boy’s unsung heroes, Black Rob’s Life Story is a cohesively solid body of work. From the word go it’s as the title suggests; a life story. More than just his mega hit ‘Whoa!’ (shout out to Buckwild for creating one of hip-hop’s rowdiest beats), ‘Jasmine’, ‘I Love You Baby’, ‘I Dare You’ and ‘Espacio’ all pack a punch while also proving that Slick Rick wasn’t the only talented storyteller to incorporate his real name into his rap pseudonym.
The Notorious B.I.G. - Ready To Die (1994)
Critically acclaimed, the multi-platinum selling debut album from The Notorious B.I.G. is often regarded the best of the best when it comes to hip-hop albums. A slow burner to begin with selling just 57,000 copies in its first week at a time when people still bought records, it proved that first week sales were not the be all and end all. Containing the hit record that aided him in commercially crossing over, ‘Juicy’ sampled the popular Mtume record ‘Juicy Fruit’ and told the story of Biggie’s meteoric rise from rags to riches. Predominantly produced by Easy Mo Bee, Bad Boy’s first official release captured the hearts of both underground fans and commercial fans alike.
The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After Death (1997)
Released just 16 days after his death, Life After Death turned out to be Biggie’s swan song. Met with serious critical acclaim, the double disc affair - some say this was in response to 2Pac’s multi-platinum selling double disc album All Eyez On Me - featured the classic cuts ‘Hypnotize’, ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ and ‘Sky’s The Limit’. Aside from the obvious hits what made Life After Death special were the powerful album cuts. ‘Ten Crack Commandments’, ‘I Got A Story To Tell’, ’Kick In The Door’, ‘What’s Beef’, and fan favourite ‘Notorious Thugs’ - on which Biggie teamed up with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and switched his flow up to double speed to keep up with the Cleveland spitters - still remain perfect to this day. Add on top of this the controversy that surrounded the album, due to Biggie dissing a handful of rappers - 2Pac, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Nas, Jeru The Damaja - and you’ve got one of the best rap albums ever created.
Total - Kima, Keisha & Pam (1998)
Following up their platinum-selling self-titled debut, Kima, Keisha and Pam’s sound got a little edgier on their sophomore album. Reflecting a time when R&B was becoming more electronic, the album’s opening song ‘Trippin’’ was produced by Timbaland - who was on fire at that time thanks to the popularity of his artists Ginuwine, Aaliyah and Missy Elliott, who co-wrote half of Kima, Keisha & Pam. Not always painted with a futuristic soundscape, songs like ‘Sitting Home’ and ‘Rain’ were created with a more traditional groove in mind. Stand out moments? ‘I Tried’ with its backstabbing dialogue provided courtesy of a mouthy British woman confronting her girlfriend over cheating with her man, and ‘If You Want Me’, produced by Steven Jordan and Harve Pierre and featuring Ma$e.
112 - Part III (2001)
Coming off of the back of two double platinum albums, Part III is musically 112’s best album by a mile. Featuring the classic club smash ‘Peaches & Cream’ - transforming 112 into a household name overnight - the 2001 album is one of the most cohesive bodies of work released under the Bad Boy imprint. Flexing their vocal muscles on slow jams ‘Player’, ‘Smile’ and ‘Sweet Love’, the Atlanta quartet solidly blended hip-hop and soul on the mid-tempo joints ‘Caught Up’, ‘Dance With Me’ and arguably one of the best R&B records of the past 20 years, ‘It’s Over Now’. And let’s not forget the remixes it spawned: ‘Dance With Me’ featuring Beanie Sigel, ‘Peaches & Cream featuring Ludacris, and ‘It’s Over Now’ featuring Shyne and G. Dep.
P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family - The Saga Continues… (2001)
As Puff’s Bad Boy joint venture partnership with Arista Records was coming to a close he - under his new pseudonym P. Diddy - dropped yet another huge album in the form of The Saga Continues… with his Bad Boy family. Featuring the mega smash ‘Bad Boy For Life’, which to this day is still getting regular rotation at parties, clubs and on radio stations, this was the first time Diddy had not included guest appearances from Jay Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Ma$e and Lil’ Kim on the album. Instead passing the baton on to Black Rob, G. Dep, Loon, Mark Curry, Mario Winans and Cheri Dennis - as well as a few other not so well knowns - the album is littered with club smashes (‘Diddy’, ‘Bad Boy For Life’), street bangers (‘Let’s Get It’, ‘Blast Off’) and posse cuts (‘Where’s Sean?’, ‘The Last Song’).
Various Artists - P. Diddy & Bad Boy Records Present… We Invented The Remix (2002)
Diddy and his production team The Hitmen were undeniably the kings of the hip-hop/R&B remix in the 90s and early 2000s so it only made sense he made an album called We Invented The Remix. Firing on all cylinders the album contained some of the biggest remixes of the time. G. Dep’s ’Special Delivery’ played as a sequel to Craig Mack’s ‘Flava In Ya Ear’ and featured Ghostface Killah, Keith Murray and Craig Mack. Ashanti’s ’Foolish’ was rebranded ‘Unfoolish’ and featured some Biggie vocals from his ‘One More Chance’ remix. But the most successful of the remixes were unquestionably the two parts of Diddy’s ‘I Need A Girl’. Part One featured Usher and Loon while Part Two included vocals from Ginuwine, Marion Winans, Tammy Ruggieri and Loon, once again.
Faith Evans - Keep the Faith (1998)
Yet another platinum record for Bad Boy Records, Faith Evans’ second album was critically acclaimed and featured one of the labels biggest ever hits, ‘Love Like This’. Originally sampling Chic’s ‘Chic Cheer’ it went on to hit top 10 on Billboard and top 25 in the UK. Not only that, it was later sampled by Fat Man Scoop on his record ‘Be Faithful’ and is now arguably the most recognised hip-hop anthem of all-time. After opening with this, Keep The Faith continues on a mid-tempo path with the Puff Daddy-assisted ‘All Night Long’ and ‘Sunny Days’. It’s at this point the album follows more of a slow ballad format and shows off Faith’s vocal range. Songs such as ‘Never Gonna Let You Go’ and ‘Caramel Kisses’, which features 112, sticks to the same powerful vocal format that the likes of Whitney Houston, Brandy and Toni Braxton were working with at the time.
Craig Mack - Project: Funk Da World (1994)
The second album to officially be released on Bad Boy - it came just one week after the release of Biggie’s Ready To Die - Craig Mack’s debut reached gold status. Helped on by the singles ‘Get Down’ and ‘Flava In Ya Ear’ - although the remix featuring The Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, Rampage and LL Cool J was the version burning up the airwaves - Project: Funk Da World showcased Craig’s intricate rap style and zany wordplay. While album cuts ‘Making Moves With Puff’, ‘Funk Wit Da Style’ and ‘Mainline’ were wild and creatively dope, the album was overshadowed by Ready To Die and Craig’s career unfortunately never really took off - his second album failed to make any sort of impression.
Cassie - Cassie (2006)
Cassie’s self-titled debut album was the result of Ryan Leslie’s good ear and diverse production talents. Released as a joint venture between his NextSelection imprint, Bad Boy and Atlantic Records, it proved an instant success solely based off of the single ‘Me&U’. Laced with 11 futuristic R&B pop soundscapes, the model-turned-singer shook up clubs everywhere. Her follow up single, ‘Long Way 2 Go’, proved to be popular internationally and in turn helped the album became yet another platinum plaque on the wall of Diddy’s office. Now a couple, Diddy and Cassie met after then boyfriend Ryan Leslie brought her to him looking for a deal - he’ll think twice next time.
Shyne - Shyne (2000)
Injecting a dose of hardcore back into Bad Boy, Puff’s signing of Shyne was met with mixed feelings. It was great that Bad Boy once again had a tough talking spitter that appealed to fans of street music, but the fact he sounded just like Biggie left a bad taste in a lot of fans’ mouths. However, once his debut album arrived the bad taste disappeared and a new street hero was born. ‘Bad Boyz’ with Barrington Levy was a certified banger that had clubs on fire and is today regarded a classic record. Then there’s ‘Bonnie & Shyne’, a ghetto love story that again featured Levy and was something the ladies could vibe to. It’s just a shame the street life got the best of him when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2001 for his part in the infamous nightclub shootout that Puff and then girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were also caught up in.
Carl Thomas - Emotional (2000)
Like a silent R&B assassin, Carl Thomas was a big deal without really being a big deal. Not as commercially celebrated as say Usher or R. Kelly at the time but his creative output was always on-point. Loved by many, his debut album is a near flawless body of work. Like a throwback to classic soul with a hint of hip-hop, Emotional featured the mega hit ‘I Wish’ - its remix featured LL Cool J - which was nominated for a Soul Train Award in 2001. On ‘Woke Up In The Morning’ Carl Thomas croons his way through the same instrumental Biggie used for ‘My Downfall’ from Life After Death, while on the album’s title track listeners are treated to an airy R&B break up song that as sad as it is feels oddly warm. Incredibly underrated, Carl Thomas and this album are both things you need to be introduced to if you’re not already familiar.
The Lox - Money, Power & Respect (1998)
Before things went sour between The Lox and Diddy - they’re cool now - there was Money, Power & Respect. An excellent album from start to finish, it hit the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 1998 and spawned the hits ‘Money, Power & Respect’, which featured DMX and Lil’ Kim, and ’If You Think I’m Jiggy’, a record that interpolates a bit of Rod Stewart’s ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’. Telling a continuous story of life in Yonkers, New York, Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch walk the line between underground and pop throughout. ‘Livin’ The Life’, ‘Bitches From Eastwick’, and ’I Wanna Thank You’ caters to fans of grimy hip-hop. ‘Get This $’, ‘Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop’, and ‘If You Think I’m Jiggy’ are more for the ‘shiny suit’ fans. The beginning of a respected career for all three of the group’s members, it’s not a bad place to start.
Cheri Dennis - In And Out Of Love (2008)
One of the lost Bad Boy albums that failed to flourish due to a distinct lack in promotion, In And Out Of Love is the one and only album from Cheri Dennis. An important part of the Bad Boy regime, Dennis has been working and recording behind the scenes at the label ever since running into Diddy at a party in 1999. Her album is stacked with stellar producers - Darkchild, Mario Winans, Timbaland, Ryan Leslie and more - and features a nice selection of contemporary R&B pop numbers, namely her first single ‘I Love You’, ‘Caught Up’, and ‘Dropping Out Of Love’, which interpolates Biggie’s ‘Sky Is The Limit’.
Boyz N Da Hood - Boyz N Da Hood (2005)
Headed by a then very in demand Young Jeezy, Boyz N Da Hood were the south’s answer to NWA in the mid 2000s. With the streets onside they owned the mixtape game, and once their album dropped you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing their name being spoken. Their single ‘Dem Boyz’ became an instant street classic and off of the back of that the album peaked at number one on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and Top Rap Albums chart.
8Ball & MJG - Living Legends (2004)
While they signed with Bad Boy in 2003, 8Ball & MJG’s relationship with the label dated back to the Ma$e era - they appeared on the song ‘The Player Way’ from Ma$e’s Harlem World album. Once signed the guys went to work on what would later become their highest charting album to date - it hit the number three spot on the Billboard 200 chart. Featuring the likes of Bun B, Ludacris, Lloyd, T.I., Twista, 112, and of course Diddy, the Memphis duo took full advantage of the south being the sound of hip-hop at that time. Slick, soulful, crunk, the album had it all. Singles ‘You Don’t Want Drama’, ‘Straight Cadillac Pimpin’’ and ‘Forever’ were met with positive reviews. Definitely one of Diddy’s smartest acquisitions, the album went gold and continued to prove that Bad Boy was always ahead of the curve.
Mario Winans - Hurt No More (2004)
After working behind the scenes at Bad Boy producing and writing for the entire roster, Mario Winans got his shot of redemption in 2004 following the poor performance of his 1997 Motown Records debut album, Story Of My Heart. Releasing Hurt No More, the album was much more polished than his first effort and featured the best of Bad Boy’s artists - Slim (of 112), Black Rob, Loon, and Diddy. Gaining worldwide notoriety thanks to the hit ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ - it was number one in the UK - the album as a whole offers a soulful collection of songs with a smooth undertone. Stand outs include: ‘I Got You Babe’, ‘How I Made It’, and ‘You Knew’.
Five Bad Boy affiliated albums you should also check out:
- The Madd Rapper - Tell ‘Em Why U Madd (2000)
- Junior M.A.F.I.A. - Conspiracy (1995)
- Lil’ Kim - Hard Core (1996)
- Lil’ Cease - The Wonderful World of Cease A Leo (1999)
- Aasim - Money Pit (2005)
Bad Boy Entertainment’s Remastered 20th Anniversary Box Set will be released August 12th.
