Status is the criteria I was using that you quoted. Remember, you quoted me when I said my piece and kept it moving. Status puts Diddy in the conversation of who belongs on that MT Rushmore as a top NYC hip hop representative. Doesn't matter if he wasn't taken serious as a rapper when we both know he was more then that. Mogul, boss, actor, entrepreneur, record label owner, Revolt TV owner, all those extras just add to the status and even out his lack of being a traditional technical MC. Will Smith couldn't claim 97/98 with his status because Diddy's Bad Boy roster with Biggie, Mase, Total 112 and himself put him leagues above Will Smith. Puffy's status in Hip Hop is bigger then your favorite rapper and he's been a top dog in the game since 97. Dr Dre wasn't the best rapper either but that doesn't erase his status as the biggest Hip Hop producer/rapper next to Kanye.
Let me also add that I have actually seen Diddy live. Can you say the same? Diddy knows how to work a stage and give a performance. His stage presence is Top tier. That puts him in the category of a "Dope MC." Lets not forget that DJ Mathematics admitted that when Bad Boy and Wu Tang were doing a concert together, Diddy rocked the stage so hard that people started leaving after he left and Wu Tang came on.
