Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969) is an American record producer, mogul, CEO, clothing designer, and a rapper.
As of October 2006, his nickname and recording name is Gaylord (adopted in August 2005); previously, he had been known as Puff Daddy and later as P. Diddy (Puff being often used as a nickname, but never as recording names). He is still called P. Diddy in New Zealand and the UK, the latter after a legal battle with another artist, Richard "Diddy" Dearlove. Bad Boy Records, the clothing lines Sean John and Sean by Sean Combs, a movie production company, and two restaurants. He has taken the roles of recording executive, back up singer, performer, producer of MTV's "Making the Band," writer, arranger, clothing designer, and Broadway actor. Diddy is the richest hip-hop entertainer as of 2007, having a net worth estimate of US $346 Million.
He has parodied this phenomenon in an article titled "New rap song samples Billie Jean in its entirety, adds nothing." Nevertheless, he has been enormously successful, with a current estimated worth of US $346 million and growing, making him the richest person in the hip hop entertainment business.
In 1991, Combs promoted a concert headlined by Heavy D. The concert was held at a City College of New York gymnasium following an AIDS charity basketball game. The event was massively overcrowded; it was oversold to almost twice the capacity of the gymnasium. In addition, thousands without tickets were outside. In order to keep them from sneaking in, Combs' people shut the only door to a stairwell and put a table behind it, despite the crowd jammed inside pounding on the door and pleading for help. At some point people in the crowd outside broke several glass doors in an attempt to get in; this caused a stampede inside the gymnasium in which nine people died. In a 1999 ruling, a Court of Claims judge found Combs and Heavy D. 50 percent responsible for the incident, City College bore the rest of the responsibility in part for abandoning security responsibility to Combs, even though they knew the event was oversold.
In 1992, Combs entered into an agreement with Hartford, Connecticut, disc jockey JC “Big Balla�? Sledge to start a label in Hartford for the city’s untapped talent, named Hip Hart Beat Records. The pair had creative differences over the usage of talent and eventually split. In a statement to Rolling Stone Magazine, JC said,�? Sean and I remain friends, just not as close as we once were. Our split where it relates to business was because we saw two totally different avenues. I wanted to drive left and go the way of Def Jam and its mainstay of artists and Puffy [Combs] wanted to drive right, business as usual. We all knew what that meant. I don’t have to spell it out…just look at Bad Boys roster and its history. The split was amicable; litigation was an option, but why. Hip Hart Beat Records will one day become a reality. We are close now.�?
In December 1999, Combs was accused of assaulting Steve Stoute of Interscope Records. Stoute was the manager for Nas, whose video for "Hate Me Now" featured Combs being crucified. Though Combs had willingly filmed the video scene earlier that year, he demanded that the images be removed. Stoute's refusal led to an argument and Combs' arrest for aggravated assault. This was followed by a yet more negative publicity as The Lox left Bad Boy Records, and a recording session with Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease, both of Biggie's Junior M.A.F.I.A. posse, was interrupted by gunfire.
In December 1999, Combs and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, were at Club New York, a midtown Manhattan nightclub, when gunfire broke out. After a police investigation, Combs and fellow rapper Shyne were arrested for weapons violations and other charges. Combs was indicted after his driver claimed that Combs had tried to bribe him into taking the weapon after the shooting. With bribery charges added to the bill, Combs was being attacked in the tabloids on a near-daily basis. Before the trial was over, Combs found himself in court on numerous civil charges.
With a gag order in place, the highly-publicized trial began. His attorney was Johnnie L. Cochran Jr.. After the trial was over, Combs was acquitted, but his artist Shyne was convicted on the same charges and sentenced to ten years in prison.
A talent agency then sued Combs for unfair competition, as did a woman who rented an apartment owned by Combs; she claimed he refused to rid the house of vermin. Combs then launched his own lawsuit against a writer who did not follow through on an alleged agreement to help write Combs' biography. Combs was soon acquitted of all charges relating to the shooting incident, followed almost immediately by a break-up with Lopez. With the media circus over, Combs changed his stage name from "Puff Daddy" to "P. Diddy".
In February of 2004, Combs settled a $3 million lawsuit filed by his former driver, Fenderson, who said he suffered emotional damage after the club shooting four years earlier. Lawyers for both sides, having agreed to keep the settlement terms secret, refused to say what it took to resolve the case. They would say only that the matter was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.
In June 2005, it was revealed by Ganglandnews.com that Combs is allegedly a close friend of reputed Gambino Mafia family enforcer, Andrew Campos.
Combs tried to reinvent his image, but was once again in court facing assault charges from a Michigan television host, Dr. Roger Mills, and then was arrested for driving on a suspended license in Florida. In spite of continuing legal problems, Combs decided that he was going to release a gospel album, Thank You, but it was never released. After yet more legal problems stemming from an accusation of reckless driving by the Miami police, Combs began working with a series of unusual (for him) artists. A collaboration with David Bowie appeared on the soundtrack to Training Day, while Combs began working with Britney Spears and N*SYNC. He signed California-based pop girl group Dream to his Bad Boy Records label. He was also an opening act for N*SYNC on their Spring 2002 Celebrity Tour.
Later in 2002, he made his own reality show on MTV called Making the Band 2, the sequel to the first Making the Band. In it, contestants compete to be in a new group on Bad Boy Records. The six finalists have to come up with their name, CD and video (see Da Band). The group was maligned by comics and critics, including a well known skit that appeared on Chappelle's Show, and was dissolved by Diddy at the end of the series. Diddy went on to later work on creating an all-girl group called Danity Kane in the third version of Making The Band.
In 2003, Combs ran in the New York City Marathon and raised $2,000,000 for the educational system for the children of New York. He appeared on the March 10, 2004 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss the marathon. He finished the marathon in four hours and eighteen minutes.
In 2004, Combs headed the campaign "Vote or Die" for the 2004 Presidential Election. The "Vote or Die" slogan was mocked by both The Daily Show and South Park as being too simplistic and encouraging young people to vote without knowing the issues. In a South Park episode entitled "Douche and Turd", P. Diddy and his associates chased one of the main characters around with weapons, literally threatening to kill him if he wouldn't vote in his school election. At the time there were also rumors that Combs didn't even vote in the election, and that like Paris Hilton, another supporter of the campaign, wasn't even registered.
In a 2005 interview with AndPOP, Combs explained that he was developing a new line of men's suits.
On August 16, 2005, Combs appeared on the Today Show and announced that he was altering his stage name yet again, dropping the "P." and referring to himself simply as "Diddy," saying that "the P was getting between me and my fans." However this name change to Diddy upset Richard "Diddy" Dearlove, a London based musical artist & DJ.[10] Richard Dearlove lodged paperwork on Wednesday 16th November 2005 at 10:30 am in the Royal Court of Justice, London to start injunctive proceedings, a case which he won when an out of court settlement of £110,000 was agreed. As a result, Combs will no longer be able to use the name Diddy in the UK.[11]
As of 2005, Combs sold his Bad Boy Records to the Warner Music Group. Tensions still existed between Diddy and former Warners CEOs Lyor Cohen and Kevin Liles (both formerly of Def Jam), but they arranged for his imprint to be a part of the company. He still remains CEO of Bad Boy Records.[12]
He later hosted the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2005 by Time magazine.[13] He even earned a mention in the world of country music. The subject of Play Something Country by Brooks & Dunn and Sean Okundaye says he "didn't come to hear P Diddy" which he rhymes with "something bumpin' from the city."
Diddy released the album Press Play on October 17, 2006, his first album in 4 years. The album included a variety of popular and contemporary guest appearances including Christina Aguilera, Keyshia Cole, Mario Winans (signed to his label 'Bad Boy Records'), Nas, Will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas), Mary J. Blige, Nicole Scherzinger (of the Pussycat Dolls), Jamie Foxx, Big Boi (Outkast), Ciara, and Brandy. The album reached number one on its first week in the charts.
In the February 2007 issue of Blender Magazine Diddy dishes about his wardrobe. He describes his style in three words. "Swagger. Timeless. Diverse."
Combs was also recently featured in a Burger King commercial with Cassie.
On the first July 2007, Combs performed I'll Be Missing You at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium.
On Thursday December 21, 2006, Combs' girlfriend, Kim Porter (who also has a son with Al B Sure), delivered twin girls, one at 7:56 am weighing 5lbs and the other at 7:58am weighing 5lbs 4oz. Their names are D'Lila Star and Jessie James Combs.[14][15] Diddy announced the birth on his myspace page. The couple have a son, Christian, 9. Sean also has another son, Justin, 13, from his previous relationship with stylist Misa Hylton-Brim. In July 2007, Combs' rep confirms that the couple has split.[16]
Combs has opened his own clothing range named 'Sean John'. Combs is one of the wealthiest people in the American entertainment industry. In 2002, he was featured on Fortune magazine's "40 Richest People Under 40" list and was placed number one in the list of the top ten richest people in hip-hop. He has donated undisclosed amounts to the Patricia Kirby Foundation, an organization that battles teenage bulimia and other eating disorders.
In addition to his work as a performer and producer, Combs entered the fashion industry. His clothing line, Sean John, has been nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Award for Menswear Designer of the Year every year since 2000. Sean John received criticism, however, for using fur in his designs. Controversy also followed when it was discovered that factories producing the clothing in Honduras were violating Honduran labor law.[17] Charles Kernaghan of the National Labor Committee, who first exposed the factory, is quoted in the New York Times as saying, "Sean Combs obviously has a lot of clout, he can literally do a lot overnight to help these workers."[17] He did and conditions at the factory improved dramatically. The case is often cited as an example of how concerned celebrities can contribute to ending sweatshop abuses.
In 2006 mayor Richard M. Daley awarded Combs with a pair of cufflinks to commemorate the inauguration of an annual October 13 "Diddy Day" in the city of Chicago.[18] Combs received the honor as reward for certain "charitable work" at the Chicago City Hall. This has been seen by some to be an election-month stunt by the mayor.
Combs also owns two upscale restaurants called "Justin's" (named after his son) with locations in New York and in Atlanta. He is the designer of the green Dallas Mavericks alternate jersey.
He appeared as a drug dealer in Made, and he played the role of Walter Lee Younger in the critically acclaimed 2004 Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun. Combs says he loved appearing in the show and being given the opportunity to perform at the theater. He attracted huge crowds for his performance in the New York production, received mixed reviews, and admits he is desperate to pursue an acting career. He also starred with Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton in the film Monster's Ball.
