Diddy Debuts New Fragrance, Makes A Pitch For Next Bond Movie

Imagine a man and a woman in an elevator together. He gets off before she does, but his scent lingers for the next five floors. This is the scenario Sean "Diddy" Combs, rapper/actor/music mogul/fashion designer/honorary perfumer, envisions when he designs a new cologne, which he says is a key ingredient to a man's swagger.

Trust him -- this is a man who knows a bit about swagger. And cologne.

Diddy is following up his award-winning 'Unforgivable' line with 'I Am King,' a new men's fragrance that's being sold exclusively at Macy's starting this month. He sat down with Black Voices recently to discuss his new fragrance, his inspiration, and a certain movie role he's dying to get.

"My grandmother always used to say, 'You are what you say you are,' and she called me her little king," he said. "[I Am King] is about your father, your brother, your boyfriend, your husband -- the kings in your life. It's about self affirmation."

The fragrance is dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Barack Obama, three men who Diddy says embody the spirit of his cologne. And he has already picked out the "queens" to whom he'll dedicate his upcoming women's fragrance, 'I Am Queen.'

"I am queen is dedicated to Oprah Winfrey and my mother," he said. "Those are the people that I looked up to and proved to me that I am a descendant of royalty."

The name of the cologne evokes images of men in gold crowns and opulent robes, but the ad campaign, which includes a mammoth-sized billboard in Times Square and a mini-movie that's already made the rounds on YouTube, depicts a different kind of king -- the kind who has a reason to go jet-skiing in black tie, wears a lot of white tuxedo jackets and aviators, has a beautiful woman on his arm at all times and just happens to be Diddy himself.

The ads are important, he says, because they show black men in a different light.

"The campaign shows an African-American male shot in a very elegant and sophisticated way," he said. "It's important that we can have images that will rival a Ralph Lauren or a Tom Ford. It just shows the possibilities."

Speaking of possibilities, the slick mini-movie that is supposed to be a long-form commercial for 'I Am King' might just be serving an extra purpose. All those swanky shots of Diddy doing dare-devilish stunts while dressed to the nines could pique the interest of the director of the next James Bond movie -- at least that's what he's hoping for. Yes, Diddy is ready and willing to be the first black James Bond.

"I'm a struggling, trying-to-find-some-work-for-hire actor, and I thought that [the movie] was also a way to put out a call out to different directors," he said. "I know how to do my own stunts. And without saying any words -- that's the hardest part of acting -- without saying any words I can deliver a message of coolness and swagger."

He's already got the movie concept worked out -- he'll play the New York-based agent who helps the British Bond when he comes to town and gets himself into trouble.

"I'm a dreamer," he said of his movie idea. " You've got to put things out there. If you put them out there, they come true."

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