Wikipedia

The Saga Continues...

For the Roger Troutman album, see The Saga Continues... (Roger Troutman album). For the Wu-Tang Clan album, see The Saga Continues (Wu-Tang Clan album).

The Saga Continues... is the third studio album by American rapper P. Diddy, released on July 10, 2001 by Arista and Bad Boy Records. Similarly to his debut album No Way Out (1997), it is credited to "P. Diddy and the Bad Boy Family"; the latter act refers to his signees at Bad Boy Records. It was the first studio album released by Combs under the P. Diddy name, and the final release under Bad Boy Records' joint venture with Arista Records. His We Invented the Remix album was the last overall project with Arista.

The Saga Continues...
Studio album by
P. Diddy & the Bad Boy Family
ReleasedJuly 10, 2001
Recorded2000–2001
Genre
Length77:16
Label
Producer
P. Diddy & the Bad Boy Family chronology
Forever
(1999) 		The Saga Continues...
(2001) 		We Invented the Remix
(2002)
Singles from The Saga Continues...
  1. "Let's Get It"
    Released: April 3, 2001
  2. "Bad Boy for Life"
    Released: November 27, 2001
  3. "Diddy"
    Released: 2001

The album garnered mixed to negative reviews from music critics. The Saga Continues... debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, spawning three singles: "Let's Get It", "Bad Boy for Life" and "Diddy".

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide [2]
Entertainment WeeklyC[3]
The Guardian     [4]
HipHopDX     [5]
Los Angeles Times    [6]
NME     [7]
RapReviews6.5/10[8]
Rolling Stone     [9]
The Source     [10]

Soren Baker of the Los Angeles Times called the album "a quality hip-hop collection with plenty of swagger, grit, sure-shot singles and a decidedly upbeat outlook."[6] A staff writer for HipHopDX praised the record for having a diverse roster of new artists and label alumni on "solid cuts" ("Can't Believe", "Let's Get It", "Bad Boy For Life") and "hidden gems" ("So Complete", "Blast Off"), but criticized P. Diddy's "lyrical flow and tempo" for being poorly showcased ("Lonely", "If You Want This Money").[5]

They highlighted G. Dep's "Child of the Ghetto" and 8Ball & MJG's "Roll with Me" as "regrettable displays" concluding that, "With the platform of platinum and pop success, The Saga Continues will be a surefire collection that has the following of P.Diddy's string of commercial hits. Forecasting his true signature talent, by seizing his roster with diverse talent that accompanies his background arrangements."[5]

Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews gave praise to "Bad Boy For Life" and "Where's Sean?" for being "surprisingly dope cuts", P. Diddy's contributions on "Roll with Me" and "I Need a Girl", and G. Dep's "Child of the Ghetto". He criticized "Diddy" for having "one of the weakest ever Neptunes beats", the overabundance of interludes throughout the album and questioned the sampling choices on "Can't Believe" and the title track.[8]

AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier praised the record for giving Black Rob and G. Dep the spotlight to "showcase their talent commendably" along with the other roster members and the in-house approach to the production for giving a "cohesive feel", but criticized P. Diddy's "rhetorical swagger" throughout the track listing for "teetering on the fine line between self-assurance and unintentional farce."[1]

Robert Christgau cited "That's Crazy" as a "choice cut",[2] indicating a good song on "an album that isn't worth your time or money."[11] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis criticized P. Diddy for still being "a terrible rapper, cursed with a stilted and flat delivery" that's overshadowed by his obscure label members' "shouty contributions" and for lacking the "self-pitying repugnance" from Forever, concluding that: "Puzzling over the album's confused morality and logic is more rewarding than actually listening to its familiar litany of misogyny and violence. It's all been done before and by more talented rappers than Combs and pals."[4]

Track listing

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# Title Length Featured artists Producer(s) Samples
1 "The Saga Continues (Intro)" 3:52 G. Dep, Loon and Black Rob Yago, P. Diddy and Mario Winans for The Hitmen
2 "Bad Boy for Life" 4:13 Black Rob and Mark Curry Megahertz
3 "Toe Game (Interlude)" 1:06 Black Rob
4 "That's Crazy" 4:07 G. Dep and Black Rob Aydine, Mario Winans and P. Diddy for The Hitmen
5 "Let's Get It" 4:16 G. Dep and Black Rob Yogi and Mario Winans
6 "Shiny Suit Man (Interlude)" 1:06
7 "Diddy" 3:55 The Neptunes The Neptunes
8 "Blast Off" 3:41 G. Dep, Mark Curry and Loon Mike "Punch" Harper
9 "Airport (Interlude)" 0:28
10 "Roll with Me" 4:53 8Ball & MJG and Faith Evans Spike and Jamal
  • "One Thousand Finger Man" by J. Cain and C. Camero
11 "On Top" 3:58 Loon & Marsha Morrison Mario Winans, P. Diddy and Steven "Loss Spirits" Dorsain
12 "Where's Sean?" 5:06 Big Azz Ko, Black Rob, Kain, Loon, Mark Curry and Bristal Mario Winans, P. Diddy and "The Natural"
  • "Fantasy" by The James Last Band
13 "Child of the Ghetto" 3:43 G. Dep Coptic & D. Trotman
14 "Incomplete (Interlude)" 0:58 Cheri Dennis
15 "So Complete" 3:37 Cheri Dennis Buckwild, P. Diddy and Mario Winans for The Hitmen
  • "Like Running Water" by C. Reid
16 "Smoke (Interlude)" 0:16
17 "Lonely" 3:59 Mark Curry, Kain and Kokane Mario Winans and P. Diddy for The Hitmen
18 "I Need a Girl (To Bella)" 4:12 Loon, Lo & Jack and Mario Winans Coptic
19 "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now (Interlude)" 2:24 Faith Evans and Mario Winans
20 "If You Want This Money" 3:59 G. Dep and The HoodFellaz Yogi
21 "I Don't Like That (Interlude)" 1:04 Bristal & Mark Curry
22 "Back for Good Now" 4:26 Cheri Dennis, Black Rob and Loon The Natural
23 "Can't Believe" 3:49 Faith Evans and Carl Thomas Mario Winans and P. Diddy for The Hitmen
24 "The Last Song" 3:50 Mark Curry, Big Azz Ko and Loon Bink
25 "Thank You (Outro)" 0:34

Singles

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Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Saga Continues....[12]

  • Harve Pierre – associate executive producer
  • Chris Athens – mastering (Sterling Sound)
  • Roger Che, Jimmy Lee Patterson, Marc Pfafflin – Pro Tools
  • Angela Lockhart – creative direction
  • Victoria Jordan – design
  • Justin Jay – photography

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Silver 60,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "The Saga Continues - P. Diddy & the Bad Boy Family, Diddy". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Robert Christgau: CG: P.diddy". Robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  3. ^ Browne, David (July 30, 2001). "The Saga Continues…". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Petridis, Alexis (October 5, 2001). "Gangsta on autocue". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c DX Staff. "P. Diddy & the B.B. Family - The Saga Continues". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  6. ^ a b Baker, Soren (July 22, 2001). "P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family, "The Saga Continues..." (Bad Boy/Arista)". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
  7. ^ Fadele, Dele (September 12, 2005). "P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family : The Saga Continues". NME. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Juon, Steve 'Flash'. "RapReviews.com Feature for July 17, 2001 - (Puff Daddy) P. Diddy's "The Saga Continues..."". RapReviews. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  9. ^ Touré (August 30, 2001). "P. Diddy Doesn't Do it". Rolling Stone. No. 876. p. 122.
  10. ^ Parker, Erik "Mr. Parker" (September 2001). "Record Report: P. Diddy & The Family – The Saga Continues...". The Source. No. 144. New York. p. 285.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Key to Icons". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved June 11, 2023.
  12. ^ P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family. The Saga Continues... (booklet). Bad Boy. Arista. 78612-73045-2.
  13. ^ "Austriancharts.at – P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family – The Saga Continues" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family – The Saga Continues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  15. ^ "Ultratop.be – P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family – The Saga Continues" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family – The Saga Continues" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  17. ^ "Lescharts.com – P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family – The Saga Continues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family – The Saga Continues" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  19. ^ "Swisscharts.com – P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family – The Saga Continues". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  21. ^ "Diddy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  22. ^ "Puff Daddy Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  23. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2001". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 3, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  24. ^ "2001 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. December 29, 2001. p. YE-43. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  25. ^ "Canadian album certifications – P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family Presents... – The Saga Continues". Music Canada.
  26. ^ "British album certifications – P Diddy & The Bad Boy Family – The Saga Continues". British Phonographic Industry.
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