Sean John Combs was born on November 4, 1969 in the African-American area of New York Harlem. The boy's childhood passed in the city of Mount Vernon. Mom Janice Smalls worked as a teacher's assistant and model.
Dad Melvin Earl Combs was an Air Force soldier, but he received the main income from drug trafficking along with the famous gangster Frank Lucas.
It did not end well - Frank was sent to prison, and Melvin was shot dead in a car in 1971.
Sean attended Mount Saint Michael Academy, a Roman Catholic high school, where he became interested in football and even managed to win a cup in 1986. It was then, according to Combs, that the nickname Puff was assigned to him - during the rage, the guy puffed heavily.
In 1987, he graduated and entered Howard University, but did not study there for two years. Only 27 years later, the already famous and wealthy Sean returned to his home and received his doctorate.
Creative activity of P. Diddy
In 1990, Sean began an internship with Uptown Records, and in 1993 he opened his own label, Bad Boy Records. It is here that the talent of the rapper The Notorious BIG is fully revealed, whose albums later went platinum.
During these years, a rivalry between the two coasts of the United States arose: the competitor of the film "Bad Boys" was Suge Knight's Death Row Record, the main star of which was the rapper 2Pac.
Between 1994 and 1995 Sean produced TLC, whose album Crazy Sexy Cool made it to the top 25 of the best pop albums.
In 1997, under the pseudonym Puff Daddy, Combs began a solo rap activity. In July, the album No Way Out was released, topping the US charts.
Many songs from this disc were dedicated to Notary Biggie, who died in March. A year later, the album received a Grammy Award, and by the early 2000s, it had gone platinum 7 times.
In 1999, Sean and Nas starred in a music video together. There was a moment in the story with the crucifixion of Combs, which seemed blasphemous to Sean.
The musician demanded that manager Steve Stout remove the stage, but he ignored it. Puff came to the office and injured him, for which he was sentenced to attend one anger management class.
In the same year, the second album Forever was released, which again took the leading positions in the British, Canadian and American charts.
Success was overshadowed by a scandal at Club New York, where Sean came with Jennifer Lopez. Shooting began, after which Combs was accused of illegal possession of a weapon.
Added fuel to the fire was the producer's driver, Wardel Fenderson, who was allegedly forced to take the blame for possession of the gun.
Puff Daddy was accused of bribery and trying to avoid responsibility. In the courtroom, the musician was acquitted, but the relationship with J. Lo did not continue.
P Diddy in cinematography and production
Since 2001, Sean began to sign the name P. Diddy and act in films. The first films were "Everything is under control" and "Monster's Ball" with Halle Berry. That same year, he was arrested for driving without a license in Florida.
Despite legal troubles, he released The Saga Continues, which went platinum and was Bad Boy Records' last collaboration with Arista Records.
After that, the Bad Boys took over Arista Records, and Puff became the sole owner of the label.
From 2002 to 2009 Sean produced the reality show Making the Band. In 2003, he took part in the New York City Marathon. He donated the collected $ 2 million to the educational program of the city.
In 2004, the producer became the head of the Vote or Die election campaign.
A year later, the musician simplified his name to Diddy, which is why he was sued by British DJ Richard Dearlove, who performs under a similar stage name.
Combs had to pay £10 in damages and over £100 in legal fees. He also lost the right to use his new name in the British Isles.
In the same year, Sean starred in the crime drama Carlito's Way 2, sold a 50% stake in the Warner Music Group label and became an MTV presenter.
2006 was marked by the release of the album Press Play, the tracks from which once again topped the charts.
In 2008, the Los Angeles Times accused Puff of Tupac's murder, but later dropped the charges, saying he believed false documents.
Then, in 2010, Sean created the Dream Team, which included famous rap artists such as Busta Rhymes and Rick Ross. In the same year, the musician released the album Last Train to Paris.
In 2011, the producer participated in the filming of the series Hawaii 5.0 and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Since 2014, Sean has been producing artists on the Bad Boy label. In 2017, he announced that he intended to take the name Love. Perhaps he will perform with him on the reality show Making the Band resumed in 2020.
According to Forbes magazine, Combs is the highest earning artist and at the time of 2019 his net worth was $740 million.
In addition to creative activities, Sean has launched the Sean John and Enyce clothing line, the I Am King perfume, managed Combs Enterprises, owned two Justin's restaurants, designed an alternative uniform for the Dallas Mavericks, has shares in Revolt TV and Aquahydrate.
Sean Jomes Combs family
Sean has six children. Misa Hilton-Brim gave birth to Combs' eldest son, Justin, in 1993. From 1994 to 2007 the musician lived with Kimberly Porter and adopted her son Quincy.
In 1998, the couple gave birth to a boy, Christian, and in 2006, twins D'Lila Star and Jesse James.
In the same year, Sarah Chapman gave birth to P Diddy's daughter Chance. From 2006 to 2018 the producer met with Cassie Ventura, but he has no children from her.
