Netflix is set to unveil one of its most hard-hitting documentaries yet: Sean Combs: The Reckoning, a four-part investigation into the rise and unravelling of one of hip-hop’s most influential and polarising figures, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.
The global premiere drops on December 2.
Directed by Emmy winner Alexandria Stapleton and executive-produced by rapper-turned-mogul Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, the series is described by Netflix as “a staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend and convicted offender.”
Early indications suggest viewers should expect anything but a polished retelling.
“Diddy. Puff Daddy. Love,” the logline teases. “Who is the real Sean Combs?”
For years, Combs embodied the gleaming face of success.
The Bad Boy Records founder who helped define the sound and swagger of ’90s hip-hop.
He propelled artists to stardom, shaped fashion trends, delivered chart-topping hits and hosted some of the most infamous celebrity parties of the era.
But The Reckoning promises to peel back the gloss.
Through interviews with former employees, artists, associates and others who intersected with Combs at different points in his empire, the series retraces his journey from pop-culture royalty to a legacy clouded by scandal.
Stapleton and Jackson construct what Netflix calls a “sweeping portrait”, not only of Combs, but of hip-hop’s meteoric ascent and its imprint on American culture.
Combs’ role in that story is indisputable, and the documentary places him at the centre of that transformation.
Its release equally comes at a fraught moment.
In July, Combs was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution after a nine-week trial, an outcome that sent shockwaves through the entertainment world.
For fans who once idolised “Puff Daddy,” the series may feel like witnessing a cultural giant fall in real time.
50 Cent’s involvement also adds another layer of intrigue.
His long-running feud with Combs dates back to 2006 and the diss track “The Bomb,” in which he accused Combs of ties to the 1997 murder of The Notorious B.I.G.
Their animosity has simmered for nearly two decades, now culminating in Jackson helping to craft the narrative of Combs’ reckoning.