Sean John Combs was born
in Harlem, on November 4, 1969, and raised in Mount Vernon, New York. As a child
he developed his unique nickname because of the way he puffed out his chest on
the
football field.
At the age of 18, Combs attended Howard University, where he spent more time
promoting parties and selling term papers and exams than anything else. His
dream was to become a rapper. After two years, Combs left Howard and knocked on
the door of Uptown Records executive Andre Harrell. The latter granted him an
internship and the rest as they say, is history.
Becoming a notorious bad boy
Combs was promoted to A&R and soon was collaborating with
Mary J. Blige
and Jodeci. The more Combs learned, the more he dreamed of founding his own
label. In 1993, he did just that with Bad Boy Records. With childhood friend
Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. the late Notorious B.I.G., Combs made the young
company a success.
Craig Mack and
Faith Evans were two artists who also helped
establish Bad Boy Records, with over 12 million albums sold by 1994. Combs was
now the hottest producer in the industry, with a particular talent for creating
hip-hop remixes. He soon began to reap honors for his songwriting and production
ability. Acts like Boyz II Men,
TLC,
SWV, and
Aretha Franklin called for material and
inspiration.
Puff Daddy made his debut as an artist in 1997
with No Way Out. The album went multi-platinum and featured two No. 1
singles: "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" and the Notorious B.I.G. tribute "I'll Be
Missing You."
A career J-Lo
Combs has not been a stranger to controversy and negative publicity. His
encounters with the law have been well-documented, from a nightclub incident
with an alleged handgun to an assault charge for a physical confrontation with a
record executive. Combs was cleared of the former and pled guilty to a lesser
charge on the assault. In addition, there was rampant speculation about his love
life when superstar
Jennifer Lopez
was in the picture. Their relationship unraveled in the public eye and the media
attention has been incessant on Combs ever since.
Despite the court dates, press and criticism heaped on him for his mainstream
success and musical sampling, Combs has managed to accomplish a lot. Two more
solo albums followed No Way Out. He has launched a successful clothing
line in Sean John and operates an upscale restaurant franchise,
Justin's, named for his son.
Combing Hollywood
Bad Boy Records continues to produce hits and launch careers, and Combs has
branded the name even further with Bad Boy Worldwide
Entertainment Group. The conglomerate also
encompasses a marketing and advertising company, Blue Flame, and a magazine,
Notorious. If that is not enough, Combs has also taken up acting and had an
acclaimed role in the
Academy Award winning film, Monster's Ball.
