Sean Love Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage name Diddy, formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer and record executive. He is credited with the discovery and cultivation of artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher. Combs has won three Grammy Awards from 13 nominations, two MTV Video Music Awards, a MTV VMA Global Icon Award in 2023, and a Guinness World Record for "Most Successful Rap Producer" in 1997.[1]
Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Combs worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own record label, Bad Boy Records, in 1993. He embarked on his recording career following the mainstream success of his first signee, the Notorious B.I.G., for whom he served as manager and hype man. Released in the wake and memory of B.I.G's unsolved murder, Combs' debut studio album, No Way Out (1997), was met with critical acclaim, peaked atop the Billboard 200 and received septuple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its two preceding singles, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (featuring Mase) and "I'll Be Missing You" (with Faith Evans featuring 112), both peaked the Billboard Hot 100—the latter became the first hip hop song to debut atop the chart. His second and third albums, Forever (1999) and The Saga Continues... (2001), both peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception, while his fourth, Press Play (2006), peaked atop the chart once more. Combs then formed the musical group Diddy – Dirty Money—with R&B singers Kalenna Harper and Dawn Richard—to release the collaborative album Last Train to Paris (2010), which peaked at number seven and was supported by the single "Coming Home" (featuring Skylar Grey). His fifth studio album, The Love Album: Off the Grid (2023), was met with moderate critical and commercial response, and served as his first release without a major label.[2]
Combs has been the subject of a number of sexual misconduct allegations, which began in late 2023 after his former partner Cassie Ventura filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against him for sexual assault, which was settled out of court. In the following months, 11 more lawsuits were filed by additional claimants, with similar allegations of misconduct ranging from 1991 to 2009. In March 2024, several properties tied to Combs were raided by the Department of Homeland Security as part of an ongoing investigation. In May 2024, surveillance footage of Combs physically assaulting Ventura at a hotel was released, for which Combs issued a public apology. In September 2024, Combs was indicted by a federal grand jury in Manhattan and was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering, with his commercial enterprises alleged to have been involved with narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, and bribery. He pled not guilty and was twice denied bail. Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while awaiting trial.
History (w/ Kanye West)[]
Combs and Kanye West have collaborated multiple times earlier in West's career, most commonly through production.[3] In 2007, Kanye had released a song dedicated to Diddy titled "Everything (The Diddy Song) featuring John Legend on his mixtape The Graduate. This song had initially been Diddy's, but had been handed down to Kanye.
The songs "Crack Music" and "So Appalled" had also both initially been owned by Diddy but had been handed down to Kanye. Diddy would produce Kanye's song "All Day" in 2015.[4]
In 2022, Diddy and Kanye began feuding over Kanye's choice to wear a "WHITE LIVES MATTER" shirt to Kanye's fashion show, Yeezy Season 9.[5] Ty Dolla $ign would later record a scrapped verse for "FRIED" off of VULTURES 2 where he had voiced his support for Diddy in the song amidst his multiple allegations and charges.
On February 6, 2025, Ye called for the freedom of Diddy on Twitter, calling him his "brother" and asked U.S. president Donald Trump to free him from prison.[6] A few hours later, Ye released new Yeezy shirts in collaboration with Diddy's clothing brand, Sean John. On February 7, Ye and Ty Dolla $ign released a new song, titled "Wheels Fall Off", which featured a sample of Diddy's song, "Victory", and a spoken outro from Diddy's son, King Combs, advocating for Diddy's freedom.
On February 8, Ye posted several tweets making fun of Cassie, Diddy's ex-girlfriend whom he was seen abusing in hotel footage. He also excused and defended Diddy's behavior in the footage. Later, he sold the same hoodie that Cassie was wearing in the footage on Yeezy.com, naming them "love hoodies".
References[]
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Combs
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/sean-diddy-combs-controversies-timeline-1234889043/amp/
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/track/3w1F13Rv4JO51g5ksX0JzL
- ↑ https://plwcse.top/f/b4eabe729489e88f3a70793012847901
- ↑ https://www.xxlmag.com/kanye-west-war-diddy-texts/
- ↑ https://www.complex.com/style/a/andrewwhitefreelancer/ye-drops-sean-jean-merch-after-calling-for-diddys-freedom