Pop daddy

Over the past decade, Sean "Puffy" Combs has been able to do one thing consistently: make money.

With the release of "Press Play," Puffy's first album in five years, Diddy makes a case for his relevance to the game and showcases his ability to change with the times.

As the original CEO/entrepreneur of hip hop, Puffy is widely recognized as one of the first to market the genre to the mainstream, investing in his own label and peddling merchandise not actually music-related.

These days, it seems that every rapper has a signature clothing line or record company. Without any substantial mic skills to separate him from the rest, P Diddy's once distinctive image is slowly fading into pop obscurity.

"Press Play" is exactly the type of product listeners would expect him to release. Upon opening the CD, purchasers are instantly bombarded with advertisements for upcoming Bad Boy albums, Sean Jean sneakers and even Puff's new fragrance, Unforgivable (Catch phrase: "Life without passion is unforgivable.")

This type of shameless self-promotion is no big surprise coming from Puff and in all honesty, the cologne doesn't smell half bad.

The guest list on the album is remarkable. Puff has some big name friends in the industry, and they all came out on this one to help him sell some records. From Christina Aguilera to NaS, from Mary J. Blige to Jamie Foxx, almost all of Diddy's features really shine on the album.

Puff also broke the bank on production for "Press Play." The album includes beats by Timbaland, Just Blaze, Kanye West, Mario Winans, The Neptunes and others. All in all, the sound of the album is great. With the new emergence of hip-pop, Puffy joins artists like The Black Eyed Peas and Justin Timberlake in creating futuristic, funk filled hip hop tracks that relate on a global level and are best suited for the clubs.

The album truly has it all - dance songs, rap songs and R & B. Puffy's unique ability to combine so many different elements in his music allows him to reach out to all different types of audiences, once again reminding fans why the man is so successful in the first place.

Unfortunately, as some might expect, Puffy's lyricism is the major downfall of the album. There are only five songs on the album that don't have a guest on them and most of them will be skipped over by listeners.

On the songs that do feature impressive guest work, listeners may find themselves waiting for Puffy's verse to end so that they can hear somebody more talented flow over the innovative beats. It is to much dismay that of all the things that Diddy does well, rapping is not one of them.

Despite weak rhyme skills, which should not be anything new for anyone that has listened to his past works, "Press Play" is a quality album. Just like his 1997 classic "No Way Out," the CD excels due to its impressive guest list and ground breaking production.

However, that is the last comparison to be drawn between "No Way Out" and "Press Play." While there are similarities, Puffs first album represents a special time in hip-hop history, with timeless hits like "Victory" and "All About the Benjamins."

With his new album, Combs is far removed from the hip-hop icon status he once held. Despite the catchy dance songs on the new CD, Puff has, in a sense, sold out to pop-hop. Then again, true hip hop fans aren't going to be buying this album, an undeniable truth that Puff must have come to terms with long ago in order to produce a pop album like this.