P. Diddy has denied that he likened Rick Ross to the legendary Notorious B.I.G., saying that he instead "channelled" the late rapper.

The hip-hop mogul caused a stir last year when he said Rozay reminded him of his best friend who passed in 1996, with rappers such as 50 Cent describing the comparison as an "insult."

Diddy has now defended his comments, saying that he believes Rozay is merely "influenced" by Biggie. "I said on the 'Angels' verse, I think he channeled Biggie at night. A lot of emcees, they channel Biggie in some of their verses. You hear the influence," he told RadioPlanet.tv's DJ Whoo Kid.

"When you channel the influence, that doesn’t mean they’re comparing someone to them. I think I also said that he was the Biggie of the South, because I was there. I knew the effect that Biggie was having on New York and the world. I saw the effect that [Ross] was having on the South," he added.

Do you accept Diddy's explanation? Do you think Rozay sounds like Biggie?

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