Quick summary: This week, hip-hop mainstay and record executive Sean “Diddy” Combs was indicted on charges of racketeering, human trafficking and interstate transportation for prostitution, with allegations of violence and abuse dating back to 2008. This case harkens back to the downfall of another hip-hop figure, Grammy Award-winning singer R. Kelly, who is currently serving a 30-year sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking. In this newsletter, we focus on the latest reckoning in hip-hop, featuring previous reporting on Diddy from URL Media partners Parlé Magazine, TANTV Studios, Our Body Politic and more.
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USA v. Sean Combs is hip-hop’s latest reckoning
Hey fam,
It’s been a strange week for the culture, and personally, I didn’t see Monday’s arrest and the next day’s indictment of Diddy coming. But here we are forced to reckon with another fallen hero in hip-hop, a culture that a Bronx kid like myself, and radio host and media personality Charlamagne Tha God, liken to a “weird sense of grief” because “... another one of our heroes has ruined their legacy, and it’s all [their] fault.”Diddy and his various nicknames — P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Puffy, Puff — were ubiquitous throughout the '90s and '00s. If I wasn’t hearing him order castmates of MTV’s “Making The Band” to walk to Brooklyn to get him cheesecake, I was seeing velour jumpsuits from Diddy’s apparel line, Sean John, in stores like Jimmy Jazz and Macy’s, and admiring him on the red carpet with then-girlfriend J.Lo, who famously sported a belly shirt and bandana headband at MTV’s 2000 VMA Awards (back when people watched the VMAs).
Let’s not forget this is the man who discovered and cultivated some of the greatest musicians in hip-hop and R&B royalty: Brooklyn’s own Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Usher, and the countless acts who helped shape the genre during that era under the Bad Boy empire, including 112, Mase, Shyne, Lil’ Kim, Loon, Faith Evans and more. Diddy was everywhere and on everyone’s lips, even getting called out by Suge Knight, the co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records, the rival of Diddy’s Bad Boy Records and the label home of Tupac, during the 1995 Source Awards. On stage that night, Suge appealed to upcoming artists to join his label and famously called out Diddy, claiming his own label’s artists wouldn’t have to worry about their producer being “all up in the videos…” The claims ratcheted up the era’s East Coast versus West Coast hip-hop rivalry.There’s no denying that Diddy’s influence on the culture is unmatched. Still, after this week’s federal charges — following a timeline of key moments leading to the record executive’s arrest in New York — his reputation and legacy are forever tarnished. In the scathing 14-page indictment, USA v. Sean Combs, we learn that the defendant, Diddy, is accused of running a criminal enterprise that engaged in illegal activities like drug trafficking, prostitution and racketeering using violence, manipulation and coercion “to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct.”Plus: Diddy seen assaulting Cassie in viral surveillance video (Parlé Magazine)How did we get here?
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URL Original Content: The first Patel Brothers turns 50
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interviewed Swetal Patel to find the secret behind the success of their grocery store empire.
The three fixtures of South Asian life in America: a temple, a mosque and … Patel Brothers?
It’s true. In September, the ethnic grocery chain commemorates the 50th anniversary of its first store, which opened along Devon Avenue in Chicago. Today, it boasts 52 stores across the United States.
Last month, I interviewed the scion of the family business, Swetal Patel, the son and nephew of the two brothers who founded the company. He met with me and video producer Shreen Khan in the recently renovated Chicago location and took stock of how they built the grocery empire and lessons learned along the way.
