A new year of music is upon us and there is one question all of the critics are asking — who will Puff Daddy work with in 1998?

While Sean “Puffy” Combs (as he is otherwise known as) has been a producer in the rap industry for several years, it was 1997 that became known as the year of Puff.

Combs produced records for a handful of successful artists, including Faith Evans, Craig Mack, Mariah Carey, New Addition, Method Man, Babyface and his once best friend Notorious B.I.G.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, which named Puff Daddy the Artist of the Year, Combs’ controversial record label Bad Boy Entertainment has sold over $100 million worth of records in the four years since it was established.

Puff Daddy reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart with almost every song he touched, including summer anthems “Mo Money Mo Problems,” with B.I.G. and “I’ll Be Missing You” with Faith Evans, the latter of which boosted the career of Police frontman Sting so much he has since recorded two additional tunes with Combs.

So what does all of this mean? Basically, if you work with Puff Daddy, you will be successful.

Which is why I predict Combs will be the master producer behind the 1998 comeback record by Vanilla Ice, which will probably include some sort of “Ice Ice Baby” remix, possibly with Faith Evans singing a slower, groovier chorus.

Vanilla and Puffy will make several live appearances together in support of the new record, the last of which will end in the tragic shooting of Vanilla Ice.

As billions of loyal Ice fans pack the University of Miami football stadium for his funeral, Vanilla will make yet another miraculous comeback as he will rise from the dead singing “If there is a problem, Yo, I’ll solve it. Check out the hook will my DJ revolves it.”

But the Iceman will not be the only artist to work with Combs in 1998. Puffy will be the man behind the comebacks of Kenny Loggins, Toni Basil, the Stray Cats, Andrew Dice Clay, Tag Team and Rob Base and DJ Easy Rock.

In an attempt to anger Janet Jackson, who denied a willing Puffy a production slot on her 1997 record, Combs will revamp the careers of all of Janet’s siblings, including Tito and Latoya.

Along with the Jackson project, Combs will release a 1998 version of the Jackson Five classic “ABC” under the new title “BIG.” (“B.I.G. … it’s as easy as one, two, three.”)

Puffy will also bring his career-boosting skills into television, where he will re-write several theme songs for ’80s TV shows that will attempt comebacks in 1998.

Among his many television theme songs will be the wildly popular “It’s All About the Jeffersons,” which will include a beatboxing solo by George Jefferson himself.

But Combs’ biggest single of the year will undoubtedly be his collaboration with the Bee Gees on a remix of “Stayin’ Alive” which will be titled “Still Alive — 27 remixes later.”

Puff Daddy’s year will not be entirely successful, however.

Combs’ biggest challenge of the year, a campaign theme song for presidential hopeful Al Gore titled “I Won’t Be Missing You” will be a complete flop as the entire country will not understand the sarcastic tone of the song.

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Corey Moss is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale. Moss Pit Radio airs every Thursday from 8 to 10 a.m. on 88.5 KURE.