Exclusive

ONE
ON
ONE
with The Final Call

On March 16, after a two-month trial and three days of deliberation in New York State Supreme Court, hip hop music mogul Sean �Puffy� Combs of Bad Boy Entertainment was acquitted of any criminal involvement in a 1999 nightclub shooting that left three people wounded and resulted in the conviction of a musical protegee. Outside the courtroom, Mr. Combs and attorneys spoke of their gratitude and relief that his ordeal was over. Yet, Mr. Combs felt more needed to be said and made time to sit with Final Call staff writer Eric Ture Muhammad for this exclusive interview on March 22, to announce that he would take time off to assess the ordeal and hopefully learn what God intends for him through this. 

Final Call Newspaper (FCN): Let us start by first congratulating you on the verdict.

Sean �Puffy� Combs (SPC): Thank you. Thank you so much. I want the readers to know that I could not have made it through this without the support of my Black community. I could not have made it through this without the support of the Nation of Islam and the support of The Final Call bringing this to people�s attention in an intellectual way. God got me through this. It is not just my lawyers or the money. This one was far deeper than that. Having the support of my community, this is something I will never forget. 

FCN: How would you characterize the ordeal of the trial?

SPC:  The effect the trial had on me is that, really, it made me grow. It made me realize how much I hadn�t grown and how much I still have to grow. For me, it put a lot of things in perspective, as far as this is God�s world.

Sometimes you are placed in situations that nobody can get you out of but God. There was so much coming against me, and being innocent I could not understand why. It also made me to look into myself, my surroundings, the karma and the energy. At times, when things come back at you, you have to ask yourself, are the roosters now coming home to crow (roost) and can you handle it? Whether it was something I said in a record or was there something in the way that I live my life that I overlooked? Spiritually, it has made me grow. 

FCN: What is your family�s reaction, now that this is over?

SPC: My family is doing well. They are definitely grateful of everything. To have me around them, to be with them, and to be able to see each other in the mornings, that�s truly a blessing. 

FCN: What do you attribute the sensation of the trial to and what kind of target is Sean Puffy Combs?

SPC: I think the sensationalizing of the trial came about two-fold. Of course, my fame and the ability to sell papers and get television ratings through it is one aspect. But, it was then too, my image, that other people created and things that I created as far as my image and it made the whole thing sensationalized. I don�t really fault anybody for it, because I knew the stature of this case and I knew it was going to be big. It wasn�t like they (the media, prosecutors, etc.) were going to come at me easy. I mean, I have seen things happen to other people�especially Black people and successful Black people. I was surprised at how hard they came at me. I mean, I always thought it was going to be a lot, but it was A LOT! Definitely, more than I anticipated. 

FCN: Most of the reports that we�ve read or heard in the media focus on the financial strength of your enterprises and pending civil suits. As a successful Black man, do you still consider yourself and Bad Boy Entertainment a target? If so, what strategies do you have in place?

SPC: When people hear these things, they need to know that wealth can�t be measured on money. I will never talk about money like that. You are going to have to measure my wealth and success by how many lives I touched in a positive way. How many people I�ve put on with jobs and changed them in a positive way. Because monetarily, that�s what the majority of this was about. The majority of the trouble that my life has come across has been about stuff tied to money. So, I am not going to give making money that kind of attention. I am going to be a good businessman, don�t get me wrong, but I can�t be advocating that money is my motivation when it is not. Then you will have the wrong image of me. Those are things that I have done before, and things that I just won�t do again. In terms of the Bad Boy empire, or whatever people want to call it, it�s more right now about growth. In order for the Bad Boy empire to grow, I have to be able to grow. 

FCN: How will you go about encouraging that personal growth?

SPC: I am taking time off to evaluate, re-evaluate and re-new my mind, my thoughts and ideas. For me, it�s not about the business of how many records I sell or how much money I make. Right now, it�s about taking time to make sure that as a person, I get myself together. 

FCN: What about Shyne (co-defendant, Jamaal �Shyne� Barrows)? What are your thoughts on his conviction? What do people need to know from you about him?

SPC: Shyne�s conviction was a bit much. I know that he did not intend to hurt anybody, and hopefully that will be appealed. A couple of people have said that [I] should be held responsible and [that I] was Shyne�s father figure, but I will not allow people to say that I am responsible for people�s state of mind and actions. I tried to make sure anybody around me knows not to do certain things because there are consequences. But at the end of the day, I cannot control another human being. Even still, his actions were not actions to hurt anybody. Sometimes, we make mistakes. I hope we all learn from this situation in a positive way. I will be supportive of him on his appeal.  

FCN: Speak to us regarding the burden of fame and the responsibilities you believe you have to it, your fan base and your community?

SPC: I am definitely making sure that I take the time to assess everything. I think that is the biggest step. I can talk a good game to you but actions are going to speak louder than words. My action right now is to be still and look. Look at what�s going on in my life, look at what�s going on in other people�s lives and determine how I can learn from this situation to its fullest and how I can have more of a positive impact. I have tried my best to have a positive impact on the Black community, but what can I do to have even more of a positive impact and learn from my mistakes. I am human. I try my best, but I am going to make mistakes. At the same time, I have to learn from them. So taking the time off to evaluate that and not just say that which sounds good is the goal. 

FCN: How rewarding do you believe that approach will be for you?

SPC: I have to spend time with God and myself. I have to look in that mirror and be real with myself and look out in that world and see what�s going on and understand it all. And I am not going to say that three months from now, I am going to be walking around perfect or be a saint, but I am going to be better than I was yesterday. I can promise you that. 

FCN: Any closing thoughts?

SPC: Yes. I haven�t talked to any mainstream magazines or publications. I�m just talking to Black press first. My first television interview will be with BET, even though they are now owned by VIACOM. But I am speaking to Black press first. I want The Final Call and the people to know that I respect the paper and I respect what the Nation of Islam is doing.