“What they call a freak, I call fun. You can’t fault a man for wanting to have fun.”
There’s a point in every culture shift when the misunderstood becomes the mainstream, when the freak becomes the founder, when what they laughed at becomes the lifestyle. And let’s be clear: before there were Bad Boy anthems, Champagne baths, and Harlem Shake takeovers on yachts in St. Tropez, some of us were already doing “Diddy shit” before Diddy ever did shit.
And we weren’t asking for permission.
Let’s break that down — not to knock the mogul himself (because Puff, Love, Diddy, whatever name he rocks — he’s a masterclass in reinvention), but to claim what’s often erased: the trailblazers who didn’t get the spotlight, who lived loud without a brand deal, who treated life like a studio session with no producers, no edits, just raw, unfiltered energy.
We wore silk shirts when folks said it was “too much.”
We popped bottles when they said we “hadn’t earned it.”
We danced on couches while they stayed boxed in their 9-to-5 minds.
We weren’t freaks — we were the prototype.
To want joy in a world that’s constantly trying to chain you down? That’s resistance. To choose fun — unapologetically — is a radical act. Because joy, when you’re not supposed to have it, when the system wasn’t built for you to feel it? That’s power. And power looks good when it’s smiling, sweating, and sipping tequila on a Tuesday.
You see, what they call “doing the most,” we call living. What they label “extra,” we just call complete. And while some waited for the red rope to open, we were building the club on the curb, turning sidewalks into soul trains.
So no, you can’t fault a man for wanting to have fun.
You can’t shame someone for refusing to live life muted.
Because long before the cameras caught it, before it was a trend, before it was monetized, before it was palatable — it was our truth. We didn’t need approval. We needed a beat. And baby, we found one in every room we entered.
So to all the early Diddys of the world — the unsung fun-first revolutionaries — this one’s for you. Keep shining, keep dancing, and never let the world dull your desire to do your kind of “shit.”
Because sometimes “freak” is just another word for free.
Shane higdon 