Actor entrepeneur rapper record producer singer-songwriter
Born in Harlem, New York, on November 4, 1969, Sean Combs launched his music production company, Bad Boy Entertainment, in 1993, and worked with artists like Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige and Biggie Smalls. After Biggie was murdered in 1997, Combs recorded the tribute "I'll be Missing You," which topped the Billboard singles chart for eleven weeks and launched Combs's first album, No Way Out (1997) to platinum status.
Combs attended Mount Vernon Montessori School and later completed his secondary education at the private, Catholic boys’ school Mount Saint Michael Academy.
After attending a private Catholic boys school, he moved on to study business administration at Howard University, during which time he also began working as an intern at Uptown Records. His business aptitude served him well in this context and by the age of 19 he had moved up to director of A&R, directing the careers of Uptown artists such as Jodeci and Mary J. Blige.
Howard University didn't just change my life -- it entered my soul, my heart, my being and my spirit," he said.
Although he did not receive his official graduation diploma, Combs' success story proves to be an inspiration for many, making it understandable why he was chosen as a guest speaker for the Howard University Graduation ceremony.
His business aptitude served him well in this context and by the age of 19 he had moved up to director of A&R, directing the careers of Uptown artists such as Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. Eventually, his ambition began to work against him, and by 1993 he was fired from the label.
After a short period doing remixing, Combs set up his own organization, Bad Boy Entertainment (a name he has since worked hard to live up to). The beginnings of the company were extremely modest, with Combs running everything out of his apartment; but by early 1995 two platinum records were already on the wall and operations were expanding accordingly, with Combs adding singer Faith Evans, the all-female trio Total and the group 112 to the label's roster. This success in his own camp increased his demand as an outside producer, and before long he was taking charge of sessions by Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and TLC, to name a few.
The positive vibes would suddenly turn evil the following year, however, when a feud between Bad Boy and rival label Death Row Records escalated beyond reason, resulting in the murders of first Death Row's Tupac Shakur and then Bad Boy's Notorious B.I.G. six months later. Allegations of Combs' involvement in the attacks were brought up in an interview with talk show host Roger Mills, later precipitating a suit by Mills against the producer when Combs' representatives forcibly took the interview tape and allegedly assaulted him. By this time, Combs was already well-accustomed to legal battles, having already been involved in paternity and child-support suits with the mother of his second child (among other incidents).
In 1997 Combs released his first solo venture No Way Out, featuring a tribute to his murdered friend B.I.G. in the song I'll Be Missing You. Also included on the record was the single Can't Nobody Hold Me Down, which would reach the #1 position on the R&B charts. The album itself would eventually achieve multi-platinum status and win two Grammy awards. His second album, Forever (1999), failed to match the popularity of the first, but Combs kept himself in the headlines courtesy of both his tumultuous relationship with singer/actress Jennifer Lopez and his remarkable talent for getting into trouble. An assault charge from Interscope executive Steve Stoute served as a mild prelude to a subsequent debacle surrounding a shooting in a New York nightclub, which ended in the apprehension of both Combs and Lopez and charges for weapons possession and bribery being brought against Combs. Following a lively trial/media circus the charges were dropped.
The non-musical shenanigans took a toll on the rapper's reputation, who had already been under fire for his immoderate reliance on samples in his music. In 2001 he changed his rap moniker from "Puff Daddy" to "P Diddy" and released P. Diddy & The Bad Boy Family: The Saga Continues. By the release of his next effort, We Invented the Remix (2002), a lot of his credibility (in the music business at least) had been regained. This of course could only mean one thing: an acting career. Appearances in films such as Made and Monster's Ball have taken place, with more on the way.
In 2005 Combs altered his stage name again, performing as just plain "Diddy" and explaining (presumably in jest) that "the P was getting between me and my fans". He promptly faced legal action from a British performer who had been using the name Diddy for his entire career, leading to a settlement whereby, for several years, he called himself "Diddy" everywhere in the world except in the United Kingdom, where he was still billed as "P. Diddy". He has also briefly gone by the stage name "Diddy Dirty-Money," and from 2011-14 he asked to be called "Swag," before returning to his 1990s moniker of "Puff Daddy."
Quotations:
I feel safe in white because deep down inside, I'm an angel.
[on his name change] You gonna see that in the entrance. You gonna see that swagger. You gonna see how I'm gonna navigate you through the journey.
Sean don’t drive a car. Home is a favorite place to go. He like to visit Perez Hilton's website. Sean's favorite drink is a Ciroc martini. His favorite food is Italian food.
Combs is the father of six children. Five biological and one through adoption.In 1994, he had his first son, Justin Combs, with his ex-girlfriend, hip-hop fashion stylist Misa Hylton-Brim; he had his second son, Christian Casey Combs, with his girlfriend, actress and model Kim Porter. His son Justin later played football at UCLA. He also has three daughters named D'Lila, Chance and Jessie.
Voted Hollywood's Sexiest Single Father, in a 2005 poll for Web site Date.com.
When Combs was a child, his father - who was an associate of a drug lord - was shot dead in his car after a party.
Sean's mother, Janice Combs, was a teacher who also worked as a model. She immediately shifted to a suburb close to Bronx after his father death. She worked three jobs to provide the best opportunities for her family and education for her children.
Born: December 30, 1993 in Mount Vernon, NY. Mother is Misa Hylton. Has two brothers - Niko Brim and Christian Combs. Has four sisters - Madison Brim, Jessie Combs, D'lila Combs and Chance Combs. His biggest athletic thrill was scoring a game-winning touchdown in high school. Admires NFL quarterback Michael Vick. Likes to dance. Chose UCLA because he loved the program, campus and tradition. Earned a spot on the UCLA Athletic Director's Honor Roll in Fall 2012, Winter 2015. Interested in majoring in Business Marketing.
Misa Hylton-Brim is the mother of rappers's firstborn son, Justin Combs.
Sean and Misa (who is now a designer) were college sweethearts. They had a child, named Justin Dior, in December 1993, and eventually went their separate ways. These days, she and Diddy are still in touch, and Misa has dished about his other girlfriends in interviews over the years.
Sean and Kim dated on-and-off for over a decade. They famously broke up in 1999 and battled over child support for their son, and Diddy dated Jennifer Lopez for two years. Then, Kim and Sean reconciled in 2003 and were together for another almost 4 years. They had twin daughters in 2006 and called it quits for good in July 2007. "In ending this relationship, I made a decision that was in the best interest of myself, Sean and our family. I look forward to moving on with my life and my career, and wish him prosperity, health and happiness in life and in love. We will remain friends and committed parents to our children," Kim`s statement read after the split.
Chris born in 1998. He attended his high school's senior prom as a sophomore.
They born December 21. 2006.
Diddy and Sarah Chapman were friends for years and never publicly admitted to dating, especially since the music mogul was in a long-term relationship with Kim Porter during this time. It`s hard to say for sure if these two actually had a relationship, but they definitely had relations: Sarah gave birth to a daughter named Chance in 2006. Diddy took legal responsibility for her in 2007 and the move was reportedly part of the reason Diddy and Kim broke up.
Five months before the twins birth, Chance was born to Sarah Chapman. He took legal responsibility for Chance in October 2007.
While Jennifer Lopez and Sean "Diddy" Combs didn`t publicly acknowledge their relationship until September, 1999, they were dating for months before that. Lopez was with Combs the night that his entourage got into a night club argument in New York that ended in gun fire. While Lopez was cleared of charges early on, Combs was eventually acquitted only after a two year criminal process that took a toll on the couple`s relationship. By the end, she was already rumored to be seeing back-up dancer Cris Judd.
