In 1998, a film was released that would introduce Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to a new audience of music listeners. Starring Matthew Broderick and Hank Azaria, “Godzilla” opened in theatres across America to mixed reviews. It was yet another remake of the classic Japanese film “Gojira”, but this time, there were a few twists, one of which was the film’s soundtrack featuring rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in a joint venture with the guitarist of famed English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page. For Sean Combs, Godzilla was his chance to show people he wasn’t just a one-genre musician; he could rock it out with the best of them.
Based on the 1975 classic Led Zeppelin song “Kashmir”, the rapper remixed a version that was not only endorsed by Page, but also featured live guitar tracks from Page himself. The movie might have opened to mixed reviews – and, mostly negative ones from fans – but the saving grace for many was this song that was featured prominently in the film. For the musician, this film had been his chance to show off his skills as not only a rapper but also as a music producer.
The sampled version of the song was so popular that he and Page were asked to perform it live together on a 1998 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” Snippets of the song were also featured in the third series of the X Factor. Fans didn’t seem to care that many of the obscenities were censored with Godzilla’s roar. Although it was a completely new domain for the rapper, this film had proven his worth as a multi-faceted musician. It had enabled him to cross over between genres and endear himself to a new array of music aficionados.
Much like the move had its die-hard fans and its critics, however, so too did Combs’ remake of “Kashmir”, called “Come With Me”, have its critics. Not everybody was happy with the fact that a Zeppelin song had been ‘tampered’ with by a rap musician. After all, for many Zeppelin fans, the band’s songs are considered sacred and set in stone and should be left as they are. However, Sean Combs’ Godzilla track received the endorsement from the original band and would go on to become the most successful song to come off the Godzilla soundtrack.
The success of this song encouraged the rapper-producer to continue trying his hand in the world of rock. In an effort to keep widening his musical horizons, he signed Fuzzbubble to the Bad Boy Entertainment record label he first founded in 1993. A rock band from Long Island, Fuzzbubble was also given the chance to record a track for the Godzilla soundtrack. The band would later part ways with Bad Boy Entertainment, but not before giving Combs a better idea of new directions he could take both his music label and his career.
For Sean Combs, Godzilla represented his break out of the rap world and into a new genre of music. It was a break that would shape the rest of his career.
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