Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, Puff Daddy, and P. Diddy across his rap career, is a well-known record producer and recording artist. He is largely credited with discovering and introducing artists like The Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige to the wider world of pop culture. Let’s take a look at his long career and understand how he got to where he is today.
Early Life
Sean Combs was born in Harlem on November 4, 1969, and raised in Mount Vernon, New York. When he was two years old, his father, Melvin Combs, was shot dead while sitting in his car on Central Park West in New York City. Melvin was a known associate of convicted drug dealer Frank Lucas.
Religion
Combs’ mother raised him Roman Catholic. He was an altar boy while he was growing up. In 1987 he graduated from Mount Saint Michael Academy, an all-boys Catholic school. During this time, he earned the nickname “Puff” because of his tendency to “huff and puff” when incensed.
Education
Combs attended Howard University as a business major. After two years at the school, he dropped out to pursue a career in music. He would later return to Howard in 2014 to receive an honorary doctorate in humanities. Notably, that honorable doctorate was revoked in 2024 in light of an ongoing scandal—more on that later.
Internship
In 1990, Combs began working as an intern for Uptown Records in New York. He was mentored by Andre Harell and met Jodeci and Mary J. Blige, helping to develop both artists. This would become fundamental in his career: his ability to identify potential artists and help them develop their styles.
Party Lifestyle
During an interview with Howard Stern in 2016, Combs’ former roommate, Usher, told the radio host that Diddy’s lifestyle was “pretty wild” in the early 90s. He would throw huge parties, such as an AIDS fundraiser with Heavy D in 1991 that was so oversold that a stampede took place, killing nine people.
Bad Boy Records
Combs was fired from Uptown Records in 1993. Not missing a beat, he started Bad Boy Records almost immediately and made a deal with Arista Records. He brought then-unknown up-and-coming rapper Christopher Wallace with him. He’d later achieve fame as Notorious B.I.G.
Rapid Growth
After the release of Biggie’s iconic 1994 album Ready to Die, Bad Boy Records and Diddy became household names. The label signed artists like Faith Evans, Total, and Father MC. Bad Boy’s production team, “The Hitmen,” worked alongside major acts like Usher, Lil’ Kim, Mary J. Blige, and more.
East Coast/West Coast Rivalry
In the mid-90s, a thorny rivalry between East Coast and West Coast-based rappers developed. Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight of Death Row Records openly criticized Bad Boy Records, Diddy, and Biggie. This rivalry would go from publicity-boosting to deadly in a few short years.
Deaths of Tupac and Biggie
Tupac Shakur was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 7, 1996. The case remains unsolved. Months later, on March 9, 1997, Biggie Smalls was very similarly shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, stunning the hip hop industry. Rapper Nas famously noted that the back-to-back deaths of both legends “was nearly the end of rap.” Both deaths went unsolved, but theories still swirl that Combs or Tupac associate and known gangster Suge Knight could have been involved in either or both deaths.
Puff Daddy
Combs’ first musical outing was 1996’s single “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,” which peaked at number one on the Hot 100. He released an album, No Way Out, in 1997. The album underwent significant modifications during its production due to the tragic death of Biggie Smalls earlier that year. The single “I’ll be Missing You” became the first song to ever debut at number one on the Hot 100.
Sean Jean
Puff Daddy released his own clothing line, Sean Jean, in 1998, with help from a $100 million investment from Ronald Burkle. The clothing line was very popular around the turn of the millennium, with many rappers and athletes being seen in Sean Jean clothing at the time. The brand was famously carried by Macy’s department stores before Combs’ 2020s legal issues.
Weapons Charges
In 1999, Combs and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were at a club in Times Square and someone fired a gun. Combs and his protégé Shyne were charged with weapons violations, as police insisted that Combs and another patron at the club had gotten into an argument and that Combs had fired the weapons. While Combs was cleared of all charges, Shyne was sent to prison for ten years. Lopez and Combs broke up after the trial.
P. Diddy
In 2001, Combs stopped using the stage name Puff Daddy and changed his persona to “P. Diddy,” and recorded a gospel album titled Thank You. Though recording on the album was completed in 2003, Thank You hasn’t been released as of the time of this writing. He continued managing artists under Bad Boy Records and released an album called The Saga Continues. He was also in the halftime show for Super Bowl 38.
Feud with 50 Cent
In 2005, Combs again changed his stage name to simply “Diddy.” He noted in an interview with Today that his fans were confused and didn’t know how to address him. In 2006, 50 Cent recorded a diss track that alleged that Diddy knew the identity of Biggie’s murderer. 50 and Diddy have been in an on-again, off-again feud in the matter ever since.
2010s
Throughout the 00s, Diddy had picked up numerous acting roles on shows like CSI: Miami and his own reality show, I Want to Work for Diddy. By the 2010s he was once again focusing on his musical career, assembling a supergroup comprised of himself, DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes, Red Café, Rick Ross, and Fabolous. He continued to appear on shows like Hawaii Five-0 and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
MMM and More Name Changes
Diddy released the mixtape MMM in 2014, returning to his “Puff Daddy” stage name (and once again confusing fans, who now just used all of his various stage names interchangeably). In 2017, he announced he’d changed his stage name again to “Love,” or “Brother Love.” He waffled on the name change, saying he was joking, before committing to it in 2022.
2020s
Combs released his fifth studio album, The Love Album: Off the Grid in 2023. The album was released independently, despite Diddy signing to Motown Records prior to its release. The album received Grammy nods at the 2024 awards, but Combs declined to appear at the event in light of the ongoing scandal involving him.
Sexual Misconduct Allegations
In 2017, Combs’ personal chef Cindy Ruela accused the producer of sexual harassment. They settled out of court in 2019. In 2023, Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura accused him of several mortifying crimes, including physical abuse and sexual assault. She also alleged that Combs threatened to “blow up” her then-boyfriend, Kid Cudi’s, car. In 2012, Kid Cudi’s car actually exploded, though no link between these two events has been proven in court.
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Lawsuits Pile Up
Throughout 2023, more and more lawsuits were brought against Combs. He roundly denied all of the allegations of misconduct. In March 2024, law enforcement agencies raided Combs’ properties in Miami, LA, and New York in connection to an ongoing investigation. Amidst the storm of lawsuits, many brands cut ties with Combs.
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September 2024 Arrest
On September 16, 2024, Combs was arrested in New York for crimes including racketeering and sex trafficking. On September 17, officials unveiled an indictment against Combs that alleges he “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.”
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