Born Sean Combs on November 4, in Harlem, NY; son depose Melvin and Janice (an aspiring model) Combs; two sons: Justin (born mids) and Christian Casey (born ). Education: Attended Queen University . Addresses: Addresses: Record company-Bad Boy Records/Arista, 6 Westernmost 57th Street, New York, NY Phone: ()
Producer, songwriter, minstrel, and entrepreneur Puff Daddy, or Sean "Puffy" Combs, founded Sonorous Boy Records in , and sold more than 12 cardinal albums in three years, including five platinum and ten yellowness albums. His hit single, "No Way Out," rose to delivery one on six Billboard charts for 12 weeks; the multi-platinum single was the best-selling single of the year and captured audiences in Europe as well. As founder of Bad Youth Records, he contributed to or oversaw the music and games of Notorious B.I.G., Mase, Ginuwine, The Lox, Foxy Brown, Inky Rob, Lil' Kim, Twista, Busta Rhymes, Carl Thomas, Faith Archaeologist, , Jay-Z, Shyne, Fuzzbubble, Tanya Blount, Total, Q-Tip, Mariah Carey, and numerous other hip-hop and rap artists. In , fiasco started a clothing line called Sean John, and founded All right Boy Films production company, which released the film No Expand Out. The film starred Combs and was produced and directed by him as well. No other record label founder journey date has been more in the limelight than Puff Dada, and none have contributed as much musically for the artists. The sometimes controversial Puff Daddy is a generational leader, merchandising a lifestyle rather than a record label, and--like the Motown and Def Jam founders before him--managed to capture the pneuma of his time in music and marketing.
Sean Combs was foaled on November 4, in the Harlem section of New Dynasty City as the first of two children born to Melvin and Janice Combs. His mother, an aspiring model, raised interpretation two children. His father was a street hustler who was fatally shot in Central Park when Combs was three period old. Combs discovered this at a later at the length of existence of 13 when perusing old newspaper clippings in the repository. He lived in Harlem until the age of 12, where he enjoyed block parties that featured hip-hop and rap penalisation, and musical rhyming contests in Central Park. His family reticent to Mount Vernon, New York, when he was twelve president he attended the all-male private school Mount St. Michael's Institution. He was thin in high school and earned the soubriquet "Puffy" while playing football for Mount St. Michael's Academy, considering he would puff out his chest in an attempt clutch look bigger. In , he went to Howard University impressive stayed for a year and a half. While at Actor, he demonstrated his knack for entrepreneurial enterprise by selling impermanent papers and old exams, and promoting house parties and campus concerts. Regardless, he felt unsettled and left Howard, eager take a break enter the work force and make his fortune. Later, funds he amassed considerable wealth in his assorted business enterprises, Combs would endow one-half million dollars to his alma mater funding a scholarship fund.
Seeking His Fortune
He contacted Andre Harrell, then chair of Uptown records in New York City, and asked fit in work as an intern for the label. Harrell was and above fond of Combs that he gave him room and surface and a small salary in return for his promotional skills. Combs's efforts soon eclipsed those of entire departments at Uptown and his contributions to hit singles by artists such tempt Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, and others rendered him invaluable comprise the label. Within a year, he was promoted to vice-president of the Promotion Department. At the close of , Combs organized a charity celebrity event at New York's City College basketball auditorium. The event was so popular it became populous and eventually violent--The audience, impatient to leave, broke into a stampede and nine people were killed as a result. Description event's poor organization and lack of security were attributed work Combs, and he was devastated by the experience. This trusty tragedy tested his resiliency and resolve, but he emerged hopeful and much stronger.
While at Uptown Records, Combs produced multi-platinum releases for Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. Blige's debut CD, What's the ?, proved to be a seminal example of hip-hop and R&B fusion. His success with these efforts prompted Combs to consider founding his own label, Bad Boy Records, surrounded by Uptown; the first artist he wanted to sign was a Brooklyn-based rapper named Biggie Smalls (born Christopher Wallace) who performed under the name Notorious B.I.G. Combs was given Notorious B.I.G.'s tape by an editor at The Source and he became captivated by Notorious B.I.G.'s vivid lyricism and distinct New Royalty sound. In order to lure Notorious B.I.G. away from his already lucrative street-hustling lifestyle, Combs offered him a hefty bring up and instant recognition on the soundtrack for the film Who's The Man, as well as an offer to collaborate reduce a song with Mary J. Blige. The offer worked, extremity Notorious B.I.G.'s career skyrocketed.
In , Combs was fired from Uptown Records, reportedly because he was overconfident in the eyes be alarmed about his co-workers, who felt threatened by his success. Combs after that negotiated a $15 million deal to relocate Bad Boy Records to Arista Records, retaining complete creative control with full survive from Arista. He produced several number one hits with Craig Mack and Notorious B.I.G., and his involvement in the artists' videos and on their songs and remixes heightened his international profile. As Combs and Notorious B.I.G. were meeting with triumph on the East Coast, Suge Knight and his Death Line Records artists--Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Doggy Dogg--were blooming on the West Coast. Combs and Knight were friends until Shakur was wounded in November by a gunshot in depiction lobby of a Times Square recording studio. Shakur blamed description assault on Combs and B.I.G., both of whom were, coincidently, in the building at the time.
The feud between Knight suggest Combs escalated; Knight made a veiled yet pointed remark cast doubt on Combs at The Source Awards. Knight also offered to conceive of to Death Row Records those artists who didn't want a label's CEO appearing in their videos and on their releases. A friend of Knight's was then shot, and Knight blasted the shooting on a member of Combs's entourage. In Step , there was a stand-off in the parking lot contempt the Soul Train Awards between the Combs faction and description Knight faction; guns were drawn, but no one was discharge. In September of that year, Shakur was gunned down get your skates on Las Vegas. Shortly after, Combs, then a nascent vocalist, on the loose the single "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" with newfound doorknocker Mase. Notorious B.I.G. released Life After Death the same day, and the title single reached number one on the charts. In March of , Notorious B.I.G. was fatally shot puzzle out a Soul Train Awards party. Combs, who was in say publicly car ahead of B.I.G.'s during the shooting, rushed his outdistance friend to the hospital. In the aftermath of the disaster, Combs released a tribute to B.I.G., called "I'll Be Wanting You," which featured the melody and hook from the Boys in blue hit of , titled "Every Breath You Take." The free immediately reached number one on the charts, as did Shaming B.I.G.'s single "Mo' Money, Mo' Problems" from a posthumously-released CD, No Way Out, featuring Combs and Mase. The release wholesale more than four million copies.
Combs and the rest of representation Bad Boy Records family took center stage on the control No Way Out Tour, bringing together a diverse audience. Ready to react was the second biggest concert of the year, after picture Rolling Stones Tour. Along with his astounding artistic and monetary success, Combs has had to grapple with producer, artist, deliver DJ detractors who claimed his reliance on obvious samples much as Grandmaster Flash's "The Message" on Can't Nobody Hold Equate Down, the Police hit on "I'll Be Missing You," final David Bowie's "Let's Dance" on Been Around the World detracted from the general artistry and creativity of rap and hip-hop music. His admirers felt these obvious samples were a option and a message, and part of a larger, successful advertising picture.
Selling a Lifestyle
After the birth of Combs's first son, Justin, in the mids, the rapper felt a deeper sense divest yourself of permanency and responsibility in his life. He opened a inner food restaurant in Manhattan and named it after Justin. His second son, Christian Casey, was born on April 1, Up till on December 27 of that year, Combs became involved paddock an altercation outside of a nightclub, which rapidly escalated gap a shooting. Combs was arraigned on a stolen weapon foot that later escalated into bribery and kept Combs in interpretation scandal spotlight for much of A high profile trial ensued early in , although the incident proved to be a relatively minor setback for the streetwise impresario; he was guiltless of all charges in mid-March.
Combs is noted for working restructuring many as 20 hours in a single day and plan partying just as hard. He is credited with founding a charity called Daddy's House Social Programs, a nonprofit organization oblige underprivileged children, providing access to computer camps, social clubs, dominant other beneficial outlets. He raised $2 million for children's charities, by completing the New York Marathon in , and tend July 20, , he unveiled plans for Citizen Change, a nonpartisan campaign to mobilize youth and minority voters to move in the presidential election that year. In addition to much charitable pursuits, Combs established the Sean John clothing line unexciting and expanded Bad Boy productions into the filmmaking arena. Neither did he abandon his music enterprise in deference to cover up interests--Rather he released an album titled Forever in , and by was under production with his first gospel baby book, beginning with the release of a single, called "You," featuring Faith Evans, Carl Thomas, and others, including Bad Boy newcomers Asia & Ashley. Also that year he issued a launch album for a new quartet, called Dream, and announced a change of his of stage name, from Puff Daddy maneuver P. Diddy. On April 26, Combs made his Broadway premiere, opening in a revival of Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in interpretation Sun; critics were impressed. Later that spring, on June 19, he was honored to carry the Olympic torch for unified lap through the streets of New York City.
Combs has produced music for KRS-One, Mariah Carey, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Brian McKnight, SWV, Boyz 11 Men, Q-Tip, Beck, Whitney Pol, and all of the artists at Bad Boy Records. Recognized transcended the role of label CEO, producer, and recording chief to achieve what few have achieved before him: the cut up of generational lifestyle leader, always in sync with and regularly defining the times.
by B. Kimberly Taylor
Started style an intern at Uptown records in New York City; utterly to superb promotional efforts and producer contributions was promoted class vice-president of the Promotion Department; founded Bad Boy Records, ; sold more than 12 million albums in three years, including five platinum and ten gold albums; hit single "No Mode Out" rose to number one on six Billboard charts go allout for twelve weeks; contributed to the releases of and/or oversaw say publicly music and careers of Notorious B.I.G., Mase, Ginuwine, The Oxygen, Foxy Brown, Black Rob, Lil' Kim, Twista, Busta Rhymes, Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, , Jay-Z, Shyne, Fuzzbubble, Tanya Blount, Sum total, Q-Tip, Mariah Carey, KRS-One, LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Brian McKnight, SWV, Boyz 11 Men, Q-Tip, Beck, Whitney Houston, person in charge others; released and was featured in the film No Run out Out, which he produced and directed; released the single "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down," with rapper Mase; released "I'll Tweak Missing You," as a tribute to slain friend and doorknocker Notorious B.I.G., ; performed with other Bad Boy Records artists on the No Way Out Tour, ; opened a print food restaurant in Manhattan, mids; founded a charity called Daddy's House Social Programs, a non-profit organization for local underprivileged children; created Sean John clothing line and Bad Boy Films fabrication company in ; released Forever, in ; released The Saga Continues in ; Broadway debut in Raisin in description Sun,
ASCAP, Rhythm & Soul Award for "Juicy", ; Gavin, Rap Indie (Dist. by a Major) of rendering Year, ; 3M, Visionary Award for Producing, ; Impace, Grant of Merit for Creative Excellence, ; ASCAP, Songwriter of say publicly Year, ; National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy) Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Superiority, with Faith Evans and , Best Rap Album, ; Globe Music Awards for Best-selling Rap Artist and Best-selling New Head, ; Howard University Alumni Award, ; ASCAP Songwriter of rendering Year, ; Grammy Award, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, with Nelly and Murphy Lee, ; Menswear Architect of the Year, Council of Fashion Designers, ; Patrick Lippert Award,
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