50 Cent has responded to critics who questioned his involvement in producing a Sean “Diddy” Combs docuseries for Netflix, given the pair’s long-running feud.
Out Tuesday and directed by Alexandria Stapleton, Sean Combs: The Reckoning is a new four-part documentary that promises to shed light on the “real Sean Combs,” who is currently serving a four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related charges.
Speaking to Robin Roberts on Good Morning America on Monday, 50 Cent (real name Curtis Jackson) was asked to address claims that his motivation for making the forthcoming documentary was rooted more in his “disdain” for Combs than in giving the music mogul’s alleged victims a platform.
“What they consider pre-existing beef — for 20 years — is me being uncomfortable with him suggesting that he takes me shopping,” the “In Da Club” rapper said. “I looked at it like it was a tester, like maybe you’ll come play with me type thing. It’s not personal.”
Stapleton added: “I think it’s important to also let people know, this show isn’t completely the perspective of people who didn’t like Sean. We weren’t just trying to get the highlights, the salacious details.
“The real goal was to storytell, and not everyone needed to have an allegation to be a part of this project.”
The documentary comes months after Combs was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters in multiple places over many years. He managed to escape more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering that could have put him behind bars for life.
It will also feature two jurors from Combs’s trial, who, for the first time, will discuss how they arrived at their mixed verdict.
Throughout the trial, Jackson repeatedly mocked Combs over the shocking revelations that emerged. After Combs’s conviction, Jackson has remained one of his most vocal critics, even writing a letter to the judge ahead of his sentencing, urging the judge to “consider the safety of the general public” before “unleashing” Combs.
Jackson and Combs have been engaged in one of rap’s biggest and longest feuds, dating back to 2001. Although they were never close, they had previously collaborated on occasional projects during their early days in the music industry.
Their relationship eventually soured due to disputes over artist contracts and rival vodka brands.
Sean Combs: The Reckoning is out Tuesday on Netflix.
