Diddy They used to call him Puffy, but this hip-hop mogul is no light-weight. Sean Combs was born on November 4, 1970, in Harlem, New York. Growing up, Combs spent most of his time in Mount Vernon, NY, and was a hard worker from an early age, carrying two paper routes at a time. While attending Howard University in Washington, DC, Combs convinced childhood friend, Heavy D to employ him as an intern at his label, Uptown Records. Within months of starting at the bottom rung, Combs had worked his way up the corporate ladder to become an A&R executive. He became the executive producer for a string of successful albums, including Father MC's Father's Day in 1990; Mary J. Blige’s What's the 411? and Heavy D & the Boyz’s Blue Funk in 1992.
Combs quick climb at Uptown came to a halt in 1993 when he was fired from the label. He then focused his attention on re-mixing and founding the label Bad Boy Entertainment out of his apartment. Within a short period of intense work, Combs had signed two hit artists: Craig Mack and the Notorious BIG. In the mid-90s, Combs added platinum R&B acts, Faith Evans, and Total to the label, as well as 112, Mase, and the LOX. Meanwhile, he continued to produce for several other outside artists, including Aretha Franklin, Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, TLC, SWV, and Lil’ Kim. Just as Bad Boy Entertainment was making its mark on mainstream music, Combs and BIG were embroiled in an east coast vs. west coast rap war with Death Row Records' head, Suge Knight and rapper, Tupac Shakur, who accused Combs of involvement in his 1994 shooting and threatened the not-so-thinly veiled aliases “PIG” and “Buffy” in his hit song “Hit 'Em Up.” In September of 1996, Shakur was shot and killed by an unknown assailant. Just six months later, his Notorious BIG was murdered in the same manner. At the time of his best-friend BIG’s death, Combs had been preparing his own solo debut, Puff Daddy. In mid-1997, he released the hit single “Can't Nobody Hold Me Down,” which was quickly followed by another number one hit, “I'll Be Missing You,” a tribute to the Notorious BIG featuring BIG’s wife, Faith Evans, on background vocals. Combs’ 1997 album No Way Out in 1997 shot straight to #1 and received a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
In April 1999, Combs released his next album, Forever. Also that year, he was accused of severely beating record executive Steve Stoute, and charged with second degree harassment. Around that time, Combs also began dating singer and actress Jennifer Lopez. The couple was brought in for questioning during a shooting incident at a nightclub in December 1999, for which both faced charges for illegal possession of a firearm. Lopez initially supported Combs, who was eventually acquitted, although she reportedly broke off their relationship on Valentine's Day in 2001. In 2001, Combs released The Saga Continues; but by the following year, Arista had stopped distribution of Combs’ music. A collection of remixes entitled We Invented the Remix would be his last Arista album. In 2006, Combs released the album Press Play, featuring appearances by Mary J. Blige, Brandy, Nas, Ciara, Timbaland, Avant, Cee-Lo, Jamie Foxx, and Christina Aguilera. In 2005, Combs announced that he was changing his professional name from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy, which he later shortened to Diddy. In addition to music, Combs has developed his own clothing line, a movie production company, and restaurants. He also produces and stars in MTV's Making the Band. Recently, Combs’ girlfriend Kim Porter announced that the couple is expecting twin girls. They have a nine-year old son together, Christian. Combs also has a twelve-year old son, Justin, from his previous relationship with stylist Misa Hylton Brim. YUDDY |
