Biography - Sean "Diddy" Combs

Ever since Sean ‘P. Diddy’ Combs started the enormously successful Bad Boy Records in 1993, it seems that every breath he takes is not only watched by the entire entertainment industry, but each one also brings him a boatload of cash. One of the most successful entertainment moguls in history, P. Diddy is often credited with bringing hip-hop into the mainstream with his career as a performer, producer, executive, and powerful figurehead for his East Coast cronies who include the late Notorious B.I.G.

Diddy was born in Harlem on November 4, 1969. His father was murdered when he was still a baby, and as a child he lived in suburban Mount Vernon, NY with his mother. After graduating from high school at the private Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx he attended Howard University in Washington, D.C. He started an internship at Uptown Records when he was 19, where he produced tracks for Father M.C., Mary J. Blige, and Heavy D & the Boyz. Combs was fired from Uptown in 1993, and started his own record label, Bad Boy. He famously tried to sign Tupac Shakur to the label, but the west coast rapper refused, which was one of many events that set off a battle for supremacy between the two hip-hop camps. The rejection from Tupac was a minor setback, however, as Diddy quickly signed The Notorious B.I.G. and Craig Mack.

Biggie’s first LP, “Ready to Die”, was a smash success, placing both rappers at the top of the hip-hop world, allied against their west coast rivals at Death Row Records. Combs continued his success with Bad Boy, releasing smash singles for various artists and producing for performers like Mariah Carey, Lil’ Kim, TLC, and Aretha Franklin.

Tupac was murdered in 1996, followed by Biggie’s murder in March 1997. Both killings became major fodder for conspiracy theorists and tabloids, and the controversy surrounding the murders put Diddy in the spotlight, particularly after his LP “No Way Out” was released in the summer of ’97 to enormous sales. The album produced several hit singles, including two #1s. The track “I’ll Be Missing You”, a tribute to Biggie that heavily sampled The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”, was one of the biggest hits of the decade and won Diddy a Grammy. “No Way Out” scored Diddy a Grammy for Best Rap Album as well.

The rapper’s current worth is estimated at around $315 million, and the 2000s have seen him continue his success as the Goliath of hip-hop moguls. A series of professional and personal setbacks have dominated media attention of the artist for the past several years, especially his alleged involvement in criminal activities that saw him and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez become tabloid deities. Diddy was cleared of all charges, and has stayed behind-the-scenes in the studio as well as appearing as Halle Berry’s imprisoned husband in the Oscar-winning film “Monster’s Ball”. Recently Diddy has moved Bad Boy Records to the Warner Music Group and has started a clothing line, Sean John. 2006 will see him release his first studio album in seven years.