‘Hip-Hop Is in a Dangerous Place’

Sean “Diddy” Combs shared a message about hip-hop, and he used his spot on Jay Electronica‘s new album to deliver it. The incarcerated music mogul appears on the intro track “Abracadabra” to Electronica’s surprise album A Written Testimony: Leaflets, which dropped Friday via Roc Nation Distribution. In addition to Diddy, the seven-song project features collaborations with DRAM and Quentin Miller.

What does Diddy say on Jay Electronica’s “Abracadabra” track?

“…Leaflets, leaflets, they want me to talk some shit. Talk some s**t about my n***a Jay Electronica,” Diddy says on the song. “I hope he put out this motherfucking album, he ain’t bullshitting, for real, man ‘cause people gotta feel that real soul, you know what I’m saying?”

“Hip-hop is in a very, very dangerous place, you know,” Diddy continues. “Give them that shit, you know what I’m saying? Live at they souls, lift up they vibration
That’s what God sent you here to do, you know? That’s why we wait so long. We wait for things that are good ‘cause good things come to those who wait…”

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Diddy’s message follows concerns from other artists about hip-hop’s state amid declining sales and “lack of originality.” Offset attributed the 2023 streaming and sales drop to a lack of originality, while Juicy J claimed rap sales were down 40% that year, saying, “We gotta figure some s**t out.”

This is Electronica’s first album in five years, coinciding with the New Orleans native’s 49th birthday on September 19. The project is available to stream on Apple Music, Spotify, and other major platforms like Tidal. Jay Electronica’s new project comes after the wide release of his long-shelved album Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn), which is now also available on streaming platforms.

On July 2, Diddy was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in his federal sex trafficking trial. Since then, he has been denied bail and appears likely to remain incarcerated until his sentencing on October 3.

The 55-year-old is scheduled to be sentenced that day, while his attorneys continue to seek an acquittal or a new trial.