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HipHopDX.com has an interesting interview with D-Dot where he talks about his Bad Boy days, why he left and the current state of The Hitmen. Definitely worth a read.

DX: When American Gangster [click to read] dropped last fall, Sean C and LV were being hailed as the ‘new’ Hitmen. You were considered captain of the Hitmen back in the day, was that like a slap in the face being that the days of the real Hitmen are a pivotal point in Hip Hop?

DD: I don’t think, as I haven’t worked at Bad Boy since 1998. I haven’t been a Hitman since 2000. Puffy and I have been best of friends since 1987. I am going to be 40 years old in July. It wasn’t a slap in the face, it was just time for Puffy to move on, but by the way, Sean C and LV ... are not Hitmen, that was just Puffy trying to reinvigorate an era that a lot of people like yourself, and from MTV and BET and all these various magazines, that era was very special to people and a lot of people to these days cherish those times. A lot of people don’t want to let that go, and Puffy is trying to capitalize off that by finding new Hitmen, but those days are kind of over. Sean C and LV are like best friends to me, they helped Puffy make a Jay-Z album that he needed the help with, and that was it. They are not Hitmen to this day, they don’t move as Hitmen, and there are no Hitmen at this point right now and anyone who wants to be a Hitmen, the first question they ask is about me.

"Slap in the face?" What, there can never be a Hitmen production team without D-Dot? That was Diddy's team of producers - not D-Dot's. Diddy gave D-Dot an opportunity and D-Dot was a talented individual who took advantage of it and was successful. Would I like it if D-Dot were still working with Bad Boy? Sure. But, that's life. People move on. He doesn't have to be a part of a production team for it to be called The Hitmen. It was a special time, a special group of people that Diddy assembled. It's a rare thing and nothing lasts forever. It doesn't mean that Diddy can't assemble a new team.

Anyway, D-Dot's answer doesn't seem farfetched - necessarily. Afterall, how many producers would actually be a part of it right now, presumably? Diddy, Sean C, LV and Seven Aurelius? Mario Winans? Anyone else? It's not immediately clear who is and who isn't - there are mixed signals coming from MySpaces, from album booklet credits and elsewhere. In their interview with UGO.com earlier this month, Sean C and LV said they are only considered Hitmen when they work with Diddy on a track. Their own projects are not considered to be as part of The Hitmen. So, are they partial Hitmen? Who knows.

However, this much is true: on the most recent season of Making the Band 4, Diddy said (view video), "... one of my go to producers from The Hitmen, Seven." So, there is something there. What it is, I don't know, because Bad Boy is seemingly pretty tight lipped about it and I've asked before. So, I'm not sure if what D-Dot is saying is accurate. By his own admission, he hasn't worked with Bad Boy since 1998 or been one of The Hitmen since 2000.

I've reached out to someone at Bad Boy who could comment on it and we'll see what I can find out.