When Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson revealed in December 2023 that he was working on a documentary about Sean "Diddy" Combs as sexual assault allegations against the music mogul began to mount, no one was quite sure how serious he was. Jackson has been trolling Combs - who was sentenced to 50 months in prison after being convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in July - for years, and it seemed entirely possible the announcement was simply another attempt to get under his longtime rival's skin. But Jackson had every intention of following through, and on Dec. 2, Netflix debuted Sean Combs: The Reckoning. The four-part docuseries - executive produced by Jackson and directed by Emmy winner Alexandria Stapleton - is as expansive as it is damning: former friends and associates recall Combs' ruthless rise to fame and subsequent reign of terror as the head of Bad Boy Entertainment, and alleged victims (including Joi Dickerson-Neal and Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, both of whom have lawsuits pending against Combs, as well as former Danity Kane member Aubrey O'Day) share disturbing details of sexual harassment and assault. The disgraced mogul is also implicated in the murders of Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, and, in footage Combs, 56, himself orchestrated - he'd hired a videographer to film him in the days leading up to his Sep- tember 2024 arrest - he's seen ordering his legal team to hire someone who "has dealt in the dirtiest of dirty busi- ness" and declaring that he needs hand sanitizer after shaking hands with fans in the Harlem streets. Jackson insists the project isn't part of a vendetta to take Combs down. "I'm not doing this as some personal mission," he says. The hip-hop star, 50, feels a responsibility to be vocal, and is in a unique position because he's not scared of retaliation. "I'm telling a story no one else is telling because I don't have the fear that [others] feel towards him," he explains. "I'm not afraid at all." Stapleton admits she does have concerns. "You just never know what might happen. I definitely have fears," the director tells Us Weekly, adding that her hope is that "when people finish watching, they can have a conversation about what we put up with and what we condone." On Dec. 1, lawyers for Combs, who's denied all wrongdoing, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Netflix, claiming the streamer used stolen footage that was never intended for release. Combs' spokesperson also called the doc "a shameful hit piece" and said it was "troubling" that Netflix handed creative authority over to Jackson, calling him a "longtime public adversary." In response to the claims, a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement to Us on Dec. 2 that the "footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained. This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. Curtis Jackson is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate." As the series continues to make waves, Jackson talks to Us about giving a voice to victims, what he believes makes Combs tick and why he thinks the rapper "is actually going to like" The Reckoning. What inspired you to make this doc? 50 CENT PHOTOGRAPHED BY KREWSADE. INSET; AMANDA EDWARDS/WIREIMAGE I've been committed to real storytelling for years through G-Unit Film & Television. We don't run from the truth; we document it. When this story evolved, it was clear there was a bigger conversation happening. The series explores Combs' childhood. Why go back so far? The things you go through make you who you are. You can't understand a man without understanding where he came from. Puff's childhood was an important part of this. [In a Dec. 7 statement to Deadline, Combs' mom, Janice Combs, called out "inaccuracies regarding my son Sean's upbringing and family life" in the docuseries, including claims that Combs had hit her and that she had been an abusive parent.] What surprised you most from the footage or interviews? How many people were holding onto pain or confusion for years. Some weren't angry, they just needed to be heard. And when you see a pattern across different people, different decades, different environments... you start to understand the weight of it. I was also surprised by how much humanity came through. It wasn't all dark. There were parts about ambition, drive, vulnerability - things that make you look at him as a full human being, not just a headline. How did you acquire the footage filmed right before his arrest? A journalist would ask that, but a journalist would also say, "I'm going to keep my sources secure." Diddy and 50 Cent's History Explained: A Timeline of the Rappers' Feud You've said you think Combs will like the documentary. Why do you believe that? It shows his full story. Puff cares a lot about legacy, everybody knows that. This doc doesn't shy away from any part of it. The success, the trauma, the power, the contradictions... all of it. He might not like every single thing that's