Press Play (album)

Press Play is the fourth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Sean Combs, under the name "P. Diddy". It was released on October 17, 2006, by Bad Boy Records in a joint venture with Warner Music Group's Atlantic Records, serving as his only album with the label. Press Play was intended to be released under Combs' stage name of simply "Diddy", but a lawsuit from DJ Richard "Diddy" Dearlove effectively prevented him from doing so; however, it was released under Combs' "Diddy" name in regions in which it was not registered.^[3]

Press Play
Studio album by P. Diddy
Released	October 17, 2006
Recorded	2005–2006
Genre	Hip hop[1] club R&B[2]
Length	78:58
Label	Bad Boy Atlantic
Producer	Sean "P. Diddy" Combs The Hitmen Kanye West Danja Rob Lewis Just Blaze Timbaland will.i.am The Neptunes Rich Harrison Havoc Jai
P. Diddy chronology
We Invented the Remix (2002) Press Play (2006) Last Train to Paris (2010)
Singles from Press Play
"Come to Me" Released: September 12, 2006 "Tell Me" Released: November 7, 2006 "Last Night" Released: February 27, 2007 "Through the Pain (She Told Me)" Released: July 2007

Musically, Press Play predominantly features guest contributions from R&B and hip hop performers including Nicole Scherzinger, Christina Aguilera, Keyshia Cole, Brandy, Jamie Foxx, Ciara, Nas, Timbaland, Mary J. Blige, CeeLo Green, Keri Hilson, Big Boi, Mario Winans, Avant and Fergie, among others.^[4][5] Primarily dance-pop and hip hop-oriented in sound, it is a loose conceptual album with lyrical themes discussing the ups and downs of a relationship.^[5]

The album was preceded by the single "Come to Me", which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. After the album's release, it spawned the singles "Tell Me", "Last Night" and "Through the Pain (She Told Me)". It became available to the preview on MTV's The Leak on October 10, 2006, one week before the album was sold in stores.^[6] Press Play received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics.^[7]

Reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	62/100[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
About.com	[9]
AllMusic	[10]
Billboard	Mixed[11]
Cokemachineglow	35/100[12]
Entertainment Weekly	B[2]
The Guardian	[13]
Los Angeles Times	[14]
musicOMH	[15]
The New York Times	Negative[1]
PopMatters	6/10[16]
Rolling Stone	[17]
Slant Magazine	[18]
USA Today	[19]

Based on an aggregation of 19 critics' reviews, Metacritic graded Press Play 62 out of 100 points for "generally favorable reviews".^[8]

Allmusic rated the album four stars out of five, with Andy Kellman praising the choice of featured artists: "...the roster of collaborators and guests is both extensive and impressive..."^[10] Will Hermes of Entertainment Weekly, in grading the album with a B, had mild praise for Diddy's rapping style: "While Combs isn't a great rapper, he's more nimble and lyrically substantive than usual."^[2] However, Hermes also commented that the drug references and profanities in the lyrics "don't square with Diddy's current CEO persona."^[2]

However, several reviewers had mixed views, praising the musical styles while questioning Diddy's rapping abilities. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone wrote: "Diddy's rhymes are more adept than they used to be, but his flat voice and retro boasts drag things down."^[17] For The Guardian, Alexis Petridis commented: "The musical brilliance that surrounds him only serves to highlight Combs's shortcomings as a rapper."^[13] Petridis also criticized Diddy for "halting delivery" and "self-aggrandisement."^[13]

Los Angeles Times critic Natalie Nichols commented that Diddy was "innovative and versatile" for favoring instrumentation over sampling and integrating different styles like funk and drum and bass.^[14] However, Nichols rated the album two stars out of four, as she considered some of the tracks "overly long and overblown".^[14] For About.com, Ivan Rott praised the album overall as a "nice, eclectic musical journey" but was ambivalent about the songwriting, calling some tracks "mature, albeit schmaltzy" and others "arrogant".^[9]

Similarly, Mike Joseph had a 6-of-10 review for PopMatters, calling the album "quite easy to listen to" but panning some tracks as "forgettable".^[16] Slant Magazine rated the album three out of five stars, with Sal Cinquemani acknowledging it "might be the best-produced album" of 2006 but criticizing the songwriting: "Diddy still doesn’t have an original bone in his body or a fresh idea in his head..."^[18] For Billboard, Jeff Vrabel criticized the lyrical themes as "eye-rollingly egomaniacal even by Diddy standards" but praised the album as "a solid and often appealing party jam".^[11] Elysa Gardner of USA Today found there to be "a few cringe-inducing interludes".^[19]

Other critics had harsher criticisms. Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times regarded Press Play as "a garish, puzzling album" and "[not] the sort of CD people pick up when they want to explain what’s great about hip-hop."^[1] Chet Betz of Cokemachineglow rated the album 35 percent, calling Diddy a "voice that bumbles through every song".^[12]

Commercial performance

Press Play debuted at number-one on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 170,000 copies.^[20][21]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[22]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Testimonial (Intro)"	Sean Combs Leroy Watson Roland Orzabal Curt Smith	P. Diddy J-Dub	2:24
2.	"We Gon' Make It" (featuring Jack Knight)	Combs Jack Knight Watson Jayceon Taylor Johnny Pate Kevin Hansford	K-Def P. Diddy[a]	3:33
3.	"I Am (Interlude)"	Combs Watson Deleno Matthews Levar Coppin Brenda Davis Berry Gordy Patrice Holloway Frank Wilson	Grind Music P. Diddy	1:46
4.	"The Future"	Combs Kejuan Muchita Troy Jamerson	Havoc	3:11
5.	"Hold Up" (featuring Angela Hunte)	Combs Glenn C. Johnson Muchita Jamerson Angela Hunte Jerry Peters	SC Havoc[a]	3:29
6.	"Come to Me" (featuring Nicole Scherzinger)	Combs Mike Winans Jacoby White Shay Winans Nicole Scherzinger Shannon "Slam" Lawrence Roger Greene Jr. Richard Frierson Yakubu Izuagbe	Jai Younglord P. Diddy	4:36
7.	"Tell Me" (featuring Christina Aguilera)	Combs Knight Watson Shannon Jones Lawrence Ryan Montgomery Stephen Garrett Elizabeth Wyce Justin Smith	Just Blaze	4:06
8.	"Wanna Move" (featuring Ciara, Big Boi, and Scar)	Combs Nathaniel Hills Antwan Patton Terrence Smith Clifford Harris, Jr. White Ciara Princess Harris Kristal Oliver	Danja Big Boi[b]	5:18
9.	"Diddy Rock" (featuring Shawnna, Twista, and Timbaland)	Combs Hill Timothy Mosley Carl Mitchell Pierre Jones Lloyd Mathis	Danja	5:12
10.	"Claim My Place (Interlude)" (featuring Avant and The Movement Orchestra)	Combs Mike Winans Lawrence Rob Lewis	Rob Lewis	3:25
11.	"Everything I Love" (featuring Nas and Cee-Lo Green)	Combs Watson Nasir Jones Kanye West Thomas DeCarlo Callaway	Kanye West P. Diddy[a]	4:23
12.	"Special Feeling" (featuring Mika Lett)	Combs Will Adams	will.i.am P. Diddy Mario Winans[b]	4:25
13.	"Crazy Thang (Interlude)" (featuring S. Rosete)	Combs Lewis	Rob Lewis	1:15
14.	"After Love" (featuring Keri Hilson)	Combs Mosley Hill Keri Lynn Hilson White James Washington	Timbaland Danja	4:47
15.	"Through the Pain (She Told Me)" (featuring Mario Winans)	Mario Winans Combs White	Mario Winans P. Diddy[a]	5:28
16.	"Thought You Said" (featuring Brandy)	Mario Winans Combs Watson Michael "Lo Down" Jones Sean Garrett S. Jones	Mario Winans P. Diddy[a]	5:49
17.	"Last Night" (featuring Keyshia Cole)	Combs Knight Mario Winans Lawrence	Mario Winans P. Diddy[a]	6:26
18.	"Making It Hard" (featuring Mary J. Blige)	Combs Watson Rich Harrison Sean Garrett P. Jones Wyce Regional Garland	Rich Harrison	4:54
19.	"Partners for Life" (featuring Jamie Foxx)	Combs Robert Ross Watson Pharrell Williams	The Neptunes	4:31

Best Buy bonus track

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"All Night Long" (featuring Fergie)	will.i.am	6:25
21.	"Get Off"	Sean C & LV	4:28

Limited edition

• The limited edition version of the album includes a story of photos on how P. Diddy met a woman in a club. The album is located in a pocket on the last page; as well as these exclusive versions that were released from Target and Best Buy, Target having a bonus DVD and Best Buy including a bonus track, called "Get Off".

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional producer

Sample credits

List of samples used in Press Play:

Testimonial (Intro) "Head Over Heels" by Tears for Fears We Gon' Make It "Shaft in Africa" by Johnny Pate I Am (Interlude) Excerpts from "You've Made Me So Very Happy" by Lou Rawls Hold Up Excerpts from "White Shutters" by Jerry Peters

Special Feeling "Baby I'm a Star" by Prince Making It Hard Excerpts from "I Need Love" by Hunts Determination Last Night "Erotic City" by Prince

Personnel

Production Sean "P. Diddy" Combs The Hitmen Danja Rob Lewis Just Blaze Timbaland Kanye West will.i.am The Neptunes Rich Harrison Havoc Jai

Writing credits: The Game and Aasim - "We Gon' Make It" Pharoahe Monch - "The Future", "Hold Up" Jody Breeze (from Boyz n da Hood) - "Wanna Move", "Through the Pain (She Told Me)", "After Love" T.I. - "Wanna Move" Mista Raja - "Come to Me" Royce Da 5'9" - "Tell Me" Ness (formerly of Da Band) & Matthew Winans - "Diddy Rock" Yummy Bingham and Aasim - "Tell Me" Yummy Bingham and Cardan - "Tell Me" Static Major - "Tell Me" Black Rob and Aasim - "Partners for Life" Mike Brown - "Last Night", "Diddy Rock" Nas and Aasim - "Everything I Love"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2006–07) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 41 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[24] 41 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[25] 39 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[26] 22 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[27] 24 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[28] 58 French Albums (SNEP)[29] 31 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[30] 32 Irish Albums (IRMA)[31] 13 Italian Albums (FIMI)[32] 84 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[33] 46 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[34] 9 UK Albums (OCC)[35] 11 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[36] 1 US Billboard 200[37] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[38] 1 US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[39] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2006) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[40] 69 Chart (2007) Position French Albums (SNEP)[41] 105 UK Albums (OCC)[42] 179 US Billboard 200[43] 146 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[44] 52

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Ireland (IRMA)[45]	Gold	7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA)[47]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Sanneh, Kelefa (October 12, 2006). "A Rapper Returns; So Does a Hustler". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
2. Hermes, Will (October 16, 2006). "Press Play". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 28, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
3. "Diddy's Different Names Through the Years: Puffy, P. Diddy and More".
4. Breihan, Tom. Review: Press Play. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
5. Sterdan, Darryl. "Review: Press Play^[usurped]". Winnipeg Sun: October 23, 2006. Archived from the original^{[permanent dead link]} on 2009-10-25.
6. The Leak: Press Play. MTV. Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
7. Press Play (2006): Reviews Archived 2009-03-12 at the Wayback Machine. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-10-25.
8. "Reviews for Press Play by Diddy". Metacritic. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
9. Rott, Ivan. "Diddy - Press Play Review". About.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
10. Kellman, Andy (2006). "Press Play". Allmusic. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
11. Vrabel, Jeff (October 16, 2006). "Press Play, Diddy". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 16, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
12. Betz, Chet (October 20, 2006). "Diddy, Press Play". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on October 26, 2006. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
13. Petridis, Alexis. "P Diddy, Press Play". The Guardian. Archived from the original on November 20, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
14. Nichols, Natalie. "The mogul's game? Diddy spells it out". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 19, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
15. Hogwood, Ben (16 October 2006). "P Diddy - Press Play (Atlantic)". musicOMH. Archived from the original on 2006-11-15. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
16. Joseph, Mike (October 31, 2006). "Diddy: Press Play". PopMatters. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
17. Hoard, Christian (October 17, 2006). "Diddy: Press Play". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 14, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
18. Cinquemani, Sal (October 20, 2006). "Review: Diddy, Press Play". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
19. Gardner, Elysa (October 13, 2006). "'Press Play' needs all the help it gets". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 6, 2006. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
20. "Diddy Scores First No. 1 Album In Nine Years". Billboard 200.
21. "November 4, 2006". Billboard 200.
22. Press Play (booklet). Bad Boy, Atlantic. 2006.
23. "Australiancharts.com – P. Diddy – Press Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
24. "Austriancharts.at – P. Diddy – Press Play" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
25. "Ultratop.be – P. Diddy – Press Play" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
26. "Ultratop.be – P. Diddy – Press Play" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
27. "Danishcharts.dk – P. Diddy – Press Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
28. "Dutchcharts.nl – P. Diddy – Press Play" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
29. "Lescharts.com – P. Diddy – Press Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
30. "Offiziellecharts.de – P. Diddy – Press Play" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
31. "Irish-charts.com – Discography P. Diddy". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
32. "Italiancharts.com – P. Diddy – Press Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
33. "Swedishcharts.com – P. Diddy – Press Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
34. "Swisscharts.com – P. Diddy – Press Play". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
35. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
36. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
37. "Diddy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
38. "Diddy Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
39. "Diddy Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
40. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
41. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2007" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
42. "UK Year-End Charts 2007" (PDF). Official Charts Company. ChartsPlus. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
43. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
44. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
45. "The Irish Charts - 2006 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
46. "British album certifications – Diddy – Press Play". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
47. "American album certifications – Diddy – Press Play". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 17, 2023.

External links

• Press Play at Discogs