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Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, P.Diddy, or “Brother Love” is a man of many names and even more untold stories.
People know the flashy side of Diddy, from the “Diddy Parties”, diamond-encrusted suits, or his “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” mantra that has become his signature.
Besides the glamorous lifestyle people see on TV and blogs, there is a side of Diddy that is as surprising as his latest legal troubles and scandals.
Aside from childhood struggles in Harlem and family history, there is much more to Diddy than meets the eye- it might leave you saying “Wait, he did what?”
He lost his father at only 3 years.
Sean Combs lost his father at only three years old. His dad, Melvin Combs, served in the US Air Force and was associated with New York drug dealer Frank Lucas. Combs was shot and killed while sitting in his car on Central Park West.
Combs was only 33 years old when he was fatally gunned down in 1972 after he was mistaken for a police informant. During a past interview, Diddy revealed that his dad was a “snitch”, and was murdered over a $10,000 drug deal.
The early loss inspired young Combs to avoid the risky path his father had taken and instead pursued a successful music career.
His first gig was a paper boy
At only 12 years old, Sean Combs started delivering newspapers in his neighborhood for extra cash. During an interview with Forbes, Diddy said he had a lot of elderly customers in the neighborhood, even though he wasn’t allowed to be a paperboy.
Diddy said that he took over the job of other boys in the hood who had legitimate newspaper delivery jobs, and he would split money with them. During his free time, he took up cleaning job jobs in New York and also painted houses to get extra cash.
He got the name “Puff” from his childhood
Diddy was born Sean John Combs but has changed his name many times over the years. Before taking up the name “P.Diddy”, Combs was commonly known by the name “Puff Daddy,” a nickname he got from his childhood.
He said the nickname came from his habit of huffing and puffing out his cheeks when he was angry. During a past interview, Diddy acknowledged he had a volatile temper, which made his friends make fun of him.
“Diddy parties” started at Howard University
A new TMZ documentary claims that “no one was safe” at Diddy parties, which have become a trending topic on social media. His friends term the parties as “Freak Offs”, involving drugs, spiked drinks, and forced sex acts.
But before Diddy started hosting the white “Diddy parties” for his celeb friends, he started the parties at Howard University. Although Diddy did not graduate from the historically black college, the college parties earned him significant popularity among his college mates.
Diddy left college to intern at Uptown Records and did not go back to complete his college studies. In 2014, he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities due to his contribution to music, entrepreneurship, and charity work.
However, following his recent arrest, the university revoked the honorary doctorate and refunded his $1 million gift to the institution.
He is a father of 7 kids
Sean Combs is a father of seven kids, and he is actively involved in their lives. His son Quincy Brown, though not biologically his, was raised as part of his family, and is the son of Diddy’s late ex-girlfriend, Kim Porter, and R&B singer AI B. Sure!
He shared three other kids with Kim Porter, namely Christian Combs and twin daughters D’Lila Star Combs and Jessie James Combs.
He also shares a son, Justin Combs, with Misa Hylton-Brim and a daughter, Chance Combs, with Sarah Chapman. Diddy’s seventh child is Love Sean Combs, whose mother is Dana Tran.
History of legal troubles
Diddy is facing serious legal issues following multiple allegations of sexual assault, forced labor, sex trafficking, and coercion to engage in prostitution, but his legal troubles did not start this year.
In 1999, he was involved in a New York nightclub shooting that roped in his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, and Bad Boy artist Shyne. Sean Combs is reported to have disrespected a patron and gunshots were fired, wounding three people in the process.
Diddy and Lopez fled the scene of the shooting but later got arrested. In the end, Shyne was jailed for nine years and has claimed in the past that Diddy sold him out. The fallout following the nightclub shooting forced him to change his name to P.Diddy.
Suge Knight and the East Coast-West Coast Rivalry
Diddy was a key figure in the East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry of the 1990s. As the CEO of Bad Boy Records, he was at odds with Suge Knight of Death Row Records, due to their involvement with Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” (Biggie Smalls) and Tupac Shakur.
The rivalry escalated to shootings, resulting in the death of Tupac and Biggie Smalls. Although Diddy distanced himself from the shootings, some allegations claim he was linked to the Tupac and Biggie murders.
Philanthropic activities
While Diddy is known for his flashy lifestyle, he has another little-known side- generous charity donations.
Some of his notable philanthropic activities include the New York City Marathon (2003) where he ran and raised $2 million for kids, double the amount he expected to raise.
He also donated $1 million to Hurricane Katrina victims, as well as educational donations to his alma mater Howard University. The donation to Howard University was recently returned, following his recent legal troubles.
His mother’s influence
Despite being widowed at a young age, Diddy’s mother, Janice Combs, worked tirelessly to provide for her young age. Diddy often credits his mother for teaching him the importance of hard work, and resilience.
Janice worked as a model and teacher’s assistant to provide for Diddy and his little sister, and her determination deeply influenced her son’s approach to music and entrepreneurship.
Diddy had changed names nine times
When Diddy first entered the music scene in the 1990s, he was known by the stage name “Puff”. He changed to “Puff Daddy” in 1997, then to “P.Daddy” in 2001 after he was acquitted of charges related to the New York nightclub shooting.
A few years later, he dropped the “P” and would now be called “Diddy” because he felt the ‘p’ was coming between him and his fans. He reverted to P.Diddy, to Sean John, Swag, Puff Daddy, then to his current moniker, “Love”, also known as “Brother Love”.
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