The Netflix series Sean Combs: The Reckoning was produced by 50 Cent, a rapper who has been on a years-long mission to expose Diddy’s deviant ways. While the documentary mostly focuses on the recent allegations against Diddy, notably his bizarre relationship with Cassy, it also sought to highlight his “origin story.”

One episode described in great detail a tragic event that occurred on December 28, 1991: The City College Stampede. What began as a star-studded basketball game during the holidays ended in chaos and horror that ultimately killed nine people and injured 29 others. While tragedies and accidents sometimes happen, the documentary insists on one fact: It was the start of Puff Daddy.

When one takes a closer look at the events leading to the tragedy, one quickly realizes that a suspicious number of things went wrong on a suspicious number of levels. In some ways, the stampede is reminiscent of Travis Scott’s Astroworld tragedy, where ten people were crushed to death while the show kept going.

Here’s a look at the event that is said to be Diddy’s “origin story.”

A Lot of Hype

The “1st Annual Heavy D and Puffy Daddy Celebrity Charity Basketball Game” was a major event in 1991 hip-hop culture. Participating in the game as players were major stars such as Michael Bivins, Boyz II Men, Run D.M.C., Redhead Kingpin, EPMD, Phife Dawg, Big Daddy Kane, and Jodeci. Major celebrities such as Mike Tyson were also in attendance.

The event was heavily promoted on Kiss 98.7 FM and received extensive media coverage.

The hype surrounding the event attracted a massive crowd of 5,000 people outside the venue. However, the Nat Holman Gymnasium had a maximum capacity of 2,730 people … and lots of people did not do their jobs.

Death Trap

At 5 p.m., the gymnasium doors opened to let ticket holders in. About 30 minutes later, the doors were closed, leaving thousands of people still outside. At around 7 p.m., a classic “bumrush” ensued when a glass door was broken, and people swarmed towards the entrance of the gym. It was a death trap.

Strangely enough, the gymnasium doors were left closed for up to 15 minutes as the crush worsened, from 7 to 7:15 p.m. Police officials later stated they were not able to see the crush at the base of the stairwell from their position on the first floor. With that said, I’m pretty sure the screams of death could be heard from a mile away.

While accidents can happen, a deeper look at the investigation surrounding this tragedy reveals some unsettling details.

Allowed to Happen?

In the weeks that followed the tragedy, information surfaced about multiple failures at various levels. For instance:

• Tickets to the 2,740-capacity event were oversold by 2,000, totalling nearly 5,000 tickets.
• Organizers spent only $500 on security, even though the event raised more than $40,000 in ticket sales. There were 20 guards on duty and about 20 other community volunteers. Experts said there should have been at least 100 trained security guards at this event.
• Additional doors could have been opened on street level and four at gym level to prevent the stampede.
• There was no communication between security guards inside the gym and those in the hallway and outside the building.
• The event was produced with an unusual contract, with no liability insurance, and with a budget that spent far more on promotion than on security.

The most bizarre fact is that nine police officers were outside the gymnasium while the tragedy was unfolding, but they refused to go inside to save lives. They later stated that they were not authorized to enter the building. However, the college’s security chief had authorized police to assist with building security early in the evening. Did officers get orders from a “higher level”?

After the event, Combs received part of the blame and was thrust into the spotlight.

On several occasions, the documentary noted that the City College stampede marked the start of this career.

Later, Diddy himself is quoted as saying:

“That’s really how I started to become famous, through tragedy.”

And boy, did the industry embrace him.

The Next Level

After the tragedy, Puff founded Bad Boy Records with renowned record producer and A&R executive Clive Davis. This somewhat unlikely association with an industry legend provided Combs with the resources and connections to take over the music industry in a short time. In the years that followed, artists such as Craig Mack, Mase, 112, The Lox, Faith Evans, and The Notorious B.I.G dominated the charts.

Although Bad Boy Records’ music videos were flashy and glamorous, what happened behind the scenes was extremely dark. As explained in this article, a bizarre number of Bad Boy artists went on to leave the industry and become very religious … as if they’ve seen something that deeply affected their souls.

However, The Notorious B.I.G. did not follow this character arc because he was murdered in 1997. And once again, the documentary heavily implies that Diddy had something to do with it.

Shortly after Biggie’s death, Puffy released his solo album titled No Way Out … as in “No Way Out” of the industry? The lead single from that album was Missing You – a tribute to Biggie that became a major hit.

Was Biggie’s death another sacrifice to further push Diddy’s career to another level?

In Conclusion

The documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning was produced by 50 Cent, a rapper who has been in the industry for over 20 years. Although the series discussed at length recent Diddy news about Cassy and “freakoffs,” it also sought to highlight the tragedies that punctuated his life. More importantly, it stressed how these deaths were directly linked to Diddy’s leap to superstardom.

From being the face of a tragedy, Combs was embraced by industry mogul Clive Davis, who provided the means and the know-how to make Bad Boy Records a force to be reckoned with. And, despite the astonishing number of accusations against him throughout the years, he always seemed to evade the law, as if he were “protected.”

Was he enjoying the privileges of embracing the dark side of the industry?