One persistent criticism that you hear of Diddy and Bad Boy, at times of idle chatter, is his and the label's business dealings with artists, specifically the fairness of these dealings. I've long maintained, time and time again, that Bad Boy is no different from any other label - that artists take the best deals laid in front of them and that Diddy is, in large part, a victim of his own success as a known executive. His business is simply good business and the idea of a "paperwork gangster" is an absurdest reality where actually taking care of your business is seen as an evil or bad thing.

He is the public face of the company and an easy target. If you have something negative to say about him, you'll be given a platform. Especially in this day and age. Generally speaking, he's maintained relative silence about these comments and, to be honest, that's a good move. Why should Diddy need to respond to a random former artist who would be known by nobody if Diddy hadn't signed him in the first place? Still, it was good to hear him talk about these claims in an interview with Shade 45's Angela Yee.

"One of the things I want to say, I'm gonna make sure I make clear on this promo tour is I haven't had no more issues than Def Jam has had with artists, that Jay has had with artists, that whoever has had," he told Yee, when asked about his issues with former artists. "Every label - this is a cycle that we have. It comes with the game, people. I make my money, I gets busy. I don't have to take from nobody, jerk up nobody, give nobody a bad contract. I'm a very intelligent cat. And I love to work. Nobody gave me nothing. I gets busy."

"It's unfair when people are doing analysis - on 'what happened to this person? that person?'," he continued. "Yo, they did two, three albums. That's the usual bid on the island. And then the money changes and you got the vultures that come after your artists, be putting venom in their ear. And then, I'm usually just cool with it. OK, you think that the grass is greener over there? Go with it. But, I haven't had no problems."

He was then asked, by Yee, if his celebrity, if his visibility and accessibility as an executive lead to these public claims of wrong doing. "Yeah, I think people relate Bad Boy to one person," he answered. "I think that's been the problem. People tried to be counting the cat's paper and trying to just assume things that would go on. When it's attributed to a white corporation, everything's all good. But, then, when it's to a person, we do have a responsibility for each other because we come from the same place, which I agree with. But then, in this game, people just be flipping. I've let some people go, 'cause they asked. If you ask that question, you don't want to be here at Bad Boy 'cause you may think you can get some money elsewhere, I'm not gonna be begging you to stay. I'm not about to be fighting with you about it."