50 Cent is unapologetic about his long-standing feud with Sean "Diddy" Combs. The "Candy Shop" rapper addressed accusations that his role as an executive producer on the new Netflix documentary, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, was petty and admitted that he embraces the label with pride. "I accept that. I'll take that. I'll wear that," he said in an interview with Gold Derby, published on December 9. "I'm fine. I have antics that I've become comfortable with on social media. That's just it."
While acknowledging those who have been skeptical of his involvement in the production, 50 Cent, 50 years old (real name Curtis Jackson), pointed to the series' streaming success as proof that it delves deeper than just scratching the surface of the subject matter. "They did characterize it as a hit piece in the very beginning," he continued. "It's because they didn't get a chance to watch it when they were saying that. And then after they see it, you see everyone's changed their mind and it becomes the number one doc."
Of course, 50 Cent wasn't surprised by the project's resonance, but he was pleasantly surprised to see it dethrone another massive Netflix title in the streaming platform's viewership rankings. "I could feel it was going to be a big success," he admitted. "But when it comes in over Stranger Things, I didn't anticipate that much success because that's a big franchise."
While 50 Cent is embracing the public narrative surrounding the doc, Combs—who is currently serving a 50-month prison sentence following his convictions for prostitution-related offenses—took issue with his hip-hop rival's involvement in the work, labeling him a "longtime adversary with a personal vendetta" while also dismissing the series as a "shameful hit piece" that allegedly included improperly-obtained footage. "Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release," a rep for Combs told Variety in a statement on December 1. "As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work."
Nonetheless, the team behind Sean Combs: The Reckoning stood by their decision to include the content in question. "It came to us, we obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights," director Alexandria Stapleton said in a statement to Variety. "We moved heaven and earth to keep the filmmaker's identity confidential."
