P. Diddy & the Bad Boy Family - The Saga Continues

Emerging quickly from the aftermath of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs's New York-club shooting trial is the optimistically titled The Saga Continues, a compilation masquerading as Combs's third solo album. Though he was found not guilty, the incident is clearly very fresh in the Bad Boy CEO's mind. On the mic, he vents about the criminal justice system and player haters, and he also dedicates a thinly veiled verse to his ex-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, on "I Need a Girl." The only thing that's changed about Combs since his last outing is his name (from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy). On the mildly gritty "Bad Boy for Life," he raps "Don't worry if I write rhymes / I write checks," and the wholesale musical swipes of the past are just a little subtler now. The Neptunes-produced "Diddy" pilfers from Rakim, Boogie Down Productions, and Nice & Smooth, and even recent Bad Boy product is fair game, as Black Rob's "Whoa!" is recycled on "That's Crazy." Most of the rest of the production and vocal contributions here come from a mix of loyalists and newcomers, and predictably wallow in mediocrity. Aside from Faith Evans and Carl Thomas ("Can't Believe"), on this album's evidence, the Bad Boy Family is now pretty nondescript. The loss of key franchise players over the years to death, departure, religious conversion, and prison means Combs and his label will themselves need an equally drastic turnaround to scale their previous heights. --Del F. Cowie Amazon.com

Bad Boy's Return To The Top

After being acquitted, Diddy released his strongest work in years with The Saga Continues. With it's first single Let's Get It produced by Rockwilder and feat. Black Rob & G-Dep it was clear that Bad Boy was back. The album also featured the hit singles Diddy,Bad Boy For Life and I Need A Girl. December 14, 2006

P. Diddy - The Saga Continues...

After another two years since his last release, "Forever," Puff Daddy, now P. Diddy returns with his 3rd solo album. It's filled with lots of features showcasing the newest bad boy roster and some tracks Diddy isn't even on so I guess this is kind of like a compilation. Can Bad Boy survive in the new millenium or will they end up extinct just like Death Row and Ruthless?

1. The Saga Continues (Featuring G. Dep, Black Rob & Loon) - 4.5/5

2. Bad Boy for Life (Featuring Black Rob & Mark Curry) - 3.5/5

3. Toe Game (Interlude) (Featuring Black Rob) - No Rating

4. That's Crazy (Featuring Black Rob & G. Dep) - 3.5/5

5. Let's Get It (Featuring G. Dep & Black Rob) - 4.5/5

6. Shiny Suit Man (Interlude) - No Rating

7. Diddy (Featuring The Neptunes) - 3/5

8. G. Dep, Mark Curry & Loon - Blast Off - 4.5/5

9. Airport (Interlude) - No Rating

10. Roll With Me (Featuring Eightball, MJG & Faith Evans) - 4/5

11. On Top (Featuring Loon & Marsha) - 3/5

12. Where's Sean? (Featuring Big Azz Ko, Black Rob, Kain, Loon, Mark Curry & Bristal) - 4.5/5

13. G. Dep - Child of the Ghetto - 5/5

14. Incomplete (Interlude) (Featuring Cheri Dennis) - No Rating

15. Cheri Dennis - So Complete - 4/5

16. Smoke (Interlude) - No Rating

17. Lonely (Featuring Kain, Mark Curry & Kokane) - 4/5

18. I Need a Girl (To Bella) (Featuring Loon, Mario Winans, Lo & Jack) - 4/5

19. Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now (Interlude) (Featuring Faith Evans & Mario Winans) - No Rating

20. If You Want This Money (Featuring G. Dep & The Hoodfellaz) - 4/5

21. I Don't Like That (Interlude) (Featuring Bristal & Mark Curry) - No Rating

22. Back for Good Now (Featuring Black Rob, Loon & Cheri Dennis) - 4/5

23. Faith Evans & Carl Thomas - Can't Believe - 3/5

24. The Last Song (Featuring Mark Curry, Bristal, Big Azz Ko & Loon) - 4.5/5

25. Thank You (Outro)

Overall:

67.5/85

3.5 Stars

Being a big fan of Bad Boy and all, this album really let me down. There's a couple great tracks, a couple wack tracks and the rest are good but nothing memorable. The production lacked majorly for the most part not to mention there's multiple tracks where Diddy isn't even on so people buying this album to just hear him will be disapointed as well. Probably the wackest cd Bad Boy ever put out. Don't even bother with this effort. October 16, 2006

Proactive is helping him preserve his sexy

Sean "Puffy" Combs, Puffy Daddy, Sean John, P Diddy or Diddy. When he figures out what he wants to be called is when I figure out if I like him. Meanwhile, there still isn't one good DVD set for Star Wars.
September 8, 2006

The Saga Continues by P. Diddy

For years now, Puff has been telling us all that Bad Boy "can't stop", "wont stop" and that they "don't even know how to stop." On the title track of P Diddy and the Family's newest album, "The Saga Continues", Puff switches it up a little and says, "There's certain things in live that you can stop, and there's certain things in life that can't be stopped." A fitting intro to the CD, being that the sample off the track is also used by the Chicago Bulls upon their entrance onto the basketball court.


Although "The Saga Continues" was supposed to be a Bad Boy compilation rather then a Puff solo, Puff fills the album with in-house guest spots in an effort to really give everyone a taste of what's to come. The stars of the album are the usual suspects, Black Rob, G-Dep, and Mark Curry. But many newcomers also make their presence felt, such as former Harlem World member Loon, Bristal, the Hoodfellaz, and Kain, Puff's Caucasian prodigy. While some may wonder who all these new guys are, don't worry; you'll know who they all are soon enough.


For anyone left doubting of G-Dep's skill, the album features a great number of guest appearances from Dep, including one of only three solo tracks. On "Child of the Ghetto", also the name of Dep's upcoming opus, Dep laces an eerie violin beat courtesy of Coptic, with grimy descriptions of ghetto life on the streets of Harlem. Of course, there's also the sonic hit "Lets Get It" along with "Blast Off" which also features Mark Curry and Loon. Nearly every track that G-Dep appears on is tight, which hopefully will reflect his upcoming solo album.


Aside from Dep, the other neophytes assure their roles in the game and shine in their own right. Mark Curry and his husky voice provide the finale verse on the current single "Bad Boy 4 Life", and he also appears on the album finale "The Last Song". Over a hype mechanical beat, Curry claims he's"...the official bona fide, tested and tried, I get in like cancer and work from the inside..." Even the white rapper trend is taken to another level by Puff. On the g-funkish "Lonely", Kain spits "Come on Mya ride it with me, leave the lame respect the game, when you hangin on my arm you expect the same, an ecstasy when you sex the Kain, I only link with the wealthiest and only cop jewels if it drops Celsius..." Recently incarcerated Shyne however, is nowhere to be found on the album. That's probably the most disappointing element of the entire album.


There are a few appearances by outsiders, such as Kokane on "Lonely" and Eightball & MJG on "Roll With Me". The R & B element is kept pretty much to a minimum, with a few appearances by upstart Cheri Dennis, and of course the beautiful "Can't Believe" by Carl Thomas and Faith. The typical Hitmen producers aren't as prominent on this cd either, focusing more on works by Yogi and Mario "Yellow Man" Winans. Not to say that these aren't welcome changes, both Yogi and Yellow Man produce some of the albums best tracks. There's also a few notable others, such as the aforementioned Coptic, Bink on "The Last Song", Buckwild on the Cheri Dennis solo "So Complete", and "producers of the moment" the Neptunes on possibly the albums worst song, "Diddy".


Overall, if this is what is to be expected from Bad Boy in the future, then Puff can rest assured that he'll be riding the top for a long while. His production, r & b, and lyrical squads are unparalleled by any other label. Hopefully Puff will keep the boys busy in the studio and we'll be enjoying a plethora of new material well into the new millennium. Stay up Shyne, we miss you. February 14, 2006

Should Be Called Poop Diddy

Nothing hear, just the same aimless blabbing and complaining about how the streets currupted a young man. Whoa, if i could only make a song about my messed up childhood and make billions, I would be richer than these wannabe softees out int the hip hop scene. January 24, 2006

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