Diddy has opened up about how the signature “Diddy Bop” came about.
Last night (Sept. 12), the Bad Boy boss was honored with the Global Icon Award at the MTV Video Music Awards in New Jersey. During his acceptance speech, he revealed that the dance move was created through his failed dream of playing for the NFL. “This is a dream come true for me,” he said. “I grew up watching MTV like, ‘Man, I wish one day I could be up there.’”
He continued, “I didn’t know I was gon’ be here. I started out as a paper boy at 12 and then I was gon’ be an NFL football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t know this, but I planned on being a football player and my leg got broke the last year.”
Diddy’s crippled leg unintentionally gave birth to the famous dance move that landed him his first opportunity in the music industry. “I got depressed and I would be in the clubs dancing in New York doing my ‘Diddy Bop,’ and then people would see me and they would cast me for videos,” he explained. “That’s how I fell in love with the music industry.
The “ACT BAD” rapper added, “I saw the executives and I wanted to chase that dream. So I wanna thank every executive, every producer, every songwriter. I gotta thank the Bad Boy family ’cause without them I would not be up here. I love y’all from the bottom of my heart.” Check out his full speech below.
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