Nelly Once Revealed How Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Inspired his 2010 Hit ‘Just a Dream’
Prior to Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ arrest in 2024, the hip-hop mogul was known and loved by a lot of people in his industry. These days, nobody wants to associate with Diddy as he sits in jail awaiting his trial on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Back in the day, though, he was pretty close with stars like Nelly and Jay-Z (though Jay-Z says the two never had any kind of friendship).
It turns out Nelly once credited Diddy for inspiring him to create his 2010 hit “Just a Dream” after Nelly had been out of the spotlight for a few years.
Nelly credits Diddy for convincing him to make more music
Nelly was once one of the biggest rappers on the radio. Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he had clubs dancing to hits like “Ride Wit Me” and “Hot in Herre,” which took pop and hip-hop radio channels by storm. But by 2010, Nelly hadn’t had too many hits. Although he still wanted to make music, he wasn’t so convinced it would perform well — until he talked to Diddy. According to Express, a resurfaced interview that Nelly did in 2010 included the rapper revealing that it was just a handful of words from Diddy that convinced him to record more music.
“He was like, ‘Let’s go! What are you waiting on?’” Nelly recalled of Diddy’s advice to him. Nelly ended up getting back in the studio and recording “Just a Dream.” The song wound up going platinum. It made it to no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it was Nelly’s last major hit. Still, you won’t hear Nelly saying too much about Diddy these days, as most celebrities have done their best to distance themselves from the Bad Boy Records founder.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has almost no celebrity support
Rappers and producers in Diddy’s industry were quick to separate themselves from Diddy once his arrest was made in September 2024. Back in 2023, Diddy started to raise eyebrows when his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, accused him of years of abuse during their relationship. In 2024, a security video leaked that showed Diddy physically abusing Ventura in a hotel hallway. Only a few months later, Diddy was arrested following a lengthy investigation.
These days, celebrities have gone to lengths to disassociate with Diddy, with rapper Ray J even claiming in a TMZ documentary that some celebrities attempted to pay off Diddy’s alleged victims in order for their own names not to be made public. Diddy is in jail until his trial begins in May.
