Sean Combs (born November 4th, 1969) Sean John Combs, otherwise known by his stage names P. Diddy, Puff Daddy and Diddy, is an American rapper record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. Best known for his tracks 'Can't Nobody Hold Me Down' and 'It's All About the Benjamins', he's also globally recognised for signing some of the most successful artists in history, such as The Notorious B.I.G. 2006 saw Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley name October 13th as "Diddy Day" as a form of gratitude for Combs' charity work. In 2008 Combs was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Net Worth: In 2015 Forbes stated that Combs' net worth is approximately $735 million.
Personal Life: Sean Combs was born in Harlem, New York City, and raised in Mount Vernon, New York. His mother was a teacher's assistant and model, and his father - who was connected with convicted drug dealer Frank Lucas - was shot to death while sitting in his car whilst Combs was still a child. Combs later stage name Puff Daddy derived from his time spent at Mount Saint Michael Academy: 'Puff' was a nickname given to him when angry due to his huffing and puffing, whilst 'Daddy' (another word for 'player') was associated with him playing football for the school. Combs graduated from the academy in 1987.
Combs is the father of six children. Between 1994 and 2007 he had a relationship with Kimberly Porter, who he had a son and twin daughters with. Combs also adopted and raised Porter's son Quincy from a previous relationship she had with singer/producer Al B. Sure. Combs' daughter Chance was born to Sarah Chapman in 2007. Combs' sons have both had lavish, televised parties for their sixteenth birthdays - his son Justin was given a $360,000 Maybach luxury car alongside a chauffeur as his father's gift. Combs two homes have a joint value that exceeds $20 million.
Career: After two years spent at Howard University Combs dropped out in 1990 as a business major. He then became an intern at New York's Uptown Records. As a talent director at Uptown he was instrumental in Jodeci and Mary J. Blige's career success. During this time Combs was also known to throw large parties with thousands of attendants. Combs promoted an AIDS fundraiser alongside Heavy D at the City College of New York gymnasium after a charity basketball game. The event was sold out, and a stampede caused the death of nine people. 1993 saw Combs fired from Uptown. He then created Bad Boy Records as in partnership with Arista Records. The Notorious B.I.G was one of Combs' first signings, who released hit singles and successful LPs via the label. Combs then went on to sign more acts to Bad Boy from the likes of Carl Thomas to Father MC. 'The Hitmen', Combs' production team, worked with musicians that went on to be globally recognised in later life such as Mary J.Blige, Usher, Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men. A rivalry brewed midway through the 90s between Bad Boy and the West Coast's Death Row Records. Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G had a feud between each other during this period.
Combs' first commercial work as a rapper came in 1997 as Puff Daddy. His debut single, 'Can't Nobody Hold Me Down', held the top spot on the US Billboard 100. His debut record, No Way Out, was reworked dramatically after the murder of The Notorious B.I.G on March 7th, 1997, before its release via his label in July. The album peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 in its first week. 1998 saw Combs win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, with the album being certified septuple platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 7 million copies. A year later Combs was charged with the assault of rapper Nas' manage Steve Stoute of Interscope Records over a supposedly blasphemous music video. Combs was sentenced to attend an anger management class. In August 1999 Combs' next album, entitled Forever, launched and peaked at number two in the USA. In December of that year gunfire broke out at a Club New York in Manhattan whilst Combs and his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez were inside. Combs was later charged with four weapons-related charges alongside fellow rapper Shyne. Combs was later found not guilty on all charges, whilst Shyne was convicted and sentenced to ten years in prison. Combs and Lopez separated soon after.
Combs changed his stage name from 'Puff Daddy' to 'P. Diddy' in 2001. He also stared in the 2001 films Made and Monster's Ball. June of that year saw Combs remove the association between Bad Boy Entertainment and Arista Records, consequently giving him full control of the label and its artists. Combs' third studio album The Saga Continues. came out in July and was marked as the last album release from the joint venture. The record peaked at number two in the USA and was certified platinum by the RIAA. Combs ran in the 2003 New York City Marathon and raised $2 million for the city's educational system. He performed as P. Diddy at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.
Combs' third name change to 'Diddy' in 2005 provoked London-based DJ Richard Dearlove, who had been performing under the name 'Diddy' for over ten years, into seeking an injunction in the High Court of Justice in London. The result was that Combs can no longer use the name Diddy in the UK. Combs also starred in the film Carlito's Way: Rise to Power, sold half of his record company to the Warner Music Group, hosted the MTV Video Music Awards and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2005 by Time magazine all in the same year. The following year Combs' LP Press Play came out, debuting at number one in the USA.
In March 2008 the Los Angeles Times falsely accused The Notorious B.I.G. and Combs as the individuals behind Tupac's murder. Once the paper had recognised that the FBI documents their claims were based upon were not genuine, they withdrew the story. Combs premiered his VH1 reality TV series I Want to Work for Diddy in August.
'The Dream Team', the rap supergroup Combs' created, was made public in 2010 and included Combs, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Busta Rhymes, Red Café, and Fabolous. Combs played the role of Sergio Roma, a record company executive, in the 2010 comedy film Get Him to the Greek. Last Train to Paris, Diddy's fifth LP, was released on December 13, 2010. 'Coming Home' was the most successful of the album's singles, peaking at number four in the UK.
Other Achievements: 2002 saw Fortune magazine list Combs at number twelve on their top 40 of entrepreneurs under 40. In 1998, Combs started the clothing line Sean John, which won the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2004. In 2003 the National Labor Committee stated that the clothing line's factories in Honduras were violating the country's labour laws - accusations included sweatshop wages, overtime working hours and involuntary pregnancy tests. Improvements, such as air conditioning and water purification systems, were made by February. Two years later and reports from Macy's department store stated that Sean John jackets were made using dog fur - consequently they were removed from shelves and production of them was stopped.
Combs has also owned two restaurants called Justin's, named after his son. Both are now closed. Combs agreed to develop the Ciroc vodka brand for a 50 percent share of the profits in October 2007. Combs has also founded Daddy's House Social Programs, an organisation aiming to help inner city youth. Alongside Jay-Z, in 2005 he donated $1 million to help support victims of Hurricane Katrina, as well as donating clothing from his Sean John line.
On June 22, 2015, Combs was accused of assaulting one of his son's football coaches with a deadly weapon after seeing the coach shout at his son.
Biography by Contactmusic.com
