Background and Production
The album comes nearly two years after Combs joint collaboration album, No Way Out, which opened on the US Billboard 200 at number one, and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album in February 1998, whereas Combs (under the name "Puff Daddy"), was nominated for Best New Artist, which he lost. He also collaborated with Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, for the single "Come with Me" for the 1998 poorly-received film Godzilla. The song had sampled "Kashmir" by Led Zeppelin, and reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart, whilst stalling at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. He was also obligated to star as Willie Beamen in the motion picture, Any Given Sunday, the role however went to Jamie Foxx.
Recording for Combs' debut album began in the fall of 1998, and would commence the following year. Around this time, Combs was spoofed by various American hip-hop artists, as well as critics, for watering down and commercializing the East Coast hip hop genre at the time, and was lampooned by various TV show sketch comedies, such as Mad TV, and Saturday Night Live, wherein he was parodied by Phil LaMarr and Tim Meadows, in a much broader and comedic light.
Read more about this topic: Forever (Puff Daddy Album)
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