A talented producer who has brought out the best in artists including Mariah Carey, LL Cool J and Jennifer Lopez as well as the Bad Boy roster's own Lil' Kim, Mase and Notorious B.I.G., Sean 'Puffy' Combs did his best work behind the scenes but began landing acting roles in 2001 that could prove a talent before the camera that outweighed his somewhat questionable skills at the microphone. Born into a middle-class Harlem household, Combs lost his father to drug-related violence at the age of three. Relocating with his mother and sister to Mount Vernon at age twelve the youngster had a relatively privileged lifestyle thanks to his mother's long hours and numerous jobs. After attending elementary school in Harlem, Combs went to the private Mount St. Michael Academy in the Bronx before getting into prestigious Howard University in Washington, DC and leaving after a year to pursue a career in the music business.
Combs proved a sharp businessman even in his early years, coming up with ways to make a profit off of the paper delivery business by taking over an older boy's easy apartment building route and offering him a percentage of profits. His keen business sense and unrelenting drive led him to make the most of his friendship with Mount Vernon hip-hop celebrity Heavy D. In 1987, Combs' alliance with Heavy D landed him a meeting with Uptown Records executive Andrew Harrell, who offered the ambitious young man an intern position at his company. Impressed with the self-starting young man's work ethic and his closeness to the urban youth culture, Harrell began giving the eager Combs more responsibilities and artistic freedom. In 1989, Combs was the youngest executive in the industry, named vice president of A&R for Uptown. Harrell's faith in the young man would pay off, as Combs' work in shaping the image and sound of artists including Jodeci and Mary J. Blige would move millions of units and jumpstart major careers. Internal power struggles led to Combs getting axed from Uptown in late 1992, but Harrell assisted the young man in forming his own company, Bad Boy Entertainment.
In 1994 Bad Boy had its first hit, Craig Mack's "Flava in Ya Ear", turning an unknown rapper into a platinum-selling artist almost overnight. That same year the soon-to-be legendary Notorious B.I.G. released his debut. Helped by their noted success, Bad Boy was able to negotiate a deal with Arista Records the following year by which Bad Boy would have full creative control while Arista sponsored 50% of the company. 1995 also saw Notorious B.I.G. score his first big crossover hit, "Big Poppa", the hit video for which featured Combs flanked by women in a hot tub. Good times like these wouldn't last long in the violent atmosphere of the gang-influenced hip-hop world. On the way back to his hotel from the Los Angeles-held Soul Train Music Awards on March 9, 1997, Combs' best selling artist and closest friend Christopher Wallace (Notorious B.I.G.) was gunned down and later died in a nearby hospital. Though the loss was no doubt a great one for Combs and the Bad Boy family, he turned his grief into millions when the tribute song "I'll Be Missing You", a hip-hop remake of The Police's hit "Every Breath You Take" featuring Wallace's widow, singer Faith Evans on vocals. The lead was taken by Combs, who poured out his heart in his lyrics and proved a capable rapper in this his finest effort to date. While critics would argue that the song borrowed too heavily from the 1983 hit song, record buyers came out in force to support the effort, keeping it at Number One for eleven weeks. Later that year Combs released his debut album, "No Way Out" which included "I'll Be Missing You" as well as his follow-up hit "It's All About the Benjamins" which featured extensive cameos by B.I.G. and Lil' Kim. Criticized for relying too much on guest stars and writing and performing little of his own material, Combs' debut and his 1999 sophomore effort "Forever" did play more like compilation albums than a unified record. Though protege B.I.G. sound-alike Shyne hit it big in 2000, Bad Boy wasn't generating the kind of sales it had previously, when even dependable Lil' Kim ended up with disappointing returns. Late 2000 saw a turnaround when Combs' teen pop group Dream hit shelves. A sweet-voiced quartet of girls really in their teens, the group hit it big with the danceable "He Loves Me Not" at the close of 2000 and looked set to continue their success through 2001.
Though music made him millions and secured his place as a top American businessman, Combs was anxious to branch out into other ventures. In 1997 he opened Justin's, a Caribbean and soul food restaurant named after his eldest son. This New York City flagship would be followed by an Atlanta branch in 1998, the same year that he launched his fashion line Sean John and inked a development deal with Dimension, forming Bad Boy Films. While Bad Boy films has yet to produce anything, Combs' big screen endeavors also began in 1998, when he was cast in but subsequently dropped out of Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday", set to play the role instead essayed by Jamie Foxx. Though a highly publicized 1999 shooting in Club New York where he was partying with girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and protege Shyne threatened to derail Combs' career, the seemingly unstoppable force was acquitted of all charges in a 2001 decision that put then 22-year-old Jamal "Shyne" Barrows behind bars for ten years for his role in the tragic fracas.
After announcing that he was a new man and would heretofore be referred to as P. Diddy (a nickname bestowed upon him by B.I.G.) rather than Puff Daddy, Combs finally made his big screen debut when his co-starring part in Jon Favreau's comedy "Made" was released to theaters in the summer of 2001. A film about two wannabe thugs (Favreau, Vince Vaughn) who move to New York hoping to become involved in organized crime, "Made" could likely make or break Combs' hopes for an acting career. Shortly before its release, Combs wrapped work on the prison drama "Monster's Ball" (2001), featured alongside Billy Bob Thornton and fellow hip-hop star Mos Def. In 2002 Combs stepped in as the new executive producer of the MTV reality series "Making the Band" in its second season, giving the show--which took a group of unknowns and attempted to forge a new professional singing group out of them--an increased air of legitmacy; the impressario also appeared on camera, as the Donald Trump-like figurehead doling out advice and tasks to the aspiring musicians.
Combs made his stage debut in the revival of the Lorraine Hansberry drama "A Raisin in the Sun" playing the role of Walter Lee Younger (originated by Sidney Poitier) to largely positive reviews in 1 2004. In 2005, during the media fanfare surrounding his hosting of the popular MTV Video Music Awards in Miami, Combs adopted yet another new monicker, proclaiming himself "Diddy," claiming that he has gone under so many aliases that people don't really know what to call him any more.
In addition to his entertainment industry empire, Combs also founded a highly successful hip men's clothing line called Sean John.