Life, Career, and Legal Issues of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs Part I

 

Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), also known as Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. He is the recipient of various accolades, including three Grammy Awards. He is credited with the discovery and development of musical artists including the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher.

Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own record label, Bad Boy Records in 1993. He embarked on his recording career following the success of his first signee, the Notorious B.I.G., for whom he served as manager and hype man. Combs's debut studio album, No Way Out (1997), peaked atop the Billboard 200 and has sold over 7 million copies in the US. Two of its lead singles, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and "I'll Be Missing You", topped the Billboard Hot 100—the latter was the first hip hop song to debut atop the chart. His second and third albums, Forever (1999) and The Saga Continues... (2001), reached number two on the Billboard 200, while his fourth, Press Play (2006), reached atop the chart. In 2009, Combs formed the musical group Diddy – Dirty Money with R&B singers Kalenna Harper and Dawn Richard to release the collaborative album Last Train to Paris (2010), which peaked at number seven in the US and was supported by the single "Coming Home". He released his fifth album, The Love Album: Off the Grid, thirteen years later: it received moderate critical and commercial response.

One of the wealthiest musical artists in the world, Combs topped Forbes annual hip-hop rich list in 2014 and 2017. He has worked as a producer for other media, including MTV's reality television series Making the Band. He made his acting debut in the film Made (2001), and went on to appear in the commercially successful films Monster's Ball (2001), Get Him to the Greek (2010), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), and Girls Trip (2017). He launched the clothing retailer Sean John in 1998, for which he won Menswear Designer of the Year from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2004, having previously been nominated in 2000. Combs served as brand ambassador for the liquor brand Cîroc from 2007 to 2023, and co-founded the television network Revolt in 2013. In 2008, Combs was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first male rapper to be so honored.

In late 2023, Combs settled a high-profile sexual assault and abuse lawsuit filed by his former partner Cassie Ventura. Numerous lawsuits regarding sexual misconduct were subsequently filed in the following months, with several claimants alleging incidents of sexual assault and abuse by Combs between 1991 and 2009. In March 2024, several properties tied to Combs were raided by the Department of Homeland Security and that September, he was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. He pleaded not guilty and was denied bail three times. As of December 2024, he is detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, and his trial is set to start on May 5, 2025.

Early life

Sean John Combs was born on November 4, 1969, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Raised in Mount Vernon, New York, his mother Janice Combs (née Smalls) was a model and teachers assistant, and his father, Melvin Earl Combs, served in the U.S. Air Force and was an associate of convicted New York drug dealer Frank Lucas. At age 33, Melvin was shot dead while sitting in his car on Central Park West, when Combs was two years old. Combs has a sister, Keisha, and grew up in poverty.

 

Combs was raised Catholic and served as an altar boy. He graduated from Mount Saint Michael Academy, an all-boys Catholic school, in 1987. He played football for the academy, and his team won a division title in 1986. Combs said he was given the nickname "Puff" as a child, because he would "huff and puff" when he was angry. Combs was a business major at Howard University, but left after his second year.

Career

1990–1996: Career beginnings

Combs became an intern at New York's Uptown Records in 1990. While working as a talent director at Uptown, under the guidance of label founder Andre Harrell, he helped develop Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. In his college days, Combs had a reputation for throwing parties, some of which attracted up to a thousand participants. Usher, who lived with Combs for a year in New York City when he was 13 years old, told Howard Stern in 2016 that Combs's lifestyle was "pretty wild" during that time. In 1991, Combs promoted an AIDS fundraiser with Heavy D held at the City College of New York (CCNY) gymnasium, following a charity basketball game. The event was oversold, and a stampede occurred in which nine people died.

Shortly after being fired from Uptown in 1993, Combs established his own label Bad Boy Records, which entered a joint venture deal with Arista Records. Combs brought Uptown signee Christopher Wallace (better known as the Notorious B.I.G.) along with him to the newly established label. Both Wallace and Craig Mack began recording for the label and yielded mainstream recognition, leading to the former's debut album and the label's first major project, Ready to Die (1994). Combs signed more acts to Bad Boy, including Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, 112, Total, and Father MC. The Hitmen, his in-house production team, worked with Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil' Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, SWV, Aretha Franklin, and others.

Mase and the Lox joined Bad Boy just as a widely publicized rivalry between the East Coast and West Coast hip hop scenes was beginning. Combs and Wallace were criticized and parodied by Death Row Records cohorts Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight in songs and interviews during the mid-1990s. During 1994–1995, Combs produced several songs for TLC's CrazySexyCool, which finished the decade as number 25 on Billboard's list of top pop albums of the decade.

1996–1998: "Puff Daddy" and No Way Out

In 1996, under the name Puff Daddy, Combs released his first commercial vocal work as a rapper. His debut single, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", spent 28 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number one. His debut album, No Way Out, was released on July 22, 1997, through Bad Boy Records. Originally titled Hell up in Harlem, the album underwent several changes after the Notorious B.I.G. was killed on March 9, 1997. Several of the label's artists made guest appearances on the album. No Way Out was a significant success, particularly in the United States, where it reached number one on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release, selling 561,000 copies.

The album produced five singles: "I'll Be Missing You", a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G., was the first rap song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100; it remained at the top of the chart for 11 consecutive weeks and topped several other charts worldwide. Four other singles—"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", "It's All about the Benjamins", "Been around the World", and "Victory"—were also released. Combs collaborated with Jimmy Page on the song "Come with Me" for the 1998 film Godzilla.

The album earned Combs five nominations at the 40th Grammy Awards in 1998, and would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. On September 7, 2000, the album was certified septuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 7 million copies. By the late 1990s, he was being criticized for watering down and overly commercializing hip hop, and for relying excessively on guest appearances, samples, and interpolations of past hits. For example, in a 1997 review of No Way Out for Billboard, Havelock Nelson commented: "...the over-reliance on huge swathes of undiluted samples is simply clumsy, lazy, and demeaning to the sources." Also in 1997, Neil Strauss of The New York Times called Combs the "king of sampled hits".

1999–2000: Forever

In April 1999, Combs was charged with assaulting Steve Stoute of Interscope Records. Stoute was the manager for Nas, with whom Combs had filmed a video earlier that year for the song "Hate Me Now". Combs was concerned that the video, which featured a shot of Nas and Combs being crucified, was blasphemous. He asked for his scenes on the cross to be pulled, but after the video aired unedited on MTV on April 15, Combs visited Stoute's offices and injured Stoute.

Forever, Combs's second solo studio album, was released by Bad Boy Records on August 24, 1999, in North America, and in the UK on the following day. It reached number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, before being ousted the following week by Mary J. Blige's fourth album, Mary. The album received positive to mixed reviews from music critics and spawned three singles that have charted on the Billboard charts. It peaked at number four on the Canadian Albums Chart, Combs's highest-charting album in that country.

2001–2004: "P. Diddy" and the Saga Continues

Combs changed his stage name from "Puff Daddy" to "P. Diddy" in 2001. The gospel album, Thank You, which had been completed just before the beginning of the weapons trial, was due to be released in March that year, but remains unreleased as of 2023. He appeared as a drug dealer in the film, Made, and starred with Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, and Billy Bob Thornton in Monster's Ball (both in 2001).

Combs began working with a series of atypical (for him) artists. For a short period of time, he was the manager of Kelis; they have a collaboration titled "Let's Get Ill". He was an opening act for 'N Sync on their Spring 2002 Celebrity Tour, and he signed California-based pop girl group Dream to his record label. Combs was a producer of the soundtrack album for the film Training Day (2001).

In June 2001, Combs ended Bad Boy's distribution deal with Arista Records, gaining full control of the label, its catalogue, and its roster of artists. The Saga Continues..., released on July 10 in North America, was the last studio album released by the joint venture. The album reached number two on the Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and was eventually certified Platinum. It is the only studio album under the P. Diddy name, and the first album by Sean Combs not to feature any guest appearances by Jay-Z or Lil' Kim. Combs was executive producer of the reality TV show, Making the Band, which appeared on MTV from 2002 to 2009.

The show involves interviewing candidates and creating musical acts that would then enter the music business. Acts that got their start this way include Da Band, Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang. In 2003, Combs ran in the New York City Marathon, raising $2 million for the educational system of the city of New York. On March 10, 2004, he appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the marathon, which he finished in four hours and eighteen minutes. In 2004, Combs headed the campaign "Vote or Die" for the 2004 presidential election. On February 1, 2004, Combs performed at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.

2005–2009: "Diddy" and Press Play

On August 16, 2005, Combs announced on Today that he was altering his stage name yet again; he would be calling himself "Diddy". Combs said fans did not know how to address him, which led to confusion.

Combs starred in the 2005 film Carlito's Way: Rise to Power. He played Walter Lee Younger in the 2004 Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun and the television adaptation that aired in February 2008. In 2005, Combs sold half of his record company to the Warner Music Group. He hosted the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2005 by Time magazine. He was mentioned in the country song "Play Something Country" by Brooks & Dunn: the lyricist says he "didn't come to hear P. Diddy", which is rhymed with "something thumpin' from the city".

In 2006, when Combs refused to release rapper Mase from his contractual obligations with Bad Boy to allow him to join the group G-Unit, 50 Cent recorded a diss song, "Hip-Hop". The lyrics imply that Combs knew the identity of the Notorious B.I.G.'s murderer. The two resolved the feud, but it resurfaced in later years.

Combs released his first album in four years, Press Play, on October 17, 2006, on the Bad Boy Records label. The album, featuring guest appearances by many popular artists, debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with sales of over 173,009. Its singles "Come to Me" and "Last Night" both reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The album became available to preview on MTV's The Leak on October 10, 2006, a week before being sold in stores. Press Play received mixed to positive reviews from critics, and was certified Gold on the RIAA ratings. On September 18, 2007, Combs teamed up with 50 Cent and Jay-Z for the "Forbes I Get Money Billion Dollar Remix".

In June 2008, Combs's representative denied rumors of another name change. Combs ventured into reality television in August 2008 with the premiere of his VH1 series I Want to Work for Diddy. He appeared—credited under his real name—in two episodes of Season 7 of CSI: Miami: "Presumed Guilty" and "Sink or Swim", in the role of lawyer Derek Powell.

2010–2013: Diddy – Dirty Money and acting

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. Recruiting singers Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper, Combs formed the female duo Diddy – Dirty Money in 2009. The trio's first and only album, Last Train to Paris, was released by Interscope Records on December 13, 2010. The release was preceded by four singles: "Angels", "Hello Good Morning", "Loving You No More", and "Coming Home", each saw mixed success on the Billboard Hot 100, although the latter peaked at number 11 on the U.S. Hot 100, number four in the UK, and number seven in Canada. Combs produced the group, and often performed with them. On March 10, 2011, Diddy and 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 November 2012, Combs appeared in an episode of the eighth season of the American sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

2014–2017: MMM and Bad Boy Anniversaries

On February 26, 2014, Combs premiered "Big Homie", featuring Rick Ross and French Montana, as the first single from his mixtape MMM (Money Making Mitch), which was originally scheduled to be released that year. The song was released for digital download on March 24, and two days later the trailer for the music video was released. The full version of the music video was released on March 31. Combs used his former stage name Puff Daddy for the album. MMM was released as a free mixtape album of 12 tracks on November 4, 2015. In July 2014, Combs and Israeli record producer Guy Gerber released the collaborative album, 11:11 as a free download. On June 29, 2015, Combs released the single "Finna Get Loose", which featured vocals and production by Pharrell Williams.

In July 2015, Bad Boy Entertainment signee Gizzle told the press that she was collaborating with Combs on the ultimately-cancelled album No Way Out 2, a sequel to his 1997 debut. She describes the music as unique: "The mindset is to just be classic and to be epic. And to really live up to that ... we know it's a tall order, but we welcome the challenge." In April 2016, Combs announced that after this album and its accompanying tour, he planned to retire from the music industry to focus on acting.

On May 20, 2016, Combs launched a tour of Bad Boy Records' biggest names to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the label. The documentary Can’t Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story, covering the two shows at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as well as behind-the-scenes events, was released on June 23, 2017. The show toured to an additional twenty venues across the United States and Canada.

2018–present: "Love" and The Love Album: Off the Grid

On November 5, 2017, Combs announced that he would be going by the name Love, stating, "My new name is Love, aka Brother Love." Two days later, he told the press he had been joking, but on January 3, 2018, he announced on Jimmy Kimmel Live! that he had changed his mind again, and will be using the new name after all. The change became official in 2022.

In 2019, Combs announced on Twitter that Making the Band would return to MTV in 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it failed to do so; it was delayed once more for a release in 2021 before its complete cancellation.

Combs executive-produced Nigerian singer Burna Boy's album, Twice as Tall, which was released on August 14, 2020.

Combs hosted the 2022 Billboard Music Awards. In May of that year, he announced the startup of a new record label, Love Records as part of a recording contract with Motown. Along with Combs himself, the label's inaugural artist was singer Jozzy, who signed to the label that same month. The following June, he released the single "Gotta Move On", which features singer Bryson Tiller and marked his first entry—at number 79—on the Billboard Hot 100 since "Coming Home". It was promoted as the lead single for the album, although it was only included on its expanded edition. On August 22, 2023, Combs released a teaser trailer on social media for his fifth studio album The Love Album: Off the Grid, which was released on September 15, 2023.

Coinciding with its release was the lead single "Another One of Me" (with the Weeknd, French Montana and 21 Savage). The song peaked at number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200. Critical responses to both the song and album were mixed to average. Despite Combs's signing with Motown, the album released was independently, with the label's name only present on promotional materials. During an interview with Billboard, Combs stated that:

[I]'m in a season of total independence. I had an experience with Motown where it was like, 'I've come too far to ask somebody that isn't where I'm from about cultural and artistic things. If I'm going to bet on anybody, I'm going to bet on the people I believe in.' So I decided to go independent with Love Records and Bad Boy. I decided to come back into the game with bolder ideas of ownership, distribution and future manufacturing because those are the things that we as a people are cut out of.

The Love Album: Off the Grid received a nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, which commenced on February 4, 2024; Combs did not attend the ceremony, due to sexual misconduct allegations levied against him.

Business career

Fortune magazine listed Combs at number 12 on their top 40 of entrepreneurs under 40 in 2002. Forbes magazine estimated that for the year ending May 2017, Combs earned $130 million, ranking him number one among entertainers. He topped the Forbes annual hip-hop rich list in 2014 and 2017. He is one of the wealthiest musical artists, with an estimated net worth of US$1 billion by 2022.

Sean John

In 1998, Combs started a clothing line, Sean John. It was nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2000, and won in 2004. California billionaire Ronald Burkle invested $100 million into the company in 2003.

In late 2006, the department store Macy's removed Sean John jackets from their shelves when they discovered that the clothing was made using raccoon dog fur. Combs had not known the jackets were made with genuine fur, but as soon as he was alerted, he had production stopped.

In November 2008, Combs added a men's perfume line "I Am King" to the Sean John brand. The fragrance, dedicated to Barack Obama, Muhammad Ali, and Martin Luther King Jr., featured Bar Refaeli in its advertising. In early 2016, Sean John introduced the brand's GIRLS collection.

Other ventures

Combs is the head of Combs Enterprises, an umbrella company for his portfolio of businesses. In addition to his clothing line, Combs owned two restaurants called Justin's, named after his son. The original New York location closed in September 2007; the Atlanta location closed in June 2012. He is the designer of the Dallas Mavericks alternate jersey. In October 2007, Combs agreed to help develop the Cîroc vodka brand for a 50% share of the profits. In June 2023, after Ciroc was acquired by Diageo, they ended their partnership with Combs for "refusing to acknowledge or honor his commitments".

Combs acquired the Enyce clothing line from Liz Claiborne for $20 million on October 21, 2008.

Combs has a major equity stake in Revolt TV, a television network that also has a film production branch. It began broadcasting in 2014. In February 2015, Combs teamed up with actor Mark Wahlberg and businessman Ronald Burkle of Yucaipa Companies to purchase a majority holding in Aquahydrate, a calorie-free beverage for athletes. John Cochran, former president of Fiji Water, is CEO of the company.

In 2019, Combs became an investor in PlayVS, which provides an infrastructure for competitive gaming in US high schools. The company was also backed by Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin.

Personal life

Family and relationships

Combs is a father to seven children. His first biological child, a son, Justin, was born in 1993 to fashion designer and stylist Misa Hylton. He attended UCLA on a football scholarship and graduated in 2016. Combs had an on-again, off-again relationship with Kimberly Porter (1970–2018), which lasted from 1994 to 2007. He raised and adopted Quincy, born 1991, Porter's son from a previous relationship with singer-producer and Combs's rival, Al B. Sure!. Together, they had a son, Christian, born 1998, and twin daughters, born 2006. Porter died of pneumonia on November 15, 2018.

Five months before the birth of his twins, Combs had a daughter, born to Sarah Chapman. He took legal responsibility for her in October 2007. Combs was in an 11-year relationship with Cassie Ventura from 2007 to 2018. Combs's seventh child was born on October 15, 2022, a daughter. Her mother is Dana Tran.

In November 2022, Combs and his second-eldest son became the first father-son duo to have simultaneous No. 1 hits. Combs reached the top of the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay chart with "Gotta Move On", while his son, under his stage name King Combs, topped Mediabase's US Urban Radio chart with "Can't Stop Won't Stop", featuring Kodak Black.

Combs owns a home in Alpine, New Jersey, which he purchased for $7 million. In 2018 Combs bought Past Times, a 1997 painting by Kerry James Marshall for $21 million, establishing a record for a painting by a living black artist.

Religious views

Combs was raised Catholic and was an altar server as a boy. In 2008, he told The Daily Telegraph that he does not adhere to any specific religious denomination. He said, "I just follow right from wrong, so I could pray in a synagogue or a mosque or a church. I believe that there is only one God."

In a 2023 interview, Combs said he believes that God is a woman.

Charity work and honors

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.

In 1998, he received a Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley named October 13, 2006, as "Diddy Day" in honor of Combs's charity work. In 2008, Combs was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first male rapper to be so honored.

In 2014, Combs received an honorary doctorate in Humanities from Howard University, where he gave the commencement speech for its 146th commencement ceremony. In his speech, Combs acknowledged that his experiences as a Howard student positively influenced his life. In 2016, Combs donated $1 million to Howard University to establish the Sean Combs Scholarship Fund to help students who are unable to pay their tuition. On June 7, 2024, Howard University announced that it was revoking Combs's honorary doctorate. They also returned his $1 million donation and terminated his pledge agreement.

In 2022, Combs announced during his BET Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech that he will be donating $1 million each to Howard University and Jackson State University.