Sean Love Combs, also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive and actor. Born in Harlem, Combs worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own record label, Bad Boy Records, in 1993. Combs has produced and cultivated artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher.
Combs' debut album, No Way Out (1997), has been certified seven times platinum. The album was followed up with Forever (1999), The Saga Continues... (2001), and Press Play (2006). In 2009, Combs formed the musical group Diddy – Dirty Money with singers Kalenna Harper and Dawn Richard; they released their collaborative album Last Train to Paris. In September 2023, Combs released his fifth studio album, The Love Album: Off the Grid.
Combs has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards and is the producer of MTV's Making the Band. In 1998, Combs founded the clothing retailer Sean John. He was nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2000 and won in 2004. He has been the brand ambassador for vodka retailer Cîroc since 2007, and co-founded the television network and news website Revolt in 2013. In 2022, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$1 billion.
In late 2023, Combs' former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against him for sexual assault, which was settled. In the following days, three more lawsuits were filed by three additional claimants, with more allegations of sexual violence ranging from 1990 to 2003. In the wake of the allegations, various companies and collaborators cut ties with him.
