Ryan Bort is a staff writer covering culture for Newsweek. Previously, he was a freelance writer and editor, and his work has appeared at Esquire, Quartz, Paste, Grantland, VICE Sports, and elsewhere.

The most important rap song of 1997 was “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” by Puff Daddy. Let me explain. It’s nearly impossible to discuss Puff Daddy without mentioning one of three things, and most of the ...

In the 1990s, Sean Combs—aka Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, and other monikers—had his hand in just about every pie in the musical world. First a concert promoter, then a dancer, producer, collaborator ...