Diddy has elected to “reassign his Bad Boy publishing rights back to all Bad Boy artists and songwriters who helped build Bad Boy into the powerhouse it is today,” an insider close to the situation explained to Variety on Monday (9/4).

The estate of Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, 112, The LOX, Ma$e, and “many more” as yet unidentified musicians are among those in question.

There were no immediate specifics available, although it is estimated that the assets are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Since Bruce Springsteen, Luther Vandross, Bob Dylan, and many other musicians or estates reached nine-figure deals to sell or partially sell the rights to their music archives, the value of such assets has climbed considerably.

The insider claims that despite receiving numerous offers worth millions of dollars for the rights to the publishing library of Bad Boy, Diddy chose to transfer the rights to the songwriters.

Diddy Hands Back Bad Boy Publishing

Ma$e, a Bad Boy Records legend that has collaborated with Diddy on numerous multi-platinum singles, has frequently criticized his former boss over claimed unpaid debts.

Last year, Diddy claimed that Ma$e genuinely owned him $3 million on The Breakfast Club, a charge that Ma$e vehemently denied. In 2020, Ma$e claimed that the Bad Boys founder had declined his $2 million offer to buy his publishing back.

Although this phenomenon has disappeared as artists and songwriters have grown more conscious of the worth of their publishing rights, it was not uncommon throughout the 1990s for labels or label proprietors to acquire a major portion of an artist’s publishing as part of a recorded music deal.

The source furthered, “Combs sees it as part of a broader goal of promoting economic empowerment for Black artists and culture.”

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