Despite a public feud, 50 Cent suggests he only produced Netflix’s newest four-part docuseries on Sean “Diddy” Combs to get the story out.
The entrepreneur spoke with GQ alongside director Alexandria Stapleton to explain his rationale for making “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” and why the narrative of the film doesn’t solely focus on Diddy’s federal trial or the aftermath, but instead weaves together his rise as a public figure and music empresario to his rapid fall from grace.
Before the film’s release, Diddy’s lawyers sent a “cease-and-desist” to Netflix, calling the documentary a “shameful hit piece.” Despite the notion, Netflix still released the film on Tuesday (Dec. 2), allowing viewers to draw their own conclusions through never-before-seen footage of Diddy in the days leading up to his arrest. The disgraced mogul is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence at Fort Dix in New Jersey after being found guilty of violating the Mann Act.
50’s actual motivations for making the doc are clear in his eyes. Not long after he began trolling Diddy about his legal case, he remained steadfast in it being released, pointing to the culture as his biggest influence.
“If someone’s not saying something, then you would assume that everybody in hip-hop is okay with what’s going on,” 50 told GQ. “Because [other rappers] will say, ‘I ain’t going to say nothing. I’m going to mind my business,’ because of a position that [Diddy] held in culture for so long, you understand? So [that] would leave me. Without me saying that I will do it, there’s nobody there.”
Most of the general viewer’s curiosity about the project stems from the 50’s issues with Diddy, but the film is made in Singleton’s vision. Singleton, who began working on the doc not long after Cassie’s lawsuit dropped, shaped the film as a life retrospective rather than merely a crime doc analyzing all of the events presented at Diddy’s much-publicized trial. And despite combing through the trove of unseen footage, 50 has zero shock about any of what ultimately wound up in the docuseries.
“I knew a lot of the stuff, and a lot of stuff didn’t make it into the docuseries because if someone’s not telling their story that way, then you can’t,” 50 said. “There’s no place for me—I didn’t make the docuseries, I got the best possible people to make one. And that’s why you don’t feel anybody’s energy when watching.”
When asked if there was a clear agenda in him making the film, 50 quickly pointed out how his vision for the film would be a lot different compared to what Stapleton committed to screen.
“If it was, I would’ve focused on the fact that you’re the only man in jail for transporting male sex workers.”
“Sean Combs: The Reckoning” is now available on Netflix.
