‘Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story’ Promises The Show Of A Lifetime But Delivers Only Platitudes To Puffy 

I don’t know, maybe I’m out of touch, but do people still care about Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs? I guess he’s going by Diddy again after rebranding himself Love a few years ago, or maybe he’s still Love or Brother Love? I don’t know, it’s hard to figure out even by checking his poorly maintained social media accounts. He has a new video, “Gotta Move On,” and a new album in September, his first since 2006, but 2022 feels a lot different than Combs’ late ‘90s / early aughts heyday, when you couldn’t turn on the radio or television without his presence. Like B.I.G. said back in ‘93, “Things Done Changed.”

The 2017 documentary Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story revisits Combs’ golden age as he plans the Bad Boy Family Reunion, a weekend of concerts celebrating the legendary hip hop label he founded in 1993. Performed at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on May 20th and 21st, 2016, the second night being what would have been the late Notorious B.I.G.’s 44th birthday, the shows featured important artists from Bad Boy’s history and an impressive slate of all-star guests, including Jay-Z, Nas and Mary J. Blige. In September of that year, Combs took the show on the road as the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour. Directed by Daniel Kaufman, the film is currently available for streaming on Netflix. 

“This shit is fucking history,” Combs tells the performers before the second night’s concert, while a who’s who of hip-hop heroes mingle backstage. The excitement in the air is palpable, promising the show of a lifetime, featuring some of the most iconic songs of their era. Flashing back in time, we see Combs hyping up the shows on famed New York radio station HOT 97 and learn it was planned only six weeks earlier and sold out two hours after being announced. In preparation for the shows he consults with his physician, who says “maybe you go too hard,” as he nurses a recurring shoulder injury.

The concerts’ creative director is Laurieann Gibson, choreographer and star of the reality television show Making The Band. We watch her corral performers, rehearse dancers and take the extravaganza from idea to fulfillment. Along the way, she frequently butts heads with Combs, to whom nothing seems good enough. “Those lights are cheap as fuck,” he says upon arriving at the stage set after rehearsals have already begun. His quest for perfection extends to himself. Later, after the first night of performances, he says “It was one of the worst shows of my life,” and sullenly admits, “I’m just disappointed in myself.”

In-between concert preparations, we revisit Combs’ childhood home in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of the Bronx, and learn his personal history. Legendary record executive and Combs’ former employer Andre Harrell says he doubts he had many friends growing up given his insatiable need to show the world he could be bigger and better than anyone before or since. It’s an assessment Combs’ own statements back up, as he recalls jealously watching his neighbors cavort in their swimming pool from the front steps of his suburban home.

In-between, A-list rappers and music industry movers and shakers line up to discuss Combs’ greatness. Their anecdotes reveal little and provide no insight on how Bad Boy Records helped hip hop become a worldwide phenomenon besides amorphous cliches like, “He changed the culture.” I’m not saying he didn’t. But tell us how or don’t waste our time. 

More satisfying are segments on Bad Boy’s history, how Combs ran it out of his Scarsdale home in the early days and discovered the Notorious B.I.G., one of the greatest MCs of all time. The documentary covers the East Coast – West Coast hip hop feud in broad strokes, wisely avoiding details, instead focusing on the ultimate tragedy and psychic toll of B.I.G.’s murder on March 9, 1997. The event shook Combs and the Bad Boy family to the core. That Combs was able to recover and launch a successful solo career in its wake is a testament to his determination and business acumen.

After over an hour of build-up, it’s finally showtime. Combs is nervous and giddy as a child before the first show. However, in perhaps the biggest letdown in music documentary and concert film history, there is no footage of the actual shows. This is unfathomable to me considering the concerts and their preparation are the most compelling element of the film and the promise of seeing them are its most marketable aspect. Maybe they couldn’t get the rights, maybe they were saving them for another movie. Whatever the reason, it’s a massive disappointment as a viewer and leaves a bad taste in the mouth.   

Benjamin H. Smith is a New York based writer, producer and musician. Follow him on Twitter:@BHSmithNYC.