While Diddy's turning his focus to R&B, he's leaving the door open for his heirs to control Bad Boy's hip hop empire -- and his son King Combs says he's boldly stepping up to claim it.
TMZ Hip Hop got Puff's not-so-mini-me out in NYC, where he admitted he was primed to takeover Bad Boy as his dad's career matures.
Team Combs is off to a fantastic start to their respective hustles ... back in the summer, they became the first father-son duo to hit the Hip Hop/R&B Chart's Top 10 at the same time.
Diddy released his Love Records intro "Gotta Move On" featuring Bryson Tiller, while King collaborated with Kodak Black for the new anthem "Can’t Stop Won’t Stop."
KC's record bridged a few generations ... sampling Lil Kim's classic "Crush On You" jam, and taking advantage of that time-tested Bad Boy energy at his fingertips!!!
The Prince of Bad Boy also addressed the naysayers and meme-makers ... especially the ones who accuse him of stunting with a silver spoon in his mouth.
He simply says he's gonna prove 'em wrong. Can’t stop won’t stop, haters!!!