When New York City cops were targeting and shutting down hip hop clubs, Diddy was there. In 1986, when Run-D.M.C. performed at Madison Square Garden for the “Raising Hell Tour” and asked fans to raise their kicks to “My Adidas,” Diddy was there. When Teddy Riley needed an intern to carry his keyboard, Diddy was there. When Mary J. Blige still lived at Schlobohm Housing Projects in Yonkers and needed a ride to the city, Diddy was there. And when thousands of people lined the streets of Brooklyn to bid The Notorious B.I.G. farewell, Diddy was there. The crowd chanted “We love you Biggie,” throwing up peace signs and power fists as his funeral procession crossed Fulton Street. Diddy saluted the crowd right back and said “thank you.” The music pioneer has not only witnessed hip hop evolve from being a ridiculed art form; cultivated by economically oppressed black, Latinx, and queer youth; he helped globalize. READ MORE