Indie Artist Music Hustle

What The Diddy Documentary Reveals About Industry Culture

• Host and Creator: Blonde Intelligence (Ms. Roni) • Season 4 • Episode 78

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Welcome to this week's Blonde Intelligence. I am your host Ms. Roni, and I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. Headlines frame the Diddy “Reckoning,” but the deeper story is how power, money, and narrative control shape what the public believes. We unpack the reactions swirling around 50 Cent’s role, the claims of pettiness versus accountability, and why a clean timeline can turn rumor into pattern. From party myths and “after the after-party” whispers to industry mechanics like recoupment, catalog control, and sync licensing, we connect the human emotions to the business structures that rarely make it past the velvet rope.

We talk about the uncomfortable tension between what’s legal and what feels moral, including the outrage over funeral recoups and the way contracts convert personal moments into line items. Along the way, we examine legal risk around sourcing and defamation, the chatter about books and platform liability, and why big companies defend their reputations as hard as artists defend their names. The question isn’t just whether someone “went too far,” but who benefits when truth is curated and who pays when reputations are collateral.

For indie artists and curious fans, this is a practical guide to reading the room and reading your paperwork. We break down how royalties, publishing, syncs, PRO payouts, and micro‑syncs keep checks moving long after the headlines fade, and why counting every revenue stream matters if you plan to sue or get paid. If you care about music, business, and accountability, this conversation gives you language and context to see past the noise and toward the incentives driving it.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves music industry deep dives, and drop your take in a review—did 50 go too far or just far enough?

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SPEAKER_00:

Hi girl, let me tell you about this podcast. Girl, everybody has a podcast these days. But this one interviews new and interesting indie artists. It's called Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blonde Intelligence. Really? Where can I find it? It's on all podcasting platforms, streams live on social media and on rpentradio.com. What'd you say it was called again? It's called Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blonde Intelligence. Girl, I'm gonna have to check her out. Give it a check, girl.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome to this week's Blonde Intelligence. I'm your host, Miss Ronnie, where I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. This week I want to talk a little bit about the emotions from the what is it called? Diddy the Reckoning documentary that was executive produced by 50 Cent. I knew about this. Of course, we all knew about it was gonna be a documentary about it, cuz as soon as I think it was as soon as that Puff was arrested, he made a post on like X that he was gonna do a documentary. So I'm just wondering why some people are angry when this has been something in the making for a while. A lot of the things that from what I heard was like knowledge that people already knew, but it was put together in like a chronological timeline, in a timeline to make it more explainable and understandable to people. So I I I took a few notes, but I try to look at things from all aspects. So I looked at some reviews, and I want you to keep in mind that I have not seen the documentary. I'm just one of those types of people that don't have time to watch TV, and it's like if I do have time to watch TV, it's it watches me. I'm out because I'm always busy. So I'm just looking at the reactions from people, the reviews from people, how people took it, who took what side, who was still neutral, you know, different things of that aspect. So I try to understand all aspects. And I know that 50 had done an interview that said something about uh he just didn't like that he uh came onto him and thought he was thought that Puffy was fruity or something, something to that effect. But I look, I think that Puff Daddy is a Scorpio, and 50 Cent is a cancer. Now I tried to look up his moon sign, and his moon signs, which may not be accurate, is a Gemini and a Libra, as well as a cancer, and his sun sign is a cancer. So when people were saying that he was being vindictive and kicking a man while he was down, even according to his moon sign, I don't I don't see that, I don't get that because that was the first thing that I had on my notes that it was non-retaliatory and it was just a presentation of facts. That was a large consensus of some of the reviews that I read. And then the backlash to to to Marlon Wayne's, and you know, people come with their own narratives as he was saying it, but people pull clips too. And now I don't have the full understanding of this, but it was something to the effect of now I saw his response, but it was something to the effect of that 50 was kicking another black man while he was down, and then I saw in his response that he was saying I was asked a question, and no, I don't condone the things that they say that Diddy has done, but you don't kick a person while they're down. I kind of can see, cannot see, because then there was a clip I want to say that he did on Club Shay Shay, and he was saying that he went to Diddy parties all the time and he didn't see all of that. And then I was watching um what's his name? Corey Holcomb. One of the co-hosts was saying, yeah, that could be true because they were saying that things like that happen at the party after the party. And I do remember Krishna Rock saying, it'd be one party going on, but then there's a whole other party. So two things could be true at the same time, as I said before. He could have big explosive parties that everybody wanna be at, and everybody have a good time. And the people who is down with whatever, they know what's up, and everybody else is saying their goodbyes, had a nice time, see you next time. Da-da-da-da-da-da. Could be. No, I've never been to one of those parties, so hey. Then on my notes, it says people saying that 50 is going too far. And my thought about that was the truth, don't care who tell it. So if it's facts, if it's the truth, if that's the business that he's in, and I feel that this isn't me, because 50 has been where he's been an upcoming rapper, and where he has defied odds, and he has worked hard, and to know the ins and out of the industry like that, would be a good person to tell the story of a person who was in the industry like that. I think some things can be framed and give people an understanding of what the regular person would not understand. If your job is let's just say teaching kindergarten, you're not gonna know about tour buses and how tour buses operate. I mean, not in an extensive level. So you will have to let's just say if you were writing a paper, you will have to get interviews from people who know about it. You can have the information and you can have it pictured in your head, but once somebody else explains it to you, such as you read your book and then the professor explains it, then you have a better understanding. And so I think that this documentary for most people was educational because there's not a per se thing that you can be educated on and some things that you cannot, because my understanding is that Puffy had someone filming him for his own documentary, it's just so ironic. And I and I thought about something that Corey Holcomb said on that podcast interview, I cannot remember the the episode um name, but he was saying that if you're gonna be in the music industry, you're gonna meet the devil. And in many shapes, forms, or fashions, there are many ways to kill, steal, and destroy. And although God is the creator of all things, if you don't know the reason of why the devil was cast out and you enter into the music industry, then um you're gonna need to get your spiritual eyes open, is all I'm gonna say about that. Within the documentary, one of the things that people talked about that they didn't like was the um recouping of the funeral for Biggie under business. And you know, people start putting things together, but I remember that somebody was saying that Biggie was getting ready to allegedly leave the label, start his own label, or move in another direction, something to that effect, something like that. And I remember when he died, because all this was my era, when he died, Puffy seemed so broken up, but the mama wasn't having it, from what I could see. So I always felt like it was something that just wasn't being said because sometimes people can be into it and instead of facing the issue head on, will be passive aggressive about things. But I just felt like no, something about that just wasn't right. But the internet gone internet, we'll find out. And then I was wondering why do people feel like 50 took it too far? They say that he's the king of petty, but beyond that, you have to know that 50 is a very intellectual person. By far is not dumb. I knew that when he said I took pennies because pennies was money too. Right? Remember that movie he was in, and some people wouldn't take change, but he said he would take change because change ended up being dollars. I thought that was a wise philosophy when you were in business, whatever type of business you was in. So as far as business, I never, never doubted his business from never, like from never, from never. I don't know if he has to be a strategist too. Because I was watching Tisa Tales, and Tisa Tales was saying that the word on the curve is a book was trying to be shot, and nobody wants to touch the book, and that if the book is done, it'll probably be self-published. And I kind of feel like that how I don't know what people will want to read about after seeing the documentary, is what I'm gonna say. What more can be added to it, what would be your side of it, because it's like the the the video recordings from the I don't even know the sold footage that Puff never paid for. I don't know how that goes, but whatever. I do know that Netflix is threatening to sue because they did obtain it legally and you're like slandering the person's name. And that is kind of like you know, Netflix have a reputation of several things, but stealing is not one of them. So if you're gonna talk about a company, let's give some honest reviews. So I was, you know, looking at that. But then Corey Holcomb said something else. He was like, People who don't feel like this is an issue in any type of way, people need to be looking at you too. I don't know if I agree with everything that was said, but birds of a feather do flock together. And I think, and and and I don't diagnose, and I'm telling you now, but the light bulb came on where people start putting the Legos together and realizing the picture. I've seen some people post comments like the jury was stupid, uh, there should be more charges, um different things from those aspects, and I think that the documentary probably, because I like I said, haven't seen it, but based on the reviews that I've seen, the comments, the legal experts' opinions and everything, there could be more to come. In what form, I don't know yet, but we'll stay tuned. Let me know if you think that 50 went too far or not. In my personal opinion, I like I said, the truth don't care who tells itself, God turned Saul into Paul. And yeah, maybe people who talking out or doing whatever may have some other things to come out later, but the truth don't care who tells itself. And I think that I read that one of those people, the participants, is now trying to sue Cassie, and Cassie has got a lawyer, and I just think this is just gonna be a big debacle when it comes down to oh, you won this much, and he is, and I think people need to also realize this he is paying a huge legal bill, and I don't know what his financial situation is or whatever, I don't know, but I do know this that a lot of rappers and people who own publishing also put their music into cartoons, into video games, and I was listening to um I think I was decorating my tree, I can't remember exactly what I was doing, but my little three-year-old was sitting down and she was watching something on her iPad, and the music was um, I don't know who getting the credits for this because I didn't go look, but I was like, uh, more money, more problems. And it had samples from the Diana Ross version and from more of the puffy version, and it had like the little rap verse in there and everything. So money is being made somewhere because I see it and hear it in those things like that. That's the reason why I try to tell artists that I work with, you know, are you trying to make some money? Because I can help you make some money, or are you trying to be famous? Now, I can't make you be famous, but I can help you make some money. But I know there's one form of income that somebody is getting, so I can't count his funds for him. But for the regular person, just looking, it's like, oh, his funds are dwindling. So if I want to sue, I might need to get it from this place over here because she won some kind of millions of dollars. And I think that some of that is gonna start going on. But I think that people, when they want to sue and you're actually suing for money, you might want to look at the different streams of incomes that these people are getting that you may not know anything about because it always be something going on. Because a real hustler has more than one hustle going on. But this time, that's all I have for you. And we'll be watching and see what's more to come, and we'll probably be talking about this subject again in the future.

unknown:

Bye.

SPEAKER_00:

Hey girl, let me tell you about this podcast. Girl, everybody has a podcast these days. But this one interviews new and interesting indie artists. It's called Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blunt Intelligence. Really? Where can I find it? It's on all podcasting platforms, streams lives on social media and on rptradio.com. What'd you say it was called again? It's called Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blunt Intelligence. Girl, I'm gonna have to check her out. Give it a check, girl.