Anyone that knows anything about Bad Boy Records knows that to say the name “Bad Boy” is to say it with a small (okay, maybe big) sense of disappointment. So many acts with so much talent have floundered under the recording label that was founded and is headed up by CEO Diddy.  For the past few years, it seems that to be signed to Bad Boy Records is to be here one day, singing and dancing and smiling for the cameras (reality TV cameras too) and then find yourself in a pit of obscurity, back on your mother’s couch the next.

In an interview with DJ Whoo Kid recently, Diddy said a lot of the criticism of his label is just straight up hate:

“Over the last couple of years, there’s been a strong propaganda movement that’s been brewing in the negative sense against Bad Boy, against what it is to sign to the Bad Boy label, if it’s a detriment to your career,” Diddy said. “Just hate. Just regular hate and also a lot of people not understanding how this industry works. … This is not a PG-rated industry. If you’re weak, you’ll be eaten alive.”

Hey, I might be hater by his standards, but when you have to reassemble your entire roster every two years, do reality TV shows to find talent that you squander, and spend more time promoting your own musical efforts than that of your artists, it’s safe to say your formula isn’t working. With that, and Diddy’s recent proclamation that people with two eyes that can see a catastrophe are haters, check out our list of Bad Boy artists who could have done really big or bigger things…if they hadn’t or weren’t signed to Bad Boy.