Popular Rapper Turns Down P. Diddy Offer Over Sweatshops

Tego Calderon, a hugely popular, young, progressive rap artist from Puerto Rico turned down an offer from Sean P. Diddy Combs to appear in a major ad campaign to promote his Sean John clothing line. According to the New York Post (January 12, 2005) Tego refused to be part of the ad campaign "because he found out that Combs' high-end apparel company is allegedly running sweatshops in Central America...."  Tego said "I can't say in my songs one thing, and then personally be about something else. Now that someone is offering me some change, I'm going to go against the principles that my parents taught me? Nah." (See complete article below). Another rap artist, Daddy Yankee, who did join Combs' ad campaign said through a spokesperson that in the future they would do more "homework" to check out possible sweatshop links before signing onto any other promotional deals. [more]