Notorious B.I.G reportedly wanted to leave Bad Boy Records prior to his death in 1997, according to a new exposé by Rolling Stone. The rumour has been corroborated by several sources, including Monique Bunn, a ’90s hip-hop photographer. In his lifetime, B.I.G was in a legal battle with Bad Boy Records’ owner Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, over the publishing rights to his music. Combs was adamant about not giving up the rights to B.I.G’s music, but has since started returning publishing rights to Bad Boy artists.
Some sources have accused Combs of capitalizing on B.I.G’s death after he was murdered in March 1997. He is alleged to have denied the rapper’s request to leave the label, instead demanding that employees work towards B.I.G’s posthumous album, Life After Death, hitting number one upon its release. Bad Boy Records was also criticized for initially wanting Diddy on the cover of Rolling Stone after B.I.G’s death, a move that even Suge Knight, the founder and former CEO of Death Row Records, disapproved of.
In 2017, Dame Dash revealed that B.I.G was close to leaving Bad Boy Records to join Roc-A-Fella before his death. B.I.G supposedly planned to give Bad Boy three more albums before joining Roc-A-Fella. Prior to his death, B.I.G reportedly had a record label offer worth over $60 million, which he intended to use to start his own label.
Diddy has faced numerous lawsuits from former employees accusing him of physical and sexual abuse. Most recently, former Arista Records intern April Lampros accused Diddy of sexual assault. The entertainment mogul has denied all allegations against him
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