Former rapper Mark Curry, who was signed under Sean Diddy Combs’ Bad Boy Records made a revelation during The Daily Mail’s weekly podcast with Marjorie Hernandez titled, The Trial of Diddy. He claimed that the hip-hop mogul secured A-list artists' silence by offering them their music publishing rights in exchange for signing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). According to Curry:
“He gave all of the artists back their publishing rights in exchange for an NDA not to talk about him. Because I think he had some kind of idea that this was coming down the pipeline. Tried to cover up his tracks real quick, it didn't work.”
It was reportedly known that Bad Boy Records controlled all the artists' music rights. However, a sudden change occurred just two months before Diddy faced his first lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in November 2023.
In September 2023, Combs reportedly returned the publishing rights to the artists. In the podcast, Mark Curry suggested that Diddy had hidden motives behind this move, alleging that he released the rights to secure NDAs from the artists. According to Curry, the rapper anticipated legal challenges after his split from Cassie and wanted to protect himself.
Reflecting on his challenging experience with Bad Boy Records, Mark Curry disclosed that he departed the label in 2005 as he felt creatively and financially exhausted after joining in the 1990s. Despite assurances of a successful future, his debut album was never released, and he did not earn any money from the singles he produced while he was with the label.
Mark Curry wanted to steer clear of anything related to Diddy
When Hernandez asked if he had signed an NDA, Curry stated that Diddy had no authority to impose restrictions on him. He explained that their initial contract promised support for his career, which did not happen. Consequently, he planned to avoid any new contracts with Combs.
He remarked that if disrespect is part of the equation, it should go both ways, indicating that he wouldn’t let Diddy dictate his actions. Mark Curry mentioned that his last conversation with Combs took place on September 23, 2023, just a month before Cassie filed her high-profile lawsuit.
Including Mark Curry, artists like Ma$e, Cam'ron, Faith Evans, The Lox, 112, and the estate of The Notorious B.I.G. were among those who were granted their publishing rights.
He compared receiving his publishing rights back to getting a Nissan Sentra that was brand new in 2024 but held no value, even in a junkyard. Curry mentioned that as soon as he regained his rights, he immediately got rid of them, stating that he didn't want them anymore.
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Mark Curry decided to step away from his rap career and returned to Georgia, where he took up carpentry to make ends meet. However, the ups and downs of his time at Bad Boy, along with his dealings with Diddy continued to affect him.
In 2009, Mark Curry published a book titled Dancing with the Devil: How Puff Burned the Bad Boys of Hip-Hop, which recounted his often tumultuous experiences working with Combs.
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