‘That Albert Anastasia [EP] is up there to me as one of the hardest mixtapes in history,’ Diddy says. By Shaheem Reid Diddy Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images On Tuesday (June 8), Diddy gave Rick Ross yet another major co-sign. “That Albert Anastasia [EP] is up there to me as one of the hardest mixtapes in history,” Puff said during a Def Jam conference call with Ross and DJ Khaled. A bold statement, but on top of being an O.G. in the game, Diddy said, he’s also a connoisseur of hip-hop, so he felt very comfortable applauding Ross. “He doesn’t talk about the regular stuff you hear cats talking about now,” Diddy said. “Everything he talks about is from his soul and from his heart. He approaches the record from a real standpoint. You can tell he’s approaching it from an honest standpoint. The tone of his voice, I’ve always been wanting to work with artists that have a certain vocal tone. He sounds like a giant. He is a giant, and he has that personality. “He’s a very unique artist,” he continued. “He’s bigger than just an artist; he’s a brand. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to work with him, because I felt like we could do bigger and better things. Having worked with Biggie, somebody that also was talking about things from the streets — I’m not comparing him to Biggie, before we start going down that road, but I am saying that there are similarities in the mental approach of a record that I do have a familiarity with.” Over the weekend in Phoenix, 50 Cent weighed in on Diddy’s alliance with Ross and Nicki Minaj. He hinted that he felt Lil’ Kim was justified when she said Diddy should be “ashamed” of himself for working with Minaj. “It’s probably a little more irritating [for Lil’ Kim] to see Puffy stand next to Nicki Minaj and for him to say that Ross reminds him of Biggie,” 50 said in an interview with Power 98.3 FM. ” ‘Cause that’s desperation on his part, ’cause his music sucks. It’s bad, so he has to stay close to something else that has momentum for it to be all right” Diddy seems unfazed of any criticism he may get. He said Nicki Minaj is a hip-hop great, and during Tuesday’s conference call, he made it clear he’s riding with Rick Ross. “To me, how anybody ever wanna take it, he’s the Biggie of the South. Anybody can take it how they wanna take it,” Diddy said. “I heard his album. His album is a classic. I heard the Albert Anastasia ; it has six joints y’all [DJs] should be playing right now. … He has the most exciting music in the streets right now, and he’s one of the realest n—as.” Diddy and Ross belong to the new clique of artists dubbed “The Supreme Team.” “Supreme Team, Puff Daddy put a movement together,” Khaled said during the call. “A bunch of fly dudes getting together, getting money, making great music, keeping it 100 at all times. I’m honored to be a part of the movement. Puff Daddy, of course my right-hand Ricky Ross, Red Caf
