Netflix has revealed the first trailer for Sean Combs: The Reckoning. This four-part docuseries has hovered in the cultural air for over a year. The streamer has locked in 2 December for its debut, sending all episodes live at once. The picture becomes perfect when you see who stands behind the project: Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, long-time critic, antagonist and rival to Combs.
Although teasers and rumours circulated for months, the official trailer lands with a sense of inevitability. Hip hop’s most persistent cold war now arrives as prestige television.
A Deep Dive Into Power, Fame and Collapse
According to Netflix, the series traces Combs’ entire arc: from hustling intern to one of the most powerful figures in music, fashion and television. However, it also digs into the allegations that have followed him in recent years, including claims of sexual coercion, assault and rape. Combs has denied all accusations.
The Hollywood reporter quotes Netflix’s synopsis:
“Diddy. Puff Daddy. Love. The public knows the hip-hop icon by many names – but who is the real Sean Combs? In a new four-part documentary by Emmy and Grammy Award–winning executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Emmy Award–winning director Alexandria Stapleton, Sean Combs: The Reckoning is a staggering examination of the media mogul, music legend and convicted offender”.
The series includes exclusive interviews with former friends, employees and artists who witnessed both the “shiny suit” empire and what allegedly lived beneath it. Ultimately, the docuseries positions Combs as both an architect and a cautionary tale of hip hop’s mainstream explosion.
It’s worth noting that Stapleton’s earlier work includes How Music Got Free, narrated by Eminem and 50 Cent. The film digs into the real cost of piracy – not just on labels, but on the artists whose work built the culture.
She says about her new project: “This isn’t just about the story of Sean Combs or the story of Cassie, or the story of any of the victims, or the allegations against him, or the trial. Ultimately, this story is a mirror [reflecting us] as the public, and what we are saying when we put our celebrities on such a high pedestal. I hope [this documentary] is a wake-up call for how we idolize people, and to understand that everybody is a human being”.
Fifty’s Revenge
Fifty’s involvement is not incidental. For decades, Fif has needled, mocked and openly accused Combs of questionable behaviour, dodgy business practices, and industry manipulation. Their feud became public knowledge back in the mid-2000s, when 50 Cent released “The Bomb”, a diss track implying Combs knew more about the death of The Notorious B.I.G. than he admitted.
The dispute later spilt into vodka branding wars, party-culture jabs, snarky jokes about sexuality and years of online taunting.
Eventually, Diddy became a person of interest in a criminal case, and the feud moved into a new territory. In March 2024, a poster titled Diddy Do It? fooled much of the internet into thinking Fif’s doc was already streaming on Netflix. Search traffic exploded. Graphic designer BossLogic confirmed the poster was satire. Yet Jackson reposted it with a wink, and confirmed that G-Unit Film & Television was making a real docuseries and donating proceeds to survivors of sexual assault.
This is gonna break records when this drop. GLG🚦GreenLightGang you know the vibes • https://t.co/jnbpt4Vpb3 pic.twitter.com/2lGlCsyykc
— 50cent (@50cent) March 26, 2024
Now Netflix has made it official.
The Criminal Case Behind the Doc
The Reckoning lands after Combs’ federal case in the Southern District of New York. In September 2024, prosecutors charged him with racketeering, sex trafficking and Mann Act violations. His trial ended with a split verdict: he was acquitted of the most serious charges but convicted on Mann Act counts. He is currently serving his sentence in New Jersey.
Given this context, the doc arrives as part of a broader re-examination of Combs’ legacy. A mogul who shaped 1990s American culture is now under unprecedented scrutiny.
50 Cent’s fingerprints are all over the project, from its tone to its framing. Once again, he positions himself as hip hop’s self-appointed industry watchdog – relentless, petty, sharp and suddenly civic-minded.
And now, with a poster, a trailer, and a release date finally confirmed, Fif shows that he does not walk away from what he starts. When Fifty goes after somebody, he goes hard.
