Biography, Music Producer, Musician, Diddy, Puffy

1969-present

Latest News: Sean Combs Apologizes for Hotel Assault

Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs apologized for what he called “inexcusable” behavior after surveillance footage from March 2016 showed him assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel. In the video released May 17 by CNN, Combs grabs Cassie near a hotel elevator and throws her to the ground. He then appears to kick her twice before dragging her by her sweatshirt.

Combs addressed the footage in an Instagram video posted May 19. “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that… I mean, I hit rock bottom—but I make no excuses,” he said. “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I’m disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.” The 54-year-old rapper also said he began attending rehab and therapy after the incident.

Combs won’t be prosecuted because the case is outside the statute of limitations in California, according to USA Today. The timeline is one year for simple assault and three years for felony assault.

Cassie, a 37-year-old singer whose real name is Casandra Ventura, alleged in a federal lawsuit filed in November 2023 that Combs raped and physically abused her during their relationship, including an incident that took place inside a hotel. The case was settled one day after its filing, and Combs had previously denied the allegations.

Since then, three more women and music producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones have filed their own lawsuits against Combs over similar sexual misconduct and threatening behavior. This March, authorities searched the rapper’s properties in Los Angeles and Miami in connection to a federal sex trafficking investigation, though it’s not clear if Combs is its subject.

Known professionally as “Diddy,” Sean Combs launched his music production company, Bad Boy Entertainment, in 1993, and worked with artists like Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Biggie Smalls. After Biggie was murdered in 1997, Combs recorded the tribute “I’ll be Missing You,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 weeks and launched Combs’ first album, No Way Out, to platinum status before it captured a Grammy Award. Beyond music, Combs launched the Sean Jean apparel line, has a host of acting credits, worked in reality television, and had a tequila brand. His reputation has cratered since November 2023 when he began facing multiple lawsuits for physical and sexual abuse; Combs has denied any wrongdoing.

FULL NAME: Sean Love Combs
BORN: November 4, 1969
BIRTHPLACE: New York, New York
CHILDREN: Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie, and Love
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Scorpio

Sean Love Combs was born Sean John Combs on November 4, 1969, in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. Raised by his mother after his father was murdered in 1974, Combs grew up in Mt. Vernon, New York, and attended a Catholic boys school in the Bronx.

Over the years, Combs has gone by various names, including Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, and Love, which he legally made his middle name in 2021. He earned the nickname Puffy in high school because of his habit of puffing out his chest to make his body seem bigger.

Combs majored in business administration at Howard University, producing weekly dance parties and running an airport shuttle service while attending classes. He dropped out to pursue an internship at Uptown Records, which led to a talent director position. Combs rapidly rose to the level of vice president and had success producing several key artists for Uptown but left the company in the early 1990s.

In 1993, Combs started his own production company, Bad Boy Entertainment, working with upcoming and established rap, hip-hop, and R&B recording artists such as Mariah Carey, New Edition, Method Man, Babyface, TLC, Boyz II Men, Lil’ Kim, SWV, Aretha Franklin, Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, and Biggie Smalls. In 1996, Combs was named as ASCAP’s Songwriter of the Year. By 1997, Bad Boy Entertainment had sold nearly $100 million in recordings and made a multimillion-dollar deal with Arista Records for management of the label.

Lil’ Kim, Notorious B.I.G., and Sean Combs attend the Billboard Music Awards in December 1995.

After his friend Biggie Smalls was murdered in 1997, Combs recorded the tribute “I’ll be Missing You,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 11 weeks and launched Combs’ first album, No Way Out (1997), to platinum status. Nielsen SoundScan named No Way Out as the third best-selling LP of 1997, with more than 3.4 million copies sold in the United States. Both the single “I’ll Be Missing You” and the album No Way Out won Grammys the following year for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Rap Album, respectively.

Combs released his second album, Forever, in 1999.

In December 1999, Combs and his then-girlfriend, actor and singer Jennifer Lopez, were allegedly involved in a shooting incident at a New York City nightclub, where three people were injured. Combs was later charged with four counts of illegal gun possession and one count of bribery; prosecutors claimed that he offered his driver, Wardel Fenderson, $50,000 to say that the loaded gun police had found at the scene of the crime was Fenderson’s. His trial began in late January 2001.

On March 16, 2001, Combs was cleared of all charges, as was his bodyguard, Anthony “Wolf” Jones. Combs’ protégé, the young rapper Jamal “Shyne” Barrow—who was accused of firing wildly inside the nightclub and injuring the three bystanders—was found guilty of assault, reckless endangerment, and criminal possession of a weapon but was cleared of the more serious charge of attempted murder.

In 2001, Combs released his third studio album, The Saga Continues… Next came two compilation albums: 2002’s We Invented the Remix followed by Bad Boy’s 10th Anniversary…The Hits in 2004. As part of the Bad Boys II movie soundtrack, Combs collaborated with rappers Nelly and Murphy Lee in 2004 to produce the hit “Shake Ya Tailfeather,” which earned the trio a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

Although his Bad Boy music label began waning, it found new life with Combs’ 2006 release Press Play, which featured Brandy, Mary J. Blige, and Timbaland. Three years later, Combs formed the group Diddy-Dirty Money, which found commercial success with the release of their 2010 album Last Train to Paris.

Combs flirted with retirement from his music career more than once but has yet to follow through. He returned with another collaboration album in 2014 with 11 11, a project with Guy Gerber. The next year’s MMM was a mixed tape featuring Grizzle, Pusha T, French Montana, and Future, among others. Then, September 2023 saw the release of The Love Album: Off the Grid, his first solo record in 17 years. Two months later, it earned Combs a 2024 Grammy nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album.

No Way Out 2, his long promised follow-up to his hit 1997 album, has yet to be released. In March 2022, producer Stevie J told HipHopDX that he and Combs were working on the album in Florida with Jay Electronica, as Diddy was finishing The Love Album.

Beginning in 2001, Combs has taken on various acting roles, often playing himself, in movies such as Made (2001), Monster’s Ball (2001), Carlito’s Way: Rise to Power (2005), Get Him to the Greek (2010), Muppets Most Wanted (2014), and Girls Trip (2017). On the small screen, he’s appeared on shows such as CSI: Miami, Hawaii Five-O, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

In 2004, he took on a new challenge in his acting career, playing Walter Lee Younger in Broadway’s revival of A Raisin in the Sun, as well as the TV adaptation in 2008, for which he received an NAACP Award for Outstanding Actor.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Combs’ fortune is estimated at around $800 million as of April 2024. He has built his wealth from his musical and entrepreneurial endeavors.

The consummate entrepreneur founded his clothing line, Sean John, in 1998. He expanded his apparel holdings in 2008 by acquiring the hip-hop clothing line Enyce from Liz Claiborne for $20 million. In 2016, Combs sold Sean John but repurchased it in 2022.

The music mogul branched into reality television as an executive producer starting in 2002 with MTV’s Making the Band, which most famously created the all-girl group Danity Kane. In August 2008, Combs continued working in the genre with the premiere of his VH1 series I Want to Work for Diddy and, shortly after, P. Diddy’s Starmaker on MTV.

In 2013, Combs launched his own music-oriented cable network called Revolt. He stepped down as the network’s chairman in November 2023 amid a flurry civil lawsuits claiming Combs sexual assaulted multiple people. (He has denied any wrongdoing. For more information, see Sexual Assault Lawsuits below.)

The entrepreneur had ties to the liquor industry for many years. In 2007, Combs forged a deal with the vodka brand Cîroc, owned by alcoholic beverage giant Diageo, to help with its development. Seven years later, he bought DeLeón Tequila in a joint venture with Diageo. The company and Combs parted ways in January 2024 after settling a lawsuit Combs had filed that accused Diageo of underinvesting in both brands, partly on account of race. Diageo purchased Combs’ half of DeLeón for approximately $200 million.

In December 2017, after the owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers announced his intention to sell the team, Diddy tweeted that he was throwing his hat into the ring as a buyer, adding, “There are no majority African American NFL owners. Let’s make history.” He was joined by other prominent athletes interested in an ownership stake, including basketball star Stephen Curry and quarterback-turned-activist Colin Kaepernick. Ultimately, hedge fund billionaire David Tepper bought the team the following summer.

Sean Combs with six of his seven children in June 2017

Combs is a dad to seven children: Quincy, Justin, Christian, Chance, D’Lila, Jessie, and Love. The kids are from his relationships with four different women.

Combs’ oldest child is his adopted son, Quincy, who was born in June 1991. Combs’ longtime ex-girlfriend Kim Porter had Quincy in a previous relationship. Combs and Porter, a model, had three more kids together: Christian “King” in April 1998 and twin daughters D’Lila and Jessie in December 2006. The couple ended their relationship for good in 2007. Porter died unexpectedly at age 47 in November 2018.

His son Justin was born in December 1993. Combs had Justin with Misa Hylton, who works in fashion and whom he dated in the early ’90s.

His oldest daughter, Chance, was born in July 2006. Her mother is businesswoman Sarah Chapman. According to People, Combs and Chapman never publicly dated. They remain close amid their coparenting duties.

In December 2022, Combs announced he had welcomed his youngest child, Love. She is the daughter of Combs and model Dana Tran and was born that October, according to an Instagram post Combs later shared to celebrate her first birthday.

Yung Miami and Diddy, who have been publicly dating since June 2022, performed at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Combs has never been married despite several high-profile relationships. He is currently dating rapper Yung Miami, whose real name is Caresha Brownlee. The couple went public with their reportedly open relationship in June 2022. Yung Miami is one-half of the rap duo City Girls and, like Combs, is a parent. She has a son and a daughter.

Previously, the music producer dated fashion stylist Misa Hylton, former model Kim Porter, singer and actor Jennifer Lopez, and singer Casandra Ventura, whose stage name is Cassie. Combs was also romantically linked to actor Cameron Diaz and model Naomi Campbell.

In the fall of 2023, multiple women filed lawsuits against Combs that claim he sexually assaulted them. He is also facing a suit for sexual harassment from a fellow music producer.

On November 17, 2023, The New York Times reported his former girlfriend Cassie filed a lawsuit seeking “unspecified damages” and alleging Combs physically abused her, forced her to have sex with other men during the course of their relationship, and raped her in 2018 toward the end of their relationship. Combs vehemently denied the allegations, according to his lawyer. Just one day after filing the suit, Cassie reached an undisclosed settlement with Combs. “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” she said. Months later, in May 2024, CNN released a security video of Combs assaulting Cassie inside a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016, throwing her to the ground and appearing kicking her twice. He apologized on Instagram two days later for his “disgusting” behavior in the footage.

Less than a week after the settlement with Cassie, two other women filed civil lawsuits accusing Combs of sexual abuse. One plaintiff alleged Combs drugged and raped her in 1991 then distributed footage of the attack without her consent, according to the Associated Press. The other woman says Combs and R&B singer Aaron Hall sexually assaulted her and a friend in the early 1990s. Days later, Combs physically assaulted the plaintiff, who says she was 16 years old at the time, while trying to stop her from speaking out. Hall hasn’t commented on the lawsuit. The two cases against Combs are ongoing as of March 2024.

Following another suit filed on December 6 accusing the rapper of raping a 17-year-old in 2003, Combs released a statement denying all of the allegations against him: “I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy. Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday.”

Combs’ legal entanglements continued to grow in 2024. In February, producer Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones filed a federal lawsuit accusing Combs of sexually harassing and threatening him for more than a year. Then in late March, Department of Homeland Security agents conducted authorized searches of Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami. CNN and The Los Angeles Times reported the searches were related to a federal sex trafficking investigation, though it’s unclear if Combs is the target of the inquiry. One of his attorney’s asserted Combs’ innocence the day after the raids: “This unprecedented ambush—paired with an advanced, coordinated media presence—leads to a premature rush to judgment of Mr. Combs and is nothing more than a witch hunt based on meritless accusations made in civil lawsuits.”

The lawsuits have had ramifications for Combs outside of court. In November 2023, he resigned as chair of his TV network, Revolt. The next month, a planned Hulu reality series featuring Combs and his family was canceled.

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