Biography
One of the most influential figures in hip-hop business, Sean Combs—first known professionally as Puff Daddy, later as P. Diddy, and eventually simply Diddy—built Bad Boy Entertainment into a vast commercial enterprise whose early output he personally oversaw and shaped, featuring the Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack, Faith Evans, 112, and Total. His productions generated well over $100 million in cumulative sales and earned him ASCAP’s Songwriter of the Year honor in 1996, yet he drew frequent criticism inside the hip-hop world for diluting underground aesthetics and depending excessively on samples. After rising as a key A&R executive at Uptown Records in the early 1990s and guiding major successes by Father MC, Mary J. Blige, and Jodeci, he launched Bad Boy, signed the Notorious B.I.G., Evans, and Mack, and secured enough chart traction to forge a distribution deal with Arista Records. The widely publicized rivalry with Death Row Records, which positioned Tupac Shakur and label chief Suge Knight as coastal counterparts to the Notorious B.I.G. and Combs, concluded abruptly when Shakur was killed in September 1996 and Knight was imprisoned; six months afterward the Notorious B.I.G. was also murdered, after which Combs paused before returning to dominate the pop charts throughout 1997.
Born in Harlem in 1969, Combs grew up largely in Mt. Vernon, New York. Already entrepreneurial from running two paper routes, he enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he persuaded childhood friend Heavy D to secure him an internship at Uptown Records. Within months he advanced to A&R, executive-producing Father MC’s 1990 album Father’s Day, which became a commercial success. Further hits followed in 1992 with Mary J. Blige’s What’s the 411? and Heavy D & the Boyz’s Blue Funk, yet he was dismissed from Uptown the next year amid concerns over his ambition. He spent 1993 working as a remixer before establishing Bad Boy Entertainment from his apartment with a small staff. After more than a year of effort he signed Craig Mack, formerly an EPMD roadie, and the Notorious B.I.G.; Mack broke through in mid-1994 when a remix of “Flava in Ya Ear” featuring LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Rampage, and the Notorious B.I.G. reached the Top Ten and earned Bad Boy its first platinum certification. Early in 1995 the Notorious B.I.G. delivered the label’s second platinum single when “Big Poppa” peaked at number six on the pop chart. Mack’s Project: Funk da World went gold, and the Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die achieved double-platinum status.
Combs expanded Bad Boy in 1995 by adding the platinum R&B acts Faith Evans and Total—linked to the Notorious B.I.G. as his wife and former backing vocal group, respectively—then 112 the following year. He also produced tracks for outside artists including Aretha Franklin, Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, TLC, SWV, and Lil’ Kim while signing straight-ahead hip-hop acts Mase and the LOX. By then, however, Combs and the Notorious B.I.G. were locked in a publicized conflict with Death Row’s Suge Knight and Tupac Shakur; Shakur accused Combs of involvement in his 1994 shooting, claimed to have slept with Faith Evans, and issued threats on the hit track “Hit ’Em Up,” whose video depicted characters named P.I.G. and Buffy enduring various humiliations. Shakur was fatally shot by unknown assailants in September 1996; six months later the Notorious B.I.G. suffered the same fate. His second album debuted at number one three weeks afterward and was later certified six-times platinum, while “Hypnotize” also reached number one. Grieving, Combs suspended work on his own solo debut under the Puff Daddy moniker for several months, then reemerged in mid-1997 with “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” which topped the singles chart for nearly two months. It was followed by the chart-topping tribute “I’ll Be Missing You,” featuring background vocals by Faith Evans.
His debut album No Way Out as Puff Daddy entered at number one and earned multiple platinum certifications; it won the 1998 Grammy for Best Rap Album, and “I’ll Be Missing You” took Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Forever arrived in 1999, yet its rushed arrival and absence of fresh ideas hurt sales. That April 15 he was charged with severely beating Interscope executive Steve Stoute; the case concluded in September with a reduced conviction for second-degree harassment. Around the same period his relationship with Jennifer Lopez became public, accompanied by engagement speculation. The couple faced legal trouble after a December shooting at a New York club, where both were questioned and later charged with illegal firearm possession; rapper Shyne was indicted for the incident. Additional civil suits arose from his driver and the club owner, while Lopez ended the relationship on Valentine’s Day 2001. A planned gospel album was delayed, but in March 2001 Combs was acquitted of all charges related to the club shooting, which also ended the associated civil actions. At month’s end he announced a professional name change to P. Diddy, citing Prince as a point of comparison, and signaled a new artistic direction. He completed the gospel project Thank You and the solo album The Saga Continues, though the former remained unreleased; “Bad Boy for Life” became his strongest single in years that summer, and a David Bowie collaboration appeared on the Training Day soundtrack.
Arista severed its distribution arrangement with Bad Boy in spring 2002 and retained Evans. The remix collection We Invented the Remix marked his final Arista release. 112 sought to move to Def Jam, but a restraining order blocked the departure. Combs entered reality television as the center of Making the Band 2 and its sequels, which introduced Danity Kane. Bad Boy resurfaced in summer 2006 via Yung Joc’s “It’s Going Down” and Cassie’s “Me & U,” paving the way for the star-laden Press Play that October. After repeated postponements he released his fifth album, Last Train to Paris, in December 2010 under the Dirty Money banner with Kalenna Harper and Dawn Richard, again featuring numerous high-profile guests. Between 2011 and 2013 he pursued acting and launched the music channel Revolt. Early in 2014 he revived the Puff Daddy name for the MMM mixtape; lead single “Big Homie” arrived in February with Rick Ross and French Montana, joined on the project by Sevyn Streeter, the LOX, Pusha T, Lil’ Kim, Future, Big Sean, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, and others. In 2015 he issued the Pharrell Williams collaboration “Finna Get Loose,” intended for the still-unreleased No Way Out 2.
Born in Harlem in 1969, Combs grew up largely in Mt. Vernon, New York. Already entrepreneurial from running two paper routes, he enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he persuaded childhood friend Heavy D to secure him an internship at Uptown Records. Within months he advanced to A&R, executive-producing Father MC’s 1990 album Father’s Day, which became a commercial success. Further hits followed in 1992 with Mary J. Blige’s What’s the 411? and Heavy D & the Boyz’s Blue Funk, yet he was dismissed from Uptown the next year amid concerns over his ambition. He spent 1993 working as a remixer before establishing Bad Boy Entertainment from his apartment with a small staff. After more than a year of effort he signed Craig Mack, formerly an EPMD roadie, and the Notorious B.I.G.; Mack broke through in mid-1994 when a remix of “Flava in Ya Ear” featuring LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Rampage, and the Notorious B.I.G. reached the Top Ten and earned Bad Boy its first platinum certification. Early in 1995 the Notorious B.I.G. delivered the label’s second platinum single when “Big Poppa” peaked at number six on the pop chart. Mack’s Project: Funk da World went gold, and the Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die achieved double-platinum status.
Combs expanded Bad Boy in 1995 by adding the platinum R&B acts Faith Evans and Total—linked to the Notorious B.I.G. as his wife and former backing vocal group, respectively—then 112 the following year. He also produced tracks for outside artists including Aretha Franklin, Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, TLC, SWV, and Lil’ Kim while signing straight-ahead hip-hop acts Mase and the LOX. By then, however, Combs and the Notorious B.I.G. were locked in a publicized conflict with Death Row’s Suge Knight and Tupac Shakur; Shakur accused Combs of involvement in his 1994 shooting, claimed to have slept with Faith Evans, and issued threats on the hit track “Hit ’Em Up,” whose video depicted characters named P.I.G. and Buffy enduring various humiliations. Shakur was fatally shot by unknown assailants in September 1996; six months later the Notorious B.I.G. suffered the same fate. His second album debuted at number one three weeks afterward and was later certified six-times platinum, while “Hypnotize” also reached number one. Grieving, Combs suspended work on his own solo debut under the Puff Daddy moniker for several months, then reemerged in mid-1997 with “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” which topped the singles chart for nearly two months. It was followed by the chart-topping tribute “I’ll Be Missing You,” featuring background vocals by Faith Evans.
His debut album No Way Out as Puff Daddy entered at number one and earned multiple platinum certifications; it won the 1998 Grammy for Best Rap Album, and “I’ll Be Missing You” took Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Forever arrived in 1999, yet its rushed arrival and absence of fresh ideas hurt sales. That April 15 he was charged with severely beating Interscope executive Steve Stoute; the case concluded in September with a reduced conviction for second-degree harassment. Around the same period his relationship with Jennifer Lopez became public, accompanied by engagement speculation. The couple faced legal trouble after a December shooting at a New York club, where both were questioned and later charged with illegal firearm possession; rapper Shyne was indicted for the incident. Additional civil suits arose from his driver and the club owner, while Lopez ended the relationship on Valentine’s Day 2001. A planned gospel album was delayed, but in March 2001 Combs was acquitted of all charges related to the club shooting, which also ended the associated civil actions. At month’s end he announced a professional name change to P. Diddy, citing Prince as a point of comparison, and signaled a new artistic direction. He completed the gospel project Thank You and the solo album The Saga Continues, though the former remained unreleased; “Bad Boy for Life” became his strongest single in years that summer, and a David Bowie collaboration appeared on the Training Day soundtrack.
Arista severed its distribution arrangement with Bad Boy in spring 2002 and retained Evans. The remix collection We Invented the Remix marked his final Arista release. 112 sought to move to Def Jam, but a restraining order blocked the departure. Combs entered reality television as the center of Making the Band 2 and its sequels, which introduced Danity Kane. Bad Boy resurfaced in summer 2006 via Yung Joc’s “It’s Going Down” and Cassie’s “Me & U,” paving the way for the star-laden Press Play that October. After repeated postponements he released his fifth album, Last Train to Paris, in December 2010 under the Dirty Money banner with Kalenna Harper and Dawn Richard, again featuring numerous high-profile guests. Between 2011 and 2013 he pursued acting and launched the music channel Revolt. Early in 2014 he revived the Puff Daddy name for the MMM mixtape; lead single “Big Homie” arrived in February with Rick Ross and French Montana, joined on the project by Sevyn Streeter, the LOX, Pusha T, Lil’ Kim, Future, Big Sean, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, and others. In 2015 he issued the Pharrell Williams collaboration “Finna Get Loose,” intended for the still-unreleased No Way Out 2.
Albums
Singles
