atlanta music tagged interest

There have been rumors about Diddy and his alleged inappropriate behavior for many years. The rapper, producer, and business mogul is finally facing criminal charges for a long list of crimes, including sex trafficking and racketeering. Being involved with such serious legal infractions could be a career-killer for some artists—and that may well prove to be the case with him—but for the moment, listeners are still interested in his work.

Diddy’s catalog is actually gaining in consumption following his arrest earlier this month. Americans have been rushing to listen to the songs that made him a superstar, possibly out of intrigue, or perhaps in support of the troubled musician.

AP reports that streams of Diddy’s music surged by more than 18% in the tracking week that included his arrest (September 16), when compared to the week prior. Before he was taken away in handcuffs, there were already plenty of looming legal issues, but the arrest was a trending topic and a huge story in the entertainment world.

This type of increase in sales and streams is not odd, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a huge population that is standing by Diddy through what may prove to be a long and complicated case. It’s common for any artist who ends up in the news—either for good or bad—to see consumption of their music improve in the days and weeks following whatever reminds the world of their work.

An 18% increase is notable, but whether it’s enough to send Diddy back to the Billboard charts is yet to be seen. The hip-hop artist doesn’t appear on the lists this frame, though he could find his way to one or two in the coming weeks, especially if fans continue to stream—and perhaps even buy—his tunes and albums.

The day following his arrest, Diddy—also known as Sean Combs, his legal name—pled not guilty to all crimes. He was remanded to remain in jail for the time being. The rapper then offered to surrender his passport and pay a $50 million bond in an effort to be able to return home, but that was also denied.