Hip Hop entrepreneur Diddy spoke briefly on the impact the Notorious B.I.G. has had on his music career during a recent interview with Vlad TV and revealed that the late rapper serves as a muse for who he hopes to become. Diddy also said that hearing Biggie rap encouraged him to push his limits as a musician.
“Words can’t really describe it,” said Diddy when asked about Biggie’s impact. “You know? He’s really the foundation of like almost everything I’ve done musically. He made me believe in the impossible. Cause hearing him rap it was just—I was hearing something that I couldn’t believe I was hearing. So, it made me push the limits of what I was doing musically and as a producer. You know, he’s constantly a muse of what I strive to be and he’s the definition of greatness.”
In addition to Biggie, Diddy spoke on the other figures both past and present that have inspired him throughout his career. Among those the Bad Boy Records founder says have inspired him are Malcolm X, Steve Jobs, and Bill Clinton.
“When I just look at people that have a positive effect on just the world in general,” he said. “I really am a big fan of Bill Clinton. You know? I’m a big fan of his impact. I’m a big fan of Muhammad Ali. Big fan of also Steve Jobs. As far as from a visionary aspect of things. But I’m also a bag fan of Stokely Carmichael. You know what I’m saying? Who really told it how it was and how it is. And what it was gon’ be. And that kind of fuels me too. And that’s probably some things people don’t know about me, but if I could fuse myself into all those people. I mean, I would throw Malcolm X up in there too. They’re just people that weren’t afraid to change the world. And that’s not saying I’m gonna become a political type of leader or anything like that. But just me being a leader in general. Just taking on that responsibility and putting others before yourself is something that I can say I’m evolving into. I can’t say I’ve mastered it yet…Also, take the responsibility of being #1 on the Forbes. Because with that comes responsibility.”
In addition to founding Bad Boy Records in the early 90s, Diddy is also owner of the Sean John clothing line and works closely with the Diageo-owned Ciroc. Most recently, he helped launch Revolt, a music cable network that is “dedicated to the creators of this generation.”
Diddy’s various business ventures recently helped the entrepreneur secure a spot on both Forbes’ “The World’s Highest-Paid Musicians 2013” and “Cash Kings 2013” lists.
