Sean "Diddy" Combs

Sean Combs, 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, and a Guinness World Record for "Most Successful Rap Producer" in 1997.

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.

Outside of music, he has worked in production for other media, including MTV's reality series Making the Band. He launched the clothing retailer Sean John in 1998, for which he won Menswear Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2004, having previously been nominated in 2000. Combs was the brand ambassador for the vodka retailer Cîroc from 2007 to 2023, and co-founded the television network Revolt in 2013. Zack O'Malley Greenburg estimated Combs' net worth at US$1 billion in 2022, making him one of the wealthiest musical artists.

Combs has been the subject of a number of sexual misconduct allegations, which began in late 2023 after Cassie Ventura, with whom Combs had a long-term relationship, filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against him for sexual assault, which was settled out of court. In the following days, weeks, and months, over 11 more lawsuits were filed by additional claimants, with similar allegations of misconduct ranging from 1991 to 2009. In the wake of the allegations, various companies and brands dissociated themselves from Combs, and an honorary doctorate from Howard University was revoked. 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. After several similar misconduct allegations arose, he was indicted by a federal New York grand jury and arrested in Manhattan on September 16, 2024; he was charged with sex trafficking and racketeering. His commercial enterprises were additionally alleged to have been involved with narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson and bribery, and Combs was alleged to have committed physical and sexual abuse against victims.

Family life

Combs was born on November 4, 1969, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Raised in Mount Vernon, New York, his mother Janice Combs (née Smalls) was a model and teacher's assistant, and his father, Melvin Earl Combs, served in the U.S. Air Force and was an associate of convicted New York drug dealer Frank Lucas. At age 33, Melvin was shot dead while sitting in his car on Central Park West, when Combs was two years old. Combs has a sister.

Combs is a father to seven children. His first biological child, a son, was born in 1993 to fashion designer and stylist Misa Hylton. He attended UCLA on a football scholarship and graduated in 2016.

Combs had an on-again, off-again relationship with Kimberly Porter (1970–2018), which lasted from 1994 to 2007. He raised and adopted Quincy (born 1991), Porter's son from a previous relationship with singer-producer and Combs' rival, Al B. Sure!. Together, they had a son, born 1998, and twin daughters, born 2006. Porter died of pneumonia on November 15, 2018.

Five months before the birth of his twins, Combs had a daughter, born to Sarah Chapman. He took legal responsibility for her in October 2007.

Combs' seventh child was born on October 15, 2022, a daughter. Her mother is Dana Tran.

All above text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ancestry

As determined by the television show Finding Your Roots, Combs is unusual for African-Americans in that he has one line of ancestry that was free pre-abolition. His third-great-grandfather Robert Allsup (b. c. 1835/1839 in West River, Maryland) was born free to parents Thomas Allsup (b. c. 1811 in Maryland) and Nancy (b. c. 1818 in Maryland), who had achieved freedom for unknown reasons prior to his birth.

Sources

• Brammer, Imani. "Must-See: Diddy Discovers An Ancestor Who Was Never Enslaved in 'Finding Your Roots'." Essence, published 27 October 2020. < link > Accessed 17 September 2024.
• "Sean Combs." Wikipedia, revision of 17 September 2024. < link > Accessed 17 September 2024.
• "Sean Combs | Free Ancestors." Finding Your Roots via PBS. < link > Accessed 17 September 2024.
• U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York. "Sean Combs Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Sex Trafficking And Other Federal Offenses." United States Department of Justice, published 17 September 2024. < link > Accessed 17 September 2024.
• Reference: Biographical Summaries of Notable People - SmartCopy: Feb 17 2016, 2:15:10 UTC