There is no question that Diddy will go down in hip-hop's hall of fame. Probably the most recognizable face of hip-hop returns with his fourth album, Press Play. Just when you think that you have figured him out, he comes from nowhere to produce his most mainstream album to date.
With a credits list that runs longer than most feature films, Press Play goes all out to bring hip-hop back, and to be honest, it doesn't do a bad job of trying to do so. The album features tracks that are designed to get you up off your seat and hit the dance floor. Evidence of this can be found from the album's two singles. Both "Come To Me" and "Tell Me" are typical pop chart fodder, featuring the main Pussycat Doll and Christina Aguilera, and both are undeniably catchy. "Come To Me" is probably the more accessible of the two, as in-house Bad Boy producer Young Lord creates a simple but effective beat that gives room for Nicole Scherzinger to do her thing on the hook. Just Blaze shows his versatile production skills on "Tell Me" with Diddy dropping a nice first verse and Ms. Aguilera sounding strong on the hook.
Now, we all know that Diddy isn't the best lyricist of all time, mainly due to the fact that he has got more than a few ghost writers -- something that doesn't change on Press Play -- but you will be more than impressed as to who those ghost writers are. Pharoahe Monch pens "The Future" and "Hold Up," both of which are produced by Havoc of Mobb Deep, and there will be no surprise to find that these two are the grimiest and amongst the best tracks on Press Play. You will probably be more surprised to find that it is Diddy rapping, as he copies Monch's flow breath for breath. "The potential to be the first black President / iTunes download me in every resident / Early I skip break-fast / N---- be on his grind like he need new brake pads."
As well as Monch, The Game pens "We Gon' Make It," produced by D-Dot, which uses that now familiar sample that is also used on Jay Z's comeback track. T.I. lends a pen and pad on "Wanna Move" featuring Big Boi, Ciara and Scar. Diddy adopts a Southern sounding flow, but manages to come off sounding awkward, while Big Boi kills yet another track with a lethal verse. The Timbaland-produced "Diddy Rock" is bouncy enough with Diddy holding his own (just) alongside Twista and DTP's Shawnna. Nas and Cee-lo show up on the Kayne West-laced "Everything I Love" with Lo just singing the hook (which is a shame), but Nas and Diddy both rip the beat. Nas managing to write two verses for Diddy that are arguably better than his own. "The world at my sneakers / Gold pieces moulded with Jesus features / Give streets the fever from the way I spit the Ether / Came on the scene at 19 a gritty fiend for / Money, power, respect, get it by any means."
The problem with Press Play is the obvious fact that it is basically two albums on one disc. The first half is the "Diddy Show," for the most part hip-hop party music. The second half is themed around the concept of love with an R&B sound, and sadly, most of these tracks fail to compare to those of the first half. The 80's disco funk of "Special Feeling," produced by Will.i.am, sounds out of place, while the UK garage sounding "Thought You Said" featuring Brandy is very good, but would be better if Diddy wasn't on it at all.
Overall, the pluses certainly outweigh the minuses. While the scope of the album feels too broad and slightly out of focus, there is no denying that Diddy's music has evolved and with a little help from his friends, he has produced a solid album that is well worth listening to.
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