"To everyone calling me for a loan today, I do not have that money today."
Born: 4 November 1969
Birthplace: New York, New York
Best known as: Rapper known as Puff Daddy, then P. Diddy, then Diddy, then P. Diddy again
In just a few years, Sean "Puffy" Combs transformed himself from a streetwise party promoter and record company intern into one of the most commercially successful producer-entrepreneurs in music history. Puffy, or "Puff Daddy," as he is alternately known, was barely into his twenties when he first started exercising his Midas touch by producing multi-platinum albums for such artists as Jodeci and Mary J. Blige; in short order, he became vice president of Uptown Records, and not much later, he founded his own label, Bad Boy Entertainment. Only a few months later, Combs was an A&R executive, and helped produce Father's Day (Father MC; 1990), What's the 411? (Mary J. Blige; 1992), and Blue Funk (Heavy D & the Boyz; 1992) before being fired in 1993. Combs set up his own label, Bad Boy Records, and soon signed Craig Mack and the Notorious B.I.G.
Sean Combs was born in 1969 in Harlem, the first of Melvin and Janice Combs' two children. Janice was an aspiring model, while Melvin was a notorious street hustler whose lifestyle caught up with him when he was shot dead in Central Park—Sean was only three at the time. For the next ten years, the family continued to live in Harlem, where Sean witnessed firsthand the prime years of hip-hop's explosive evolution. From block parties to b-boy battles in the park, the seeds of his dream of becoming an entertainer were being sown.
When he was twelve, his mother relocated the family to the suburbs of Mount Vernon, New York, where Sean attended an all-male private school called Mount St. Michael's Academy. Legend has it that he earned his nickname at the school: as a member of the football team, he apparently "puffed" out his chest to make himself look stronger than he actually was—hence the name Puffy.
In 1988, Puffy entered Howard University, where his entrepreneurial drive immediately kicked into high gear. He started out promoting house parties and campus concerts; he also reportedly nurtured a lucrative side business selling term papers and old exams. Two years at Howard were enough for Puffy to realize that it was time to move on to something bigger and better. He dropped out, but quickly succeeded in convincing Andre Harrell, the head of Uptown Records in New York, to give him an internship. Harrell was himself an aspiring musician—he was the Mr. Jeckyll half of the mid-eighties rap duo Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde—and he saw in Puffy the same burning desire to get ahead that he had when he was a young man.
Uptown's talent roster was mostly composed of young, unproven R&B singers, in addition to rappers like Heavy D. The also unproven Puffy's youthful enthusiasm thus seemed the perfect fit for Uptown, and it wasn't long before he had struck up a father-son bond with Harrell. In fact, Harrell was so fond of Puffy that he gave him room and board, in addition to a small intern's salary. In time, Puffy's promotional skills had eclipsed whole Uptown departments, and his contributions to hit singles by groups like Jodeci made him even more invaluable to the company. Within a year, Harrell had crowned his intern Vice President of Promotion.
On December 28 of that same year, 1991, Puffy had his first bitter taste of tragedy. A charity celebrity basketball game he organized at New York's City College came to a violent and untimely conclusion when the overcrowded and impatient audience broke into a stampede. Nine people died in the melee, and Puffy's poor organization and failure to provide a security force were cited by authorities as the causes of the incident. Those close to Puffy said that he was devastated, and that it was then that he learned how to demonstrate resilience in the face of tragedy—a trait he would come to rely on heavily in the future.
The fallout from the event didn't keep Puffy down for long. He produced multi-platinum albums for Jodeci and for soul-sensation Mary J. Blige, whose debut album, What's the 411? is now regarded as the seminal example of hip-hop/R&B fusion. The success of those efforts prompted Puffy to launch his own label, Bad Boy Entertainment. The first artist he wanted to sign was a Brooklyn rapper by the name of Biggie Smalls, whose real name was Christopher Wallace, but who performed under the moniker the Notorious B.I.G. He had been passed a tape of B.I.G.'s music by an editor at The Source magazine who felt that Puffy could alchemize the rapper's talent. Indeed, he was captivated by B.I.G.'s vivid lyricism and New York sound.
The Notorious B.I.G. was the only child of a single mom, and he was also a street hustler. In order to convince him to abandon the highly lucrative dope-dealing game and take up rapping full-time, Puffy needed to hook B.I.G. up with enough money to keep him interested. As the late rapper himself said in any number of interviews, all the money to be gained in dealing drugs was hard to pass up for anything. Along with signing him to his roster and giving him a healthy advance, Puffy delivered opportunities for the artist to command instant recognition: he set him up to do a track for the Who's the Man soundtrack, as well as to collaborate on a song with Mary J. Blige.
Puffy had complete confidence in his own production talents and business acumen. So confident was he, in fact, that he was thought to be extremely arrogant by many people, including his onetime mentor, Harrell, who sensed that the Uptown castle was not big enough for two kings. In 1993—a year that would prove to be a whirlwind for Puffy—Harrell fired his protégé. Puffy has since admitted in several interviews that his being fired was a much-needed wake-up call. The birth of his first child, Justin, provided him with even more impetus to mature.
His next power move would prove to be his greatest to date. He negotiated a $15 million deal to relocate Bad Boy Entertainment to Arista Records. In 1996, Mr. Combs parlayed Bad Boy's success into an unprecedented 50/50 joint venture with Clive Davis and Arista Records, enabling the label to effectively market its roster of artists to a global marketplace.
Mr. Combs formed Bad Boy Records in 1994 with the signing of just two artists, former EPMD roadie Craig Mack and friend and collaborator Notorious B.I.G. Bad Boy Records has achieved great success with The Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack, Mase, Lil' Kim, D-Block/The L.O.X, Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, 112 and Total. The label is now 50% owned by Universal Music Group's Interscope Geffen A&M label.
With the help of Russell Simmons, he tried to sign Tupac Shakur whom he considered the best rapper, to jump start the label. Tupac refused. Both Mack and Biggie quickly released hit singles, followed by similarly successful LPs, particularly B.I.G.'s Ready to Die. Puff Daddy, as he was then known, began signing more acts to Bad Boy, including Faith Evans, 112 and Total, as well as producing for Lil' Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, SWV, Aretha Franklin and others. Mase and The Lox soon joined Bad Boy, just as a widely publicized rivalry with the West Coast's Death Row Records. Combs and Notorious B.I.G. were allied against Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight, trading insults in songs and interviews during the mid 1990s. Shakur was murdered in 1996. Six months later, in March of 1997, the Notorious B.I.G. was murdered weeks before the release of his successful album, Life After Death.
Puffy was given complete creative control and full support by the major label; in return, he more than earned his keep by producing several No. 1 hits with the Notorious B.I.G. and Craig Mack. With his involvement in his artists' videos, and on their songs and remixes, Puffy's profile grew ever higher—it seemed he was getting more and more successful with each passing month.
While Puffy and B.I.G. were reaping the benefits of their work, so too were Suge Knight and his Death Row Records roster, which included such artists as Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Doggy Dogg. Initially, Puffy and Knight were friends. After all, they had much in common: both were young black men running successful start-up record companies.
But tensions between the East and West Coast rap artists were mounting, and when Shakur was wounded by a gunshot in the lobby of a Times Square recording studio in November of 1994, he blamed the attack on Puffy and B.I.G., who were, coincidentally, in the building at the same time. Months later, in August of 1995, Knight took a pointed shot at Puffy at the Source Awards by saying, "If you don't want the owner of your label on your album or in your video or on your tour, come sign with Death Row." The following month, at a birthday party thrown for producer Jermaine Dupri in Atlanta, a close friend of Knight's was gunned down, and Knight openly blamed Puffy's entourage for the slaying.
Combs' performing career
Combs rapped on record as Puff Daddy as early as Supercat's 1993 "Dolly My Baby" with The Notorious Big. Combs' performance career in the international spotlight as "Puff Daddy" began in 1997, releasing "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", followed by "I'll Be Missing You". Both singles were successful, though "I'll Be Missing You" was written by Sauce Money (a tribute to B.I.G. with guests Faith Evans and 112), and was heavily criticized for sampling The Police's "Every Breath You Take" and adding little. Combs, plus various labelmates known as the Family, released No Way Out, an LP, in 1997. The album also produced the hit singles "It's All about the Benjamins", which featured Lil Kim, The Lox and The Notorious B.I.G. and had a popular rock remix, which was worked on by Rob Zombie and the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, among others; and "Been Around The World," a song that featured Combs' labelmate, Mase, and the late Notorious B.I.G., and was probably best remembered for having sampled David Bowie's "Let's Dance" and Lisa Stansfield's "All Around The World". The song's video starred many celebrities, such as Wyclef Jean, Quincy Jones, and Combs' future love interest, Jennifer Lopez. "I'll Be Missing You" won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, while No Way Out won Best Rap Album.
Combs' follow-up was 1999's Forever, which was a commercial failure and no more well-reviewed than No Way Out.
Meanwhile, rumors were running rampant that Tupac was bedding B.I.G.'s wife, singer Faith Evans, and that Suge Knight was moving in on Puffy's (now ex) wife, Misa Hylton. Those rumors were substantiated by the Tupac song "Hit 'Em Up," in which he tells B.I.G. straight out: "You claim to be a player, but I f**ked your wife." In March of 1996, the first face-to-face confrontation between B.I.G. and Tupac since the Times Square incident two years before took place at the Soul Train Awards in Los Angeles—and it was even uglier. A standoff in the parking lot between Tupac's entourage and the Bad Boy entourage ended in a stare-down, with guns drawn on both sides. Ultimately, no violence erupted, but it was clear that the rift between the two contingents was moving dangerously close to exacting dire consequences.
Unfortunately, that inevitable point came on September 7, 1996, when Tupac was gunned down in Las Vegas. The rumor on the street was that Puffy and B.I.G. had something to do with the drive-by shooting, but most people knew better. Puffy never was a thug, nor did he even pretend to be one. Against the sobering backdrop of Tupac's death, B.I.G. put the finishing touches on his double-LP, Life After Death, while Puffy made his own move as a nascent vocalist by releasing the single "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down," on which he collaborated with newfound rapper Mase.
The first single from Life After Death, "Hypnotize," infected New York with its buoyant beat and rhythms upon its release, and it soon reached No. 1 status. It seemed as if nothing but success lay ahead. But in March of 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. was gunned down—at the Soul Train Awards, ironically. A helpless Puffy could do nothing but stand by and watch as his friend died.
Combs’ high media profile meant his alleged involvement in a nightclub shooting incident, in December 1999, dominated the music headlines when the case was finally brought to trial in January 2001. He was acquitted in March and bizarrely announced that he was henceforth to be known as P. Diddy, under which name he released a new album in June. The same year, Combs received favorable reviews for his roles in the mainstream movies Made and Monster’s Ball.
Combs tried to reinvent his image, but was once again in court facing assault charges from a Michigan television host, and then was arrested for driving on a suspended license in Florida. In spite of continuing legal problems, Combs decided that he was going to release a gospel album, Thank You, but it was never released. After yet more legal problems stemming from an accusation of reckless driving by the Miami police, Combs began working with a series of unusual (for him) artists. A collaboration with David Bowie appeared on the soundtrack to Training Day, while Combs began working with Britney Spears and *NSYNC.
This was followed by a serious set-back for Bad Boy Records when Arista Records stopped distributing Bad Boy releases. Faith Evans left the label, and 112 almost did, though Combs filed a restraining order to keep them aboard. As a result, Bad Boy Records was formed as an independent record company. He also signed the female pop group Dream onto Bad Boy Records in 2000.
In 2001 Combs announced that he was changing his nickname from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy, earning him comparisons to fellow name-changing musician Prince. That same year his high-profile romance with Lopez ended.
In June 2002, after one of the most successful and consistent hit-producing partnerships in the music business in the past decade, Arista Records and Bad Boy Entertainment amicably ended their joint venture. As part of the deal, Mr. Combs gained full control of Bad Boy Records, including the complete artist roster and entire catalogue.
Combs spent the next two years concentrating on the running of Bad Boy, who lost their distribution contract with Arista Records in spring 2002. He ventured into the world of reality television in the summer of 2003, putting together the multi-member rap group Bad Boy’s Da Band for the show Making The Band. The following April, Combs made his stage debut in a revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun.
Later in 2002, he made his own reality show on MTV called Making the Band 2, the sequel to the first Making the Band. In it, contestants compete to be in a new group on Bad Boy Records. The six finalists have to come up with their name, CD and video (see Da Band). The group was maligned by comics and critics, including a well known skit that appeared on Chappelle's Show, and was dissolved by Diddy at the end of the series. Diddy went on to later work on creating an all-girl group called Chain 6 in the third version of Making The Band.
February 2003 brought the announcement of that Bad Boy Records has signed a worldwide distribution deal with Universal Records. Under the auspices of the deal, Universal agreed to provide marketing and promotional support for Bad Boy's roster and distribute both the Bad Boy Catalogue and all new release from the label. Most importantly, Mr. Combs retains 100% ownership of Bad Boy Records.
In 2003, Combs ran in the New York City Marathon and raised $2,000,000 for the educational system for the children of New York. He appeared on the March 10, 2004 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the marathon.
His penchant for changing his name resurfaced four years later, when he announced that he was settling on the name 'Diddy'. However, he was prompted to change his name again the following year after a lawsuit filed by English music producer Richard "Diddy" Dearlove; Combs settled out of court and agreed to release his 2006 album Press Play under the name Diddy in the U.S., but under P. Diddy in the UK.
In late 2006, Combs' then-girlfriend, Kim Porter, delivered twin girls, D'Lila Star and Jessie James Combs. The couple also have a son, Christian. Combs also has another son, Justin, from a previous relationship with stylist Misa Hylton-Brim. He also has another child with Sarah Chapman, named Chance Chapman Combs.
Business and Acting Ventures
In addition to his music, Diddy has kept a keen eye on the business opportunities his fame has afforded him. In 1998, he launched a clothing line, Sean John, which was nominated for, and won, the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for Menswear Designer of the Year, in 2004.
In a 2005 interview with AndPOP, Combs explained that he was developing a new line of men's suits.
On August 16, 2005, Combs appeared on the Today Show and announced that he was altering his stage name yet again, dropping the "P." and referring to himself simply as "Diddy," saying that "the P was getting between me and my fans." His first album under his new moniker, Press Play, topped the US charts in October 2006. He later hosted the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.
As of 2005, Combs had moved his Bad Boy Records to the Warner Music Group. Tensions still existed between Diddy and former Warners CEOs Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles (both formerly of Def Jam), but they arranged for his imprint to be a part of the company.
He also returned to the music studio and released album 'Last Train to Paris' on 13 December 2010. Since 2009, he has performed as part of 'Diddy Dirty Money', comprising Combs, Dawn Richards and Kalenna Harper. This album was the first record created by the group.
Singles from the album were 'Angels', 'Hello Good Morning', 'Loving You No More' and the hit 'Coming Home'.
In 2010, Combs tried his hand at acting by playing a record executive in the film 'Get Him to The Greek'. He has since appeared in 'Entourage' and 'Hawaii Five-O'.
Combs created a rap supergroup in 2010 known as The Dream Team. The group consists of Combs, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Red Café, and Fabolous. Combs made an appearance at comedian Chris Gethard's live show in January 2010 at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. In June 2010 Combs played a role (credited as Sean Combs) in the comedy film Get Him to the Greek, as Sergio Roma, a record company executive. An Entourage series representative announced that Combs would guest star on an episode during the 2010 season.
Last Train to Paris was released by Combs' group Diddy – Dirty Money on December 13, 2010. The release was preceded by four singles "Angels", "Hello Good Morning", "Loving You No More", and "Coming Home", which experienced mixed success on the Billboard Hot 100. "Coming Home" was the most successful of the songs, peaking at number twelve on the U.S. Hot 100, number four in the UK, and number seven in Canada. On March 10, 2011 Diddy – Dirty Money performed "Coming Home" live on American Idol.
On April 18, 2011, Combs appeared in season one of Hawaii Five-0, guest starring as an undercover NYPD detective. In February 2012 he announced the launch of Revolt, a new music-oriented cable television channel which is expected to be in operation by the end of the year on several cable TV networks. The new company also has a film production branch. In November 2012 Combs appeared in an episode of the eighth season of the American sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Family
Combs is the father of five children, and is the informal stepfather of Quincy (born 1991), son of his on-again, off-again girlfriend Kimberly Porter with 1980s New Jack Swing romantic singer/producer Al B Sure. Quincy was featured on My Super Sweet 16.
Combs' first child is Justin (born 1993), from a relationship with his high-school sweetheart, designer Misa Hylton-Brim. In January 2010 Combs presented Justin with a $360,000 Maybach car, complete with chauffeur, as a sixteenth birthday present. Justin was also featured on My Super Sweet 16. He is now attending UCLA on a scholarship, and will be playing football while there.
Kim Porter is the mother of Christian (born 1998) and twin daughters D'Lila and Jessie (born 2006). Combs and Porter ended their relationship in July 2007. In October 2007, Combs took legal responsibility for Chance, his daughter with Sarah Chapman (born 2006).
Combs owns a home in Alpine, New Jersey, which he purchased for a reported $7 million. His winter home in Miami Beach was purchased for $14.5 million in November 2003.
Charity work and Honors
Combs' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Combs founded Daddy's House Social Programs, an organization to help inner city youth, in 1995. Programs include tutoring, life skills classes, and an annual summer camp. Along with Jay-Z, he pledged $1 million to help support victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and donated clothing from his Sean John line to victims. He has donated computers and books to New York schools.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley named October 13, 2006, as "Diddy Day" in honor of Combs' charity work. He was given some cufflinks bearing the city seal. In 2008 Combs was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Wardrobe style
Combs describes his wardrobe style as "swagger, timeless, diverse". On September 2, 2007, Combs held his ninth annual "White Party", at which guests are limited to an all-white dress code. The White Party, which has also been held in St. Tropez, was held in his home in East Hampton, Long Island. Combs stated, "This party is up there with the top three that I've thrown. It's a party that has legendary status. It's hard to throw a party that lives up to its legend."
(sources: sing365.com, blackentrepreneurprofile.com, seancombs.urbanhustler.com, allmusic.com, thebiographychannel.co.uk, wikipedia.org)
