P.Diddy is more than a millionaire dollar rap mogul who dances in rap videos and wears designer suits. Apparently, P.Diddy also cares about the children of the New York City public school system.
In September, Diddy held a press conference in which he vowed to complete the 23 Annual ING New York City Marathon, a 26.2 mile run. The man who is perhaps most popular for introducing Biggie Smalls to the world, went through eight weeks of intense training to get his body in tip-top shape for the run. He had to put his excessive party boy antics to the side for two months as he prepared for the strenuous task.
MTV, a station that is always in Diddy’s corner, made a one hour documentary-style program entitled “Diddy Runs the City,” that highlighted the highs and lows of Diddy’s efforts to help the youth of New York. They showed him at his best, like when he was coaching his son’s pee-wee football team in Mt. Vernon, N.Y. They captured times of defeat when it looked as if he wasn’t going to be able to run in the race due to tendon problems in his knee. There is no mistake that Diddy is a hardworking man inside and outside of the Bad Boy offices. He even allowed the camera to zoom into his feet which were covered with blisters from his many laps around the Big Apple.
After feeling that trainers were working him too hard, he decided to charter a jet to the Bad Boy Weekend in Atlanta. There were moments of defeat when he threw his strict diet out the window. He feasted on fried chicken on his private jet, where his manager Phil Robinson re-titled the program “Diddy Eats the City.” In complete Diddy style, he danced the night away, each hand always wrapped around an alcoholic beverage, from Cristal to Hypnotic.
After a heavy night of dancing and drinking, he did not show up for his workout session, to the dismay of his trainers. Diddy had spent the previous night “working” so hard that he deemed himself a victim of paralysis and was unable to move from his bed.
The next day he gave himself a swift kick in the posterior and was back to work again. This time, harder than ever. He took the streets with plastic bags with “Diddy Runs the City” logos on them. He campaigned all over New York City urging New Yorkers to empty their pockets for a good cause. He recruited rappers like Busta Rhymes, who donated $20,000, Jay-Z who gave $25,000 and Def Jam executives who, Diddy said, donated “tens of thousands of dollars.” He convinced New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg to sign his John Hancock on a check for $10,000. He even went as far to contact his former beau J.Lo and her fianc
