Producers Jermaine Dupri, the Neptunes, No I.D. and Just Blaze all make appearances on a few tracks each. But shockingly the lion’s share of the credit is due to Sean “Diddy” Combs, who goes a long way toward redeeming a career that had become a sorry punch line.

Taking some cues from Kanye West, he crafts six intoxicating jams that dig deep into ’70s soul for inspired samples from forgotten heroes such as Rudy Love the Love Family, Little Beaver and Larry Ellis the Black Hammer, as well as the far more familiar Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield.