The Diddy Allegations Are His Legacy

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( legacy [Diddy’s Open Secrets]( The rap mogul shook off decades of rumored bad behavior with wholesome PR revamps. Photo-Illustration: Mark Harris; Photos: Prince Williams/WireImage, Paras Griffin/Getty Images, Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images A natural-born party promoter, Sean Combs could work any room. [Chatting]( with hedge-fund manager Ray Dalio in 2019, Diddy broadcast a voracious hunger for knowledge, plying his mentor for career advice: “I don’t want to make the most money. I want to be known for giving the most money away.” Dropping into New York rap radio station Power 105.1’s “The Breakfast Club” amid a noisy return to music last year, he served [liquor, talked about spirituality, and cracked “pause” jokes in quick succession](. That disconcerting closeness of the cosmic and carnal was par for the course for Combs, an altar boy turned entrepreneur whose career is a monument to these and other striking dualities. His business empire blossomed across the ’90s and the early aughts in spite of jarring investigations into his [enterprises](and [morals](. He cultivated an affable, absurdist air offsetting his worst press, which in turn always tugged against his wholesome revamps. Now, as Combs fights an array of allegations of ghastly violence and sex trafficking that figure into a few different decades of his career, and endures FBI raids on his homes, how much of his public persona may have been a deliberate, face-saving con is becoming clear. [read more]( [Anniversary Sale: Celebrate with $20 off unlimited access, plus get a free anniversary tote.]( [Anniversary Sale: Celebrate with $20 off unlimited access, plus get a free anniversary tote.]( The Latest TV Recaps • Vanderpump Rules: [And Donors Like You]( • Loot: [Two Minions Passing in the Night]( • Palm Royale: [Where There’s a Will]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [Shōgun’s Anna Sawai Felt Freest in Lady Mariko’s Final Decision “Up until then I had to hold it all in.”]( [The 15 Best TV Shows on Disney+ Right Now Andor, X-Men ‘97, The Muppet Show, and more.]( By Brian Tallerico [Long Jokes Are Good More of them, please.]( By Jesse David Fox [Shut Up at John Mellencamp’s Concerts Because if you “scream and yell and get drunk,” he’ll probably leave again.]( By Devon Ivie [The Real History Behind Shōgun’s Final Sacrifice While the arc of Mariko’s life reflects that of her historical counterpart, it is not an exact mirror.]( By Nicholas Liu [Who’s Winning the 2024 Rap-Beef Showdown? (And who got cooked?)]( By Tirhakah Love [What’s 15 Years Working for Lana Del Rey Worth? Ten motorcycles? A phone call, at least?]( By Justin Curto [The Yesterday Lawsuit Was Not Here to Stay It’s another tough break for de Armas stans.]( By Jason P. Frank [That’s Zendaya’s Assistant Playing an Umpire in Challengers Darnell Appling says director Luca Guadagnino felt the “strong spirit of truth and justice” in him.]( By Alejandra Gularte [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Vulture Games [Today’s Crossword]( 7-Down, Six Letters: Term of endearment on “The Bear” Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty [Today’s Cinematrix]( Can you name an animated Kristen Wiig movie? Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images, Amanda Edwards/Getty Images, Steve Granitz/FilmMagic A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race, for subscribers only. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved