[Current & Culture] Nostalgic Pop Songs and Puff Daddy

The Most Successful Rapper in Pop History
Accused of Multiple Sex Crimes, Shocking the Public
May Be Erased from the Memories of Many Fans

Lee Jae-ik, SBS Radio PD and Novelist

Human memory is selective. Some things are vividly remembered for decades, while others are forgotten after just a few days. Strangely enough, I still clearly remember the cover of a book I saw 37 years ago. It was a collection of songs titled "Chueok-ui Popsong" (Nostalgic Pop Songs) that was lying around my house when I was in the 6th grade of elementary school in 1987. As the title suggests, it introduced nostalgic pop songs and included simple sheet music and guitar chords, with the faces of the four Beatles members drawn on the cover. The thick book contained so-called gems like the Eagles' "Hotel California," Linda Ronstadt's "Long Long Time," Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," and more. Probably dozens of similar books with similar titles were published around that time, and the songs inside were likely quite similar.

Looking back now, it’s curious. Most of these "nostalgic pop songs" were from the 1970s, but the songs were only about 10 to 15 years old at the time the book was published. No one today would call Taylor Swift’s "Love Story" (released in 2009) or Bruno Mars’ "Count on Me" (released in 2010) nostalgic pop songs. In fact, even songs from the early 2000s, which are well over 20 years old now, feel awkward to call nostalgic pop songs. Since both the history of pop and human lifespans have lengthened, I suppose the time required to earn the label "nostalgic" has also grown. So, can we now call songs from the 1990s nostalgic? Since the decades have been divided, I think it’s acceptable.

Recently, junior producers born in the late 1990s have been joining the company. There are even some born in 1999, so next year we might have producers born in the 2000s. These young producers don’t know much about 1990s singers. It’s natural not to know artists who were active before they were born, but since selecting songs is part of their job, mistakes sometimes happen. Once, a junior producer working as an assistant director on a program I was directing selected a song by R. Kelly. I informed them that R. Kelly is a serious criminal who was effectively sentenced to life imprisonment for child sexual abuse (he won’t be released until he’s over 80), and advised against playing his songs. I suggested they choose another song with a similar vibe. After searching for a while, the junior producer picked a song by Puff Daddy (who changed his stage name to Diddy), and it aired without any issues.

But now, it seems we can’t play Puff Daddy’s songs either. He has recently been accused of various sex crimes including sexual harassment, sexual assault, prostitution, and human trafficking. His home was raided urgently a few days ago, and the scene was broadcast live. The operation was massive, involving armored vehicles and helicopters. The victims included both men and women, and even currently active stars are alleged to be among them, which has shocked fans even more. Although the trial will take a long time, based on the witnesses and evidence secured by the investigation agencies, it is expected that he will receive a heavy sentence comparable to R. Kelly’s.

Before these crimes were revealed, R. Kelly was my pick for the best soul singer of the 1990s. And Puff Daddy, whose fortune is known to exceed 1 trillion won, is undoubtedly one of the most successful rappers in pop history alongside Jay-Z. With their dazzling talent and fallen souls, they may soon be erased from the memories of many fans, including myself. I believe art and character are separate, but even that has its limits. I hope the precious nostalgic pop songs don’t diminish any further.

Lee Jae-ik, SBS Radio PD and Novelist