Diddy

Background

Sean John Combs is a man of many talents, born on November 4, 1969. His birthplace is Harlem, New York City, but he was raised in Mount Vernon. Combs was born to a father who served in the U.S. Air Force and a mother who was a model and a teacher. He is of African American descent and a Scorpio by design. Combs lost his father at two years old and had a rough childhood. He attended Mount Saint Michael Academy, graduating in 1987. He enrolled at Howard University, majoring in business, but resigned after his sophomore year. In 1997, Combs interned at Uptown Records and later rose to become the talent director.

Combs poached The Notorious B.I.G., a newcomer then, from Uptown. Following the success of B.I.G.’s LP, Combs signed more acts to his label. In his early days, he worked with Aretha Franklin, Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, Usher, Lil Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, SWV, Faith Evans, etc. As a rapper, Combs released his debut single, ‘Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down,’ in 1997. The single was on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 28 weeks, peaking at number one. He released his debut album “No Way Out” in July 1997 through his record label. The album dropped after the death of B.I.G., and it included his tribute song ‘I’ll Be Missing You.’ “No Way Out” sold half a million copies in its first week and became a charting success. The album earned five Grammy nominations in 1998 and won the Grammy for Best Rap Album. It was also certified septuple platinum by the RIAA. Combs got into trouble, and by 2005, he had been acquitted of multiple charges. He starred in the film “Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power” the same year and sold half of his company to Warner Music Group. The rapper and record executive ventured into reality television, starring in the VH1 series “I Want to Work for Diddy” in 2008.

Combs launched a Bad Boy Records tour in 2016 to commemorate the label’s 20th anniversary. The record executive has an extensive list of records that he’s produced. His most recent production project was the Grammy award-winning album “Twice as Tall” (2020) by Burna Boy. Aside from music, Combs has multiple business ventures. Combs has a lot to his name, from clothing lines to perfume to his umbrella company. He also owned restaurants, had a major equity stake in Revolt TV, and several more. For such a successful and revered man, Combs’ relationships have always been in the public eye. He has been linked to multiple women and has six children with three of them. He was in a relationship with Kimberly Porter for 13 years and had four children together, including Quincy, whom he adopted. Combs has also been in a long-term relationship with singer and actress Cassie Ventura. They were together for 11 years. Presently, the record executive has been linked to Yung Miami of City Girls.