Sean Combs: The Reckoning Review – Unmasking the Man Behind the Myth

by Kathia Woods

Rating: ★★★★☆

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's four-part Netflix documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning is not just a celebrity exposé; it is a carefully planned breakdown of one of hip-hop's most meticulously crafted images. Director Alexandria Stapleton takes a hard look at how Sean "Diddy" Combs went from being a driven kid from Harlem to a powerful mogul whose public image of success hid years of alleged manipulation, abuse, and control.

The best thing about the documentary is how it slowly peels back layers. We watch as Combs makes up his different names, like Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Diddy. Each new name represents a move of marketing genius and serves as a strategic misdirection. By day, he acted like hip-hop royalty: the visionary who brought rap to the mainstream, the businessman building an empire, and the cultural ambassador in designer suits throwing legendary white parties. As former associates and victims show, the truth was much worse.

The Reckoning is especially powerful because it uses testimony from people who saw both sides of Combs. Kirk Burrowes, a former co-founder of Bad Boy Entertainment, gives damning evidence in the form of handwritten journal entries that show financial problems and unacceptable behavior. Former artists like Aubrey O'Day talk about experiences that make everything the public was told seem wrong in a way that is obvious. Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, the producer, gives 13 months of footage that shows Combs in private moments, showing how he controls and intimidates people.

The documentary shows how Combs used his success as a weapon. His rise through Uptown Records and the founding of Bad Boy Entertainment showed that he was exceptional at finding artists and making hits. He helped The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and many other people get their start in the business. However, he used this success to exert control over others. They demanded loyalty, broke rules, and ruined the careers and personal lives of those who didn't comply.

The video of Combs in his hotel room just days before his September 2024 arrest is especially scary. We see a man with advisors around him, planning his legal defense, still acting as if his carefully crafted image might save him. His claim that he "wants to fight for his life" doesn't hold up against the stories of people whose lives he supposedly ruined. Despite facing federal charges, this man believed that his fake identity could shield him from accountability.

The documentary doesn't shy from uncomfortable truths about industry complicity. For decades, people knew. Whispers circulated about the infamous parties, the allegations, and the pattern of abuse. Yet Combs' power—built on genuine musical contributions and ruthless business acumen—kept people silent. Fear of retaliation, desire for access, and industry gatekeeping all contributed to a system that enabled a swindler to operate under the guise of success.

Where The Reckoning occasionally falters is in its scope. As critics have noted, the documentary omits several major allegations and scandals, suggesting either legal constraints or editorial choices that soften the full picture. The series could have pushed harder by examining how the music industry's power structures enabled and protected Combs for so long.

Still, the documentary succeeds in its primary mission: revealing the cost of unchecked power. We see the human toll—Cassie Ventura's years of alleged abuse, O'Day's potential assault that she can't even remember, countless others who lost careers or suffered trauma. The series makes clear that Combs' story isn't just about one man's fall but about systemic failures that prioritize profit and power over human dignity.

Sean Combs: The Reckoning makes us think about more than just Combs; it makes us think about an industry and culture that put image above honesty. It's a sobering reminder that the most dangerous con artists are the ones who make people believe that their carefully crafted personas are real. Combs' shiny facade of success hid something much worse: a pattern of alleged abuse, manipulation, and control that hurt dozens of people while the world praised his accomplishments.

The documentary doesn't celebrate Combs' fall; it mourns what was lost along the way. The line from 50 Cent's song "Many Men" that says "What goes around, comes around" is true. The Reckoning makes sure that we finally see what was always there, hiding in plain sight behind designer clothes and platinum records.

Available now on Netflix.