Podcast Summary: The Flo Show, No Filter

Episode: Mark Curry Explains How Hip‑Hop Power Worked And Why His Book Predicts Today
Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Flow
Guest: Mark Curry

Episode Overview

This episode features a candid, unfiltered conversation between host Flow and former Bad Boy Records artist and whistleblower Mark Curry. Mark discusses the truths behind hip-hop power structures, the inner workings and controversies of Bad Boy, and how his book Dancing with the Devil has proven prophetic for the events shaking the hip-hop world today. The discussion is both revealing and entertaining, punctuated by personal stories, industry deep-dives, and playful banter.

Table of Contents

1. Getting Mark On: Tech Struggles and Banter
2. Intro to the Book and Its Predictions
3. The Bad Boy Years: Power, Betrayal, and Blackballing
4. Women, Love Triangles, and Industry Secrets
5. Chapters and Highlights from the Book
6. Power, Sex, Drugs, and Industry Tactics
7. Personal Ethics, Industry Survival, and Being Silenced
8. Mark’s Thoughts on Diddy’s Legal Troubles & The Netflix Docuseries
9. Future Projects: Upcoming Podcast and European Tour
10. Closing Reflections: Truth, Community, and Legacy

1. Getting Mark On: Tech Struggles and Banter

• The show opens with Flow and Mark struggling to get Mark live on the app, resulting in some humorous exchanges.

  • [02:15] Flow: “Hey, y'all, this is crazy. What the hell?…We got Mark all in the comments, but we can't get them on the damn page. There we go.”
  • [03:13] Mark Curry: “How'd you do that?”
  • [03:14] Flow: “I don't know.... you just start just pressing every button you see? That's what I did.”

• The light-hearted start sets the laid-back, accessible tone for the conversation.

2. Intro to the Book and Its Predictions

• Mark Curry introduces Dancing with the Devil, a memoir exposing the inner world of Bad Boy Records, Puff Daddy (Diddy), and the music industry’s dark side.

  • [04:59] Mark Curry: “I started writing the book in, like, 1998, 2000... Puff really didn’t know that when he first met me, how he really knew me.”
  • [07:21] Mark Curry: “The first book I wrote in 2000, I released it in 2009. And then 2009, everything that I said in that book came true in 2025... It finally made it to this Netflix series.”

• Mark stresses how the recent legal events concerning Diddy mirror what he chronicled years earlier.

  • Mark details how the music industry’s “game” hasn’t changed—just the players.

  • [07:27] Mark Curry: “Everything that happened, and I wrote about it in the book, like the Google eyes with the juror and all of this, he did that then... he did on this last case that he was on.”

• Ongoing struggles to get the book link to work turn into repeated advice for fans to DM Mark directly.

3. The Bad Boy Years: Power, Betrayal, and Blackballing

• Mark discusses the power games and betrayals that took place at Bad Boy Records, particularly at the highest levels.

  • [16:54] Flow: “How did you manage to not get jumped by Puff or just, you know, a lot of the little shit he used to do...”
  • [17:07] Mark Curry: “I was a part of a circle of friends...So he never really tried me. He used to ask me all the time if I still want to fight. And I would honestly tell him yes.”

• Survival in the industry required having backup, quick wit, and calling Diddy out to his face. The conversation frequently references the toxic, secretive, and transactional nature of major music labels.

4. Women, Love Triangles, and Industry Secrets

• Mark reveals the complex web of relationships involving key figures, including love triangles and infamous affairs.

  • [09:06] Mark Curry: “When Cassie said that her and Kim Porter didn't get along... and then Cassie told [a] sex worker that she'll unalive him and then her boyfriend dig him up and unalive him again...”

• Mark delves into the interconnectedness of relationships, such as Diddy dating his friends' exes and the drama that followed.

  • [11:21] Mark Curry: “Puffy took Sarah from Tupac...He wasn't ever creative enough to have his own kind of woman.”

  • [14:26] Mark Curry: “Then we got the woman between them. And this talks about every woman that Puff ever had in between him and somebody else.”

  • [36:50] Mark Curry (on Kim Porter): “Kim will whoop Puff ass. Like, she was the only one... If he put his hands on her, she was putting... he's coming out scratched up.”

5. Chapters and Highlights from the Book

Mark gives a rapid-fire tour of chapters from his book(s), revealing their content and underlying themes:

• “The Birth”: Beginning of Bad Boy, Daryl Ferguson (ASAP Ferg’s father) designed the label’s iconic logo.

  • [12:11] Mark Curry: “He designed that. Daryl Ferguson...he died.”

• “Drop Me”: Court cases and what was left unsaid—especially the stuff swept under the rug about Diddy.

• “Mark for Death”: On people in hip-hop who were “marked.”

• “Living Legends”: Stories of Craig Mack (his death from AIDS, connections to the label) and Black Rob dying while holding Mark’s hand.

  • [15:39] Mark Curry: “When Black Rob died, he died. He was holding my hand.”

• “Blackballed”: After Mark worked with Wendy Williams, he became blackballed in Atlanta (and beyond) due to Diddy’s influence.

  • [20:54] Mark Curry: “Radio stations would mess with me, but Atlanta wouldn't... he has such an influence here.”

• “Super Freak”: Sex parties, industry drug use, Madonna, and the lines between regular and wild in studio life.

• “The House That Tommy Built”: Diddy purchasing Tommy Mottola’s mansion, industry back-deals, holding artists’ budgets hostage.

• “Puff Power”: Diddy vs. the spirits company (CÎROC), Francesca Spiro’s discrimination lawsuit, and the ruthless corporate side.

  • [25:42] Mark Curry: “We got Puff Power in the liquor... that talks about when he went up against that liquor company, which really started it.”

6. Power, Sex, Drugs, and Industry Tactics

• Mark describes the pervasiveness of drugs, sexual leverage, and blackmail in the music industry.

  • [39:59] Mark Curry: “There was a myth that people were recording people in their homes... if... you was on film and you was the CEO of Tesla... I can put this tape out, or you could give me a thousand free Lexuses.”
  • [44:20] Mark Curry: “When you sign as an artist... they take a life insurance policy out on you as soon as you sign... it’s just a way for them to secure their investment.”

• Mark argues hip-hop got blamed for behaviors long established in rock and roll, and that power, control, and money are the industry’s true motivators.

7. Personal Ethics, Industry Survival, and Being Silenced

• Mark shares how he and others survived industry toxicity by maintaining street ties, refusing to be bullied, or simply refusing to engage. Their survival often depended on their willingness to confront Diddy to his face.

  • [17:07] Mark Curry: “He used to ask me all the time if I still want to fight. And I would honestly tell him yes.”
  • Mark also acknowledges being blackballed and losing industry support as soon as he began speaking out.

8. Mark’s Thoughts on Diddy’s Legal Troubles & The Netflix Docuseries

• Mark claims both 2000s and recent Diddy court cases played out identically—including “googly-eyed” jurors.

  • [63:04] Flow: “The original...trial back in the day, the jurors. It was jurors googly eyed and starstruck.”
  • [63:10] Mark Curry: “It’s in the book. And I wrote that in 2000. Wow.”

• Mark asserts his book was the foundation for the recent Netflix docuseries on Diddy.

  • [67:32] Mark Curry: “My book was the blueprint for the docuseries, right? It was the blueprint for the docuseries.”

9. Future Projects: Upcoming Podcast and European Tour

• Flow and Mark float the idea of co-hosting a new podcast together and invite fans to suggest names.

  • [49:14] Mark Curry: “We love the truth. The truth will set you free.”
  • [49:20] Flow: “Our title should have something about truth in it.”

• Mark announces a European book tour—with stops scheduled in Germany, the UK, and Denmark.

  • [53:22] Mark Curry: “We're gonna start off going to Germany in March... then we're gonna get out to Denmark, too. I'm trying to put Denmark together right now.”

• They express gratitude to fans, encourage direct messages for signed copies, and emphasize the grassroots nature of their movement.

10. Closing Reflections: Truth, Community, and Legacy

• Discussion on positive role-modelling, why Flow and Mark don’t glorify drug use, and the importance of using their platforms for education and authenticity.
• Mark rails against “cherry-picking” and selective storytelling in media coverage.
• Playful back-and-forths about Christmas trees, quarter-zips, and home life create a jovial, approachable wrap-up.
• Mark reiterates his commitment to talking directly with fans: “If you message me, I’m gonna respond...” [57:56]

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• “He thought he sound good, too...I be like, man, y'all gotta really stop lying to this brother. Tell them the truth. You suck. The song sucks. Your business sucks.”
  — Mark Curry, [04:00]

• “When you sign as an artist to a label...they take a life insurance policy out on you as soon as you sign.”
  — Mark Curry, [44:20]

• “Everybody who helped Puff got screwed. Only person...in the winning, winning position was Puff. Everybody else got on.”
  — Mark Curry, [27:32]

• “The first book I wrote in 2000, I released it in 2009. And then 2009, everything that I said in that book came true in 2025.”
  — Mark Curry, [07:21]

• “My book was the blueprint for the docuseries.”
  — Mark Curry, [67:32]

• “He used to ask me all the time if I still want to fight. And I would honestly tell him yes.”
  — Mark Curry, [17:07]

Key Insights and Takeaways

• Mark Curry’s books and testimony expose the music industry as one of constant power plays, betrayals, and cover-ups—especially around the figure of Diddy (Puff Daddy).
• The recent scandals and legal troubles facing Diddy reflect patterns Curry documented years earlier.
• True power in the industry comes from control—money, secrets, people’s vices, and the ability to destroy careers.
• The “game” never changes—only the players do.
• Mark’s position is unique: he’s both witness and survivor, offering an unfiltered account of Black music’s most controversial era.
• Flow and Mark’s dynamic is authentic, relatable, and dedicated to “keeping it real” and seeking the truth.

For Listeners: How to Support and Engage

• To buy or get a signed copy of Mark Curry’s book, DM him directly on Facebook or Instagram.
• Follow Mark Curry for exclusive audiobook chapters and updates.
• Suggest names for Flow and Mark’s upcoming podcast, and watch for tour announcements.
• Participate in their book club or tour stops if in Europe.
• Stay tuned for more “truth without spin” from Flow and Mark.