Diddy's Last Train to Paris album turns 10 years old today (Dec. 14).
In honor of the mogul's collaborative effort with former Bad Boy Records R&B duo Dirty Money (Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper) being released a decade ago, Diddy is offering a never-before-seen look at the creative process of his fifth album. The video clips, provided exclusively to XXL, feature both Diddy as well as Kid Cudi, Busta Rhymes and Jay Electronica, among others.
Although Kid Cudi does not appear on the final version of Last Train to Paris, the lauded rapper, who just dropped his seventh solo album, Man on the Moon III: The Chosen, was welcomed to join Diddy for a studio session.
In a clip featuring the two artists, Diddy is playing a beat for Kid Cudi, who begins to create a melody on the spot for the track. "Now or never," Cudi croons repeatedly as Puff adjusts the boards. Cudder adds, "Just gotta get that flow and figure out something."
Another video also features Busta Rhymes in the studio getting an early listen of the track "Strobe Lights" featuring Lil Wayne. Busta appears to be blown away by the 7 Aurelius and DEEKAY-produced record. "Yo, that shit feels crazy, nigga," Busta Bust says with excitement. "It feel good and crazy at the same time. What the fuck's going on, B?"
The engineer cranks up the volume on the high-energy track and Busta sits back in his chair in pure disbelief.
A special 30-second clip of the Last Train to Paris sessions captures Puff revisiting the moment he let Pharrell hear the album, which resulted in the veteran producer calling the project the "new Black."
"This shit, this whole fly Blackness done went global," Diddy explains. "So I played this shit for Pharrell in the infantile stages. That nigga ain't never amp me up. He said, 'I ain't gon' front, nigga. You on to the new Black.' And I'm running with that. This shit is the new Black. We got a lot of shit inspiring us to be who we can be. We got Obama. We entering our fuckin‘ 20th year doing this shit. We should be able to be the essence of who we want to be. This shit is the new… We making new Black all around."
When Last Train to Paris came out in 2010, the offering landed in the Billboard 200 top 10 at No. 7, and sold 101,000 units compared to the 60,000-70,000 that was initially projected for the album.
The 14-track hip-hop album, which features appearances from Swizz Beatz, The Notorious B.I.G., Rick Ross, Drake, Wiz Khalifa, T.I. Chris Brown and more, and combines Eurodance and house music, has hit a milestone that calls for a champagne toast.
Revisit Diddy and Dirty Money's Last Train to Paris studio sessions on the 10th anniversary of the album below.
Watch Kid Cudi Working on Last Train to Paris
Busta Rhymes Working on Last Train to Paris
Diddy Speaking on Pharrell Describing Last Train to Paris as "the New Black"
Jay Electronica Working on Last Train to Paris
James Fauntleroy Working on Last Train to Paris
See the Best Hip-Hop Projects From 2010