DIDDY DO IT?

It’s the newly named P. Diddy and red-hot J Records newcomer Alicia Keys who, along with a very dark horse from Detroit by the name of D12, are going head to head for #1 on this week’s album chart.

The race has taken on the frenzy of a political campaign in its final days. Not only does it pit ex-Arista ruler/now J Records boss Clive Davis against his successor, L.A. Reid, it’s also being viewed as crucial to the career of the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy and his 10-year-old Bad Boy empire.

The first volleys have already been fired, with the media-conscious Davis and Reid summoning their forces for a full-court blitz. Insiders say L.A., who succeeded Davis at Arista, is highly competitive toward his former label colleague.

Meanwhile, the hustling, self-promoting Combs is all over the place this week, with the one-two punch of the new album and a well-received co-starring role as—get this—a silent but deadly N.Y.C. crime lord in Jon Favreau’s film Made, which opens nationwide today. Thus, when P. Diddy found out Keys was making an appearance on today’s Good Morning America with Clive, he hurriedly arranged to get himself on the show too—a real coup—as well as scheduling his second appearance this week on TRL. Work it, Diddy!

Not to be outdone, Keys was booked to give an in-store performance at HMV's 42nd St. store tonight at 6 p.m. EDT.

Reid is also leaving no stone unturned in his desire to see Diddy’s new effort land on top, at one point reportedly ordering all label assistants to answer phone calls: "Hello. P. Diddy and the Bad Boy Family on Arista Records. Can I help you?" And MTV promises to bang away all weekend long on "Bad Boy 4 Life," the first video from the new album. The big-budget clip, which was only completed last week, features cameos by an assortment of Puff Daddy pals, including Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Dave Navarro, Travis Barker from Blink-182, Xzibit, Ben Stiller, Access Hollywood’s Pat O'Brien and Shaquille O'Neal.