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Our Top 10 Puff Daddy Songs list looks at a popular rapper, producer, actor, executive and entrepreneur. He is a man who could basically do it all. He has his own record label called Bad Boy Records. Most likely you have heard one of his songs on the radio. He is responsible for producing hits for The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, Usher, Lil’ Kim, Mase, 112, Total, Junior M.A.F.I.A., Craig Mack, Carl Thomas, Mario Winans, Father MC, New Edition, Mariah Carey, SWV, Jodeci, The Lox as well as many others. He has won numerous awards for his work in music. In addition to producing for others, he is an artist. Between his work and the artists he’s worked with, he has sold millions of records. His net worth in 2019 was over 740 million dollars. Some of his hits include “It’s All About the Benjamins,” “Last Night,” “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” “I’ll Be Missing You,” “Been Around the World,” “I Need a Girl Pt. 1 and 2,” “Bad Boys for Life,” “Satisfy You,” “Come to Me,” “Tell Me” as well as others.
Sean John Combs was born on November 4, 1969. He got his start as an intern at Uptown Records in 1990. He worked for singer and producer Teddy Riley. He worked with Jodeci and Mary J. Blige at the label. He was fired in 1993 and decided to start his own label. He formed Bad Boy Records in 1993. He worked with The Notorious B.I.G. and Craig Mack. He signed Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, 112, Total and Father MC to the label. Mase and the Lox also joined the label. After working with several artists, he decided to release his own album. No Way Out was released in 1997. It peaked at number one on the R&B and Hip-Hop charts as well as the Billboard 200 charts. He released the singles “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” “I’ll Be Missing You,” “It’s All About the Benjamin’s,” “Been Around the World” and “Victory.” The album sold over seven million copies.
Forever was released in 1999. It peaked at number one on the R&B and Hip-Hop charts and number two on the Billboard 200 charts. It features the singles “P.E. 2000,” “Satisfy You,” “Do You Like It…Do You Want It” and “Best Friend.” The album sold over one million copies. The Saga Continues… was released in 2001. The album peaked at number one on the R&B and Hip-Hop and number two on the Billboard 200 charts. It features the singles “Let’s Get It,” “I Need a Girl,” “Bad Boy for Life” and “Diddy.” The album went gold. Press Play came out in 2006. It peaked at number one on both charts. It features the singles “Come to Me,” “Tell Me,” “Last Night” and “Through the Pain (She Told Me).” The album sold over 500,000 copies.
Puff Daddy is a very successful rapper, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur. He was responsible for a lot of hit songs for himself as well as other artists. He could produce hip-hop and r&b music. He wanted to make the fans dance and it’s what the doctor ordered. All of his albums went gold or better so he knew what the people wanted. Our Top 10 Puff Daddy Songs list will feature some of his best songs.
# 10 – Tell Me ft. Christina Aguilera
The first song on our Top 10 Puff Daddy Songs is “Tell Me” from the album Press Play. It has a hip-hop beat. The passionate song is about a man and a woman who are trying to seduce each other. They go back and forth about what they want from the other person. It’s a tit-for-tat exchange that is exciting to hear.
This track allows a man and a woman to be the aggressor on it. Most hip-hop songs only allow the men to be in control, but this track changes things up a bit. This track is excellent if you want to flirt with a man or a woman in a club. It may give you confidence to approach the other one so you can be with them.
The beat is very energetic. You won’t be able to stand still while you are listening to it. The drums and the synthesizers sell the song. This song is great for dancing and working out. Puff Daddy wants to make people dance with his songs and he achieved that goal with this song. Puff Daddy and Christina Aguilera couldn’t be more different from each other musically, but they made magic happen here. Their voices blended well together. She did her famous runs on this track and they worked for it. His flow is laidback and easy to follow. He doesn’t rap too fast so you can understand what he says. They need to work together more often because they have amazing chemistry with each other. He allowed her the chance to shine while not giving up the spotlight for himself.
# 9 – Come to Me ft. Nicole Scherzinger
The next song on our Top 10 Puff Daddy Songs list is “Come to Me” from the Press Play album. This song has a hip-hop beat. This is another track from that album. Nicole Scherzinger is the featured artist on this song. The come hither song is about a woman who notices a man checking her out. She wants him to be with her. She’s wondering why he hasn’t made a move on her because she’s interested in him.
Puff Daddy makes his appearance and changes things up a bit. His half of the song is about him boasting about the things he has. Is he using his clout as a way to hide his shyness at approaching her? We want to know. He could be using success to hide his lack of confidence with women. She sounds seductive on the track while he sounds confident talking about the things he has.
This song has a different beat. It doesn’t sound like everything else on the radio. Puff Daddy didn’t produce the same types of hip-hop songs that other producers did. He did songs that get you on the dance floor. This track is will get you on your feet. You can play this song while you are in a club or at home chilling. Puff Daddy and Nicole Scherzinger are also an unlikely pair, but they were able to overcome that. They were singing two different songs, but they worked well together.
Her soprano tone was perfect for the beat. It’s as if the producers were looking for her in particular when they created this track. She has such a pretty voice and she sounds amazing on this song. Puff Daddy was no slouch either. His rhyming is good. He is just as known for producing songs as he is for rapping. This song was part of his comeback album and he sounds like he’s at the top of his game on this song. The bridge is excellent. Nicole Scherzinger sings it in a higher key and takes the song in a great direction.
# 8 – Bad Boy for Life ft. Black Rob and Marc Curry
The strong song is from his The Saga Continues…album. The song has a hip-hop beat. The declarative song is about the strength of his label. He insists that the Bad Boy Empire is still on top. He talks about the things he’s survived. He told everyone that he never left the business. The label was most likely under fire when he recorded this track.
Puff Daddy wanted to release a song that let the world know that his label wasn’t going anywhere. This isn’t a song that any of us can relate to because most of us don’t have record labels. The closest we could come to understand the message is that he’s telling everyone that he’s not giving up. He refuses to give up. His label was going to be around for life.
This jam wasn’t meant to make you think. It was designed to make you dance. To his credit, he did mention lyrics about how the label was going anywhere. This would have been an excellent opportunity for him to have the singers and rappers who were on the label record the track. We think the impact would have been better if they all recorded it. It would have been good to hear the artists saying they weren’t going anywhere.
The music is cool and laidback. The guitar and drums sell the beat. Puff Daddy took a chance and sang on the track. He didn’t humiliate himself, but he isn’t the best singer in the world. Black Rob did an excellent verse on this track. Hearing him will make us miss him more. Marc Curray did a good job on his verse as well.
# 7 – Last Night ft. Keyshia Cole
The yearning song is from the Press Play album. The song has an r&b beat. The tender song is about a man who misses his woman and decided to write a song about her. He has too much pride to admit how he feels about her, but he did decide to write a song to express it. This song gives Puff Daddy a chance to show his softer side. He didn’t talk about his bling and everything else that he boasts about in his songs.
He just talked about how much he missed the woman he loved. It was a nice change to hear him talk about how much he missed his girl. Puff Daddy did something different on this song. He didn’t rap on this track. He chose to sing on it. As most us know, he’s not a singer at all. He doesn’t sound too bad singing on the track.
Keyshia Cole got the chance to show her vulnerable side on the track too. Keyshia Cole yearns for her man to take the pain she feels away from her. She wants him to make her feel better. He responds to her about why he wasn’t able to reach her. The song plays out like a conversation between two people. The song contains a sample of Prince’s song “Erotic City.” Puff Daddy is one of the kings of samples.
He uses a lot of them in his songs. The sample helps make the song pop. Puff Daddy sped up the drumbeat of Prince’s song. Here is some trivia about this song. Puff Daddy and Keyshia Cole had artistic differences while they were recording the song together. They hid it well because it’s hard to tell that they didn’t care for each other while they were working together. Speaking of Keyshia Cole, she does a great job on the song. Puff Daddy brought out the best in her. She holds notes that she doesn’t even hold in her own songs.
# 6 – Come With Me ft. Jimmy Page
The painful song is from Godzilla: The Album. The song has a rock and hip-hop beat. The haunting song is about a man who has to deal with the pain of a destructive relationship. He has a lot of pain and anger inside that he wants to get out. He blames himself for what happened to their relationship. He also sees the things that she did wrong. He wants to get revenge on her for what she did to him.
It hurts him that he couldn’t get her out of his head. He is filled with a lot of anger inside. This is a different change for Puff Daddy. He doesn’t record too many songs with this much bitterness in him. He records songs that are upbeat and fun. They are also light. This song gives him a chance to explore his dark side.
The song doesn’t seem like it would fit with the soundtrack, but it gives Puff Daddy a chance to record something different. He records hip-hop tracks, but this song gives him a chance to show some versatility. If you have not been on this planet for too long, Jimmy Page was the legendary guitarist for the greatest rock and roll band of all time we call Led Zeppelin. Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page aren’t people you would expect to work together because they are from two different musical worlds. They shockingly made the pairing work.
Puff Daddy sampled Led Zeppelin’s song “Kashmir” so it made sense that Jimmy Page appeared on the song. The music is out of this world. It’s rock meets rap. The song has a futuristic sound that goes well with the theme. Puff Daddy didn’t embarrass himself on this track.
# 5 – I Need a Girl Pt. 1 ft. Usher and Loon
The next song on our Top 10 Puff Daddy Songs list is “I Need a Girl Pt. 1” is from the album The Saga Continues…The song has an r&b beat. The longing song is about a man who wants a girl to be his ride or die. He wants her to be his wife. He loves her and doesn’t want her to go.
He has everything, but he doesn’t have a woman at home to love him. He wants a woman that would be true to him and love him despite what he has. This song gives Puff Daddy a chance to show his sensitive side again. He got the chance record a love song. Hip-hop artists don’t record too many love songs. They record more songs about lust.
If you pay attention to the lyrics, you may be thinking what we were thinking. Is this song to Jennifer Lopez? You may or may not remember that he dated her briefly at one time. It’s hard to believe that the song didn’t warm her heart enough to come back to him. This is the type of song that would make most women go back to a man she loved if she heard that beautiful dedication. Usher is fantastic on this track.
He sings the hook and he provides ad libs. He sounds just like Michael Jackson on this track. He sings in time with the music. The music is perfect for his tone. Loon does a good job with his verse. His rapping skills are laidback and chill which works for the song. Puff Daddy is also laidback on the song. His vocals do sound passionate.
There is a part 2 for this song that features Mario Winans, Ginuwine and Loon. That version is just as good as this one. It was basically a coin toss on which one was going to make the cut.
# 4 – It’s All About the Benjamin’s Remix ft. Lil’ Kim, the Lox and The Notorious B.I.G.
The boastful song is from the album No Way Out. The song has a hip-hop beat. The yearning song is about money. Puff Daddy and the gang want money and don’t want to be broke. He wants to have it all. He wants to be able to buy the things he wants without any difficulty. We all want to know what it’s like to have all of the Benjamins.
This is the type of song that Puff Daddy is used to recording. He usually records songs about the things he has. This is definitely a break from the love songs. He wants money and women. It’s funny that he mentions gold diggers in a song where he’s bragging about having a lot of money.
Here is some trivia about the song. The track was supposed to be on the Lox’s debut album, but Puff Daddy heard it and wanted it on his album. We know who won that war. Puff Daddy was the boss and he got his way. This song suits Puff Daddy better because he does have the money to back up what he’s talking about.
The Lox did get a chance to rap a verse on the track. He sounded pretty good. We’re not sure if he could have sold the boastful part of the song the same way Puff Daddy did, but we’ll never know. Lil’ Kim was the only female on the track. She sounds great rapping on it.
# 3 – Been Around the World ft. The Notorious B.I.G. and Mase
The pretentious song is from the No Way Out album. The song has a hip-hop beat. The self-aggrandizing song is about the things he has. He talks about moving from the bottom to the top. He said he started off with nothing, but now he has it all. He is happy about the change in his life. He lets the women know that he has it all now.
Puff Daddy does a lot of boasting on the song. He may sound arrogant and cocky to someone who doesn’t have what he has. You might find yourself rolling your eyes while he’s talking about his riches. It’s easy to roll them if you aren’t rich. He’s no different from other hip-hop artists who talk about the things they have in life. Since Puff Daddy is filled with confidence he doesn’t come off too cocky. He has to have confidence to be able to pull this off.
The song samples “David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” The song also sample’s Lisa Stansfield’s “All Around the World.” Puff Daddy uses Lisa Stansfield’s song for the hook and David Bowie’s song for the verses. They are different types of songs, but they combined to make a great and bouncy jam. You can’t sit still listening to this jam. This is great for parties and cookouts. Once the DJ puts this track on, there’s no way the crowd isn’t getting jumpy. You will definitely bop your head to this one. The trio sounds great on this song. They have the right amount of swag to pull of the lyrics. You will miss the idea that they won’t be able to work together again.
# 2 – Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down ft. Mase
This uplifting song is from the album No Way Out. The song has a hip-hop beat. The classic song is about achieving your goals no matter what. You shouldn’t let anyone stop you from achieving your goals. It’s hard to believe that someone could stop Puff Daddy from doing anything. He’s one of the most powerful men in music. It would be hard to picture anyone telling him he couldn’t do something. Puff Daddy and Mase sing the hook to the song. He decided not to include an r&b singer for this song. They aren’t exactly singers, but they got through it.
The music is designed to make you dance. If you don’t feel like dancing, it will make you bop your head. The beat is fantastic and matches up perfectly with the energy of the song. Puff Daddy knows what samples to use to make his songs stand out among the crowd. He did a great job producing this track. He allowed Mase a chance to shine on this song. You can forget this is on Puff Daddy’s debut album. He and Mase were rapping as if they were in the business for years. They sound like veterans on this track. They don’t sound like new rappers. Once the competition heard them, we’re pretty sure they wanted to get back into the recording studio and work on some more tracks.
# 1 – I’ll Be Missing You ft. Faith Evans and 112
The number one song on our Top 10 Puff Daddy Songs list is “I’ll Be Missing You” from the album No Way Out. The song has an r&b and hip-hop beat. The memorable song is dedicated to The Notorious B.I.G. As you may or may not know, he was gunned down so his label mates decided to record this tribute to him. The Notorious B.I.G. was one of the most popular acts on the Bad Boy label. It was a shock to the label and the fans when he was murdered. Puff Daddy decided to enlist The Notorious B.I.G.’s ex-wife Faith Evansand his label mates 112 on this dedication.
This song will touch your heart. You may become emotional hearing the song if you were a fan of the late rapper. It doesn’t have to just be about him. If you lost someone you love, this song will make you emotional. Puff Daddy made the right decision by recording a song that everyone can relate to when they hear it. Everyone has lost someone in their lives at one point or another so this song will resonate with everyone. Puff Daddy was accused of stealing this track because he didn’t credit Sting for writing the sample of this song “Every Breath You Take.” Sting sued Puff Daddy and won the case. Sting receives royalties for the song so he wins either way. With that said, the song is still a great track to listen to when you are in your feelings. It will lift your spirits.
Top 10 Puff Daddy & P Diddy Songsarticle published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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