The thinking man's Diddy

Don’t misunderstand. Diddy has social merit. Remember “Vote or Die!,” the Diddy-sponsored voter-registration initiative that inspired The Onion to run the election-day headline, “Remember to vote or P. Diddy will kill you”? The physically fit millionaire also raised some $2 million for New York schools by running the 2004 New York City marathon.

Still, Diddy’s community efforts often smell of publicity stunt (and maybe a tax write-off). It’s as if Diddy is, Lady Macbeth-style, trying to scrub away the bad vibes of his '90s mishaps — the club shooting incident with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, the copious lawsuits and the whole East Coast/West Coast rap wars.

West loves to toot his horn, but his activism seems uncalculated, and sometimes bad for his career. Diverting from script to state “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” on live television during the NBC Hurricane Katrina Benefit in 2005 could’ve resulted in West’s banishment from TV. Denouncing gay bashing in homophobia-laden hip-hop could’ve resulted in lost record sales and audience.

Even West’s obligatory foray into film is different is different from the acting path taken by Diddy and other MCs. While Diddy hosts a new reality cooking show in April, West plans to develop a film inspired by his music. The movie, in which he also appears, features several shorts by different writers and directors, and shows various perspectives of American life. It’s expected that West’s film will reflect, at least in part, the sentiments he blurted during his infamous 2005 Katrina moment on live TV.

Getting humble, sort of
Though dismissed by some for the sin of pride, West ceaselessly puts his money in the same location as his great big mouth. He’s more than happy to tell the world that his music is the best out today, but he’s not far from the truth. Consider West’s gorgeous “Jesus Walks” or the bitingly clever party hit, “Gold Digger.” Now consider Kevin Federline’s “PopoZao,” or the unspeakably inane “My Humps” by formerly intelligent outfit The Black Eyed Peas.

Rolling Stone via AP The now-infamous Rolling Stone cover. A healthy ego has never been West's problem.

West’s temper tantrums, such as the one West through at the 2005 American Music Awards when he lost best new artist to Gretchen Wilson, are fading from his repertoire. Yes, he brought a sign to the 2006 Grammys that read “I TOLD YOU SO” which he planned on holding it during his acceptance speech for Album of the Year. But when U2 took the prize instead, he was almost humble — by West’s standards at least. "It's all good," Kanye said after the show, "U2, those are my boys.”

Of course, West was sure to add that a vote-split was the reason for his loss — R&B fans were torn between “Late Registration” and Mariah Carey’s comeback LP, “The Emancipation of Mimi.” "I didn't win it by a technicality, not because I didn't deserve it,” West said. “Even (U2 lead singer) Bono was like ‘Come on. Everybody knows it.””

You’re a tough sell if you can’t find such hubris at least a little bit charming. Especially when he assured reporters he was now more motivated than ever to work on his third LP, “Graduation.”

Planning ahead even before “Graduation” is in the can, West, who never completed his degree, says he’ll call his fourth LP something most graduates can’t immediately look forward to: “A Good-Ass Job.”

Ironically, it’s what West already has. And in the true hip-hop mogul tradition, he earned it without a diploma.

Helen Popkin lives in New York. She is a frequent contributor to MSNBC.com.

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