They say if you're going to criticize someone, you should say one nice thing about them first. I like that P. Diddy decided to promote his new men's fragrance, I Am King, with a straight-to-YouTube production/tryout for James Bond*. There. Now on to what I really think. Hammer time:
This "movie," as Diddy calls it, is nothing more than a rap music video without music. Booty, bling and gaudy luxury all make slow-motion appearances. Wait, I'm sorry, it's fundamentally different in that it's framed with insightful phrases like the following:
- "What defines a king?... A brief in the impossible."
and
- "This is our moment. Will you answer the calling? I believe, therefore I am."
Notwithstanding that bringing René Descartes ("I think, therefore I am") into the male perfume discussion is incredibly appropriate (read: not), what does I Am King have to do with "a brief in the impossible" or Martin Luther King Jr.? This whole production is so ridiculous and terrible, that it's not worth taking seriously...
...which is why it must be a big joke. "I Am King" dedicated to MLK...lines like "I am best-suited to be the next James Bond." Hilarious. The guy who produced Making the Band has got to have a sense of humor. And the post-holiday sales numbers will be the punch line.
If you care to take a "brief" into the "impossible":
Ps - Is this not one of the most amazing excuses to travel to an exotic location and take some sexy video? Rappers have awesome lives.
*Replace arguably the best James Bond ever (Daniel Craig) with Diddy just because Barack Obama was elected presented (as is implied in the video)? Don't diddy our legs, Daddy.