Sean Combs
Sean John Combs was born on the 4th of November 1969, in Harlem, New York City. His father Melvin Earl Combs worked at a hair salon and served in the U.S. Air Force before becoming an associate of drug lord Frank Lucas. Around 1970, Melvin began working part-time as a drug dealer. In 1972, when Sean was two years and two months old, his father was shot dead while sitting in his car on Central Park West. Walter Grant, a fellow affiliate of heroin dealer Willie Abraham, killed him. The killer believed Melvin had ratted out his crew after his arrest, though Lucas himself doubted this claim.
Janice Smalls, his mother, worked as a model who organized fashion shows and later as a teacher's assistant. She raised Sean and his younger sister Keisha in poverty within upper Manhattan for several years. The family eventually moved to Mount Vernon, an inner suburb located just north of the Bronx. Combs attended Mount Saint Michael Academy, an all-boys Catholic school in the Bronx, graduating in 1987. He played football on a team that won a division title in 1986. He enrolled at Howard University in autumn 1987 as a business major but left after his second year.
Combs became an intern at New York's Uptown Records in 1990. While working as a talent director under label founder Andre Harrell, he helped develop artists like Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. In college, Combs threw parties that attracted up to a thousand participants. Usher lived with Combs for a year in New York City when he was 13 years old and recalled Combs's lifestyle as pretty wild during that time. On the 4th of November 1991, Combs promoted an AIDS fundraiser held at the City College of New York gymnasium following a charity basketball game. The event was oversold, leading to a stampede where nine people died.
Shortly after being fired from Uptown in 1993, Combs established Bad Boy Records. The label entered a joint venture deal with Arista Records. Combs brought Christopher Wallace, known as the Notorious B.I.G., along with him to the new label. Both Wallace and Craig Mack began recording for the label, yielding mainstream recognition. Their debut album Ready to Die released in 1994 marked the label's first major project. Combs signed more acts including Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, 112, Total, and Father MC. His in-house production team, The Hitmen, worked with artists ranging from TLC to Aretha Franklin.
In 1996, under the name Puff Daddy, Combs released his first commercial vocal work as a rapper. His debut single Can't Nobody Hold Me Down spent 28 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number one. His debut album No Way Out arrived on the 22nd of July 1997, through Bad Boy Records. Originally titled Hell up in Harlem, the album underwent changes after the Notorious B.I.G. was killed on the 9th of March 1997. It reached number one on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release, selling 561,000 copies.
The album produced five singles including I'll Be Missing You, which remained at the top of the chart for 11 consecutive weeks. This track became the first rap song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. By the 7th of September 2000, the album was certified septuple platinum for sales over 7 million copies. In 2001, Combs changed his stage name from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy. He later altered it again to simply Diddy on the 16th of August 2005, stating fans did not know how to address him.
Fortune magazine listed Combs at number 12 on their top 40 entrepreneurs under 40 in 2002. Forbes estimated he earned $130 million for the year ending May 2017, ranking him number one among entertainers. His net worth reached an estimated US$1 billion by 2022. In 1998, Combs started a clothing line called Sean John. It won Menswear Designer of the Year from the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2004 after being nominated in 2000.
California billionaire Ronald Burkle invested $100 million into the company in 2003. In late 2006, Macy's removed Sean John jackets when they discovered the clothing used raccoon dog fur. Production stopped immediately upon alert. In November 2008, Combs added a men's perfume line I Am King dedicated to Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. featuring Bar Refaeli in advertising. He also owned two restaurants named Justin's after his son before both closed in 2007 and 2012.
In May 2017, Cindy Rueda filed a lawsuit against Combs claiming sexual harassment and retaliation. The case settled for an undisclosed amount in February 2019. Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit on the 16th of November 2023, accusing him of rape, sex trafficking, and physical abuse. She suggested Combs was responsible for blowing up her then-boyfriend Kid Cudi's car. Combs and Ventura reached an undisclosed settlement the following day, dismissing the lawsuit.
Two further lawsuits arrived on the 23rd of November 2023, alleging sexual assault and revenge porn. One claimed Combs and Aaron Hall sexually abused a woman in 1990 or 1991 while recording the incident. On the 17th of May 2024, CNN released surveillance footage showing Combs physically assaulting Ventura at the InterContinental hotel in Century City on the 5th of March 2016. Hotel staff stopped the assault, after which Combs allegedly tried to bribe them. On the 1st of October 2024, The Washington Post reported lawyers would file as many as 120 more lawsuits covering assaults from the 2000s and 2010s.
Combs was arrested and indicted in the Southern District of New York on the 16th of September 2024. Charges included racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution. He remained in federal custody at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix. Judge Arun Subramanian set the trial start date as the 5th of May 2025. A judge denied bail for a third time on the 27th of November 2024.
The trial began with jury selection on the 5th of May 2025. Opening statements and witness testimony started on May 12. Closing arguments concluded on June 26. On the 2nd of July 2025, after three days of deliberation, the jury found Combs guilty on two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution involving Ventura and male sex workers. They acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. On the 3rd of October 2025, he received a four-year prison sentence followed by five years of supervised release. With credit for 12 months served, he is expected to be released in May 2028.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When and where was Sean Combs born?
Sean John Combs was born on the 4th of November 1969, in Harlem, New York City.
What happened to Sean Combs father Melvin Earl Combs?
Melvin Earl Combs was shot dead while sitting in his car on Central Park West in 1972 by Walter Grant, a fellow affiliate of heroin dealer Willie Abraham.
How did Sean Combs start his music career after leaving Howard University?
Combs became an intern at Uptown Records in 1990 and later established Bad Boy Records shortly after being fired from that label in 1993.
What legal troubles did Sean Combs face regarding Cassie Ventura?
Cassie Ventura filed a lawsuit against Sean Combs on the 16th of November 2023 accusing him of rape and sex trafficking before they reached an undisclosed settlement the following day.
What were the results of the Sean Combs trial held in May 2025?
The jury found Sean Combs guilty on two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution involving Ventura and male sex workers but acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.
When will Sean Combs be released from prison after his October 2025 sentencing?
Sean Combs received a four-year prison sentence on the 3rd of October 2025 and is expected to be released in May 2028 with credit for 12 months served.