P DIDDY

Born in Harlem, Diddy’s father Melvin was murdered when Diddy was aged two, leaving his mother, Janice to raise him and his sister single-handedly, working three jobs, and implementing in Combs junior a strong work ethic. Attending Howard University in Washington D.C., Combs took on the task of interning at Uptown Records, which meant travelling between Washington D.C. and New York where Uptown was based!

Striking up a solid friendship with Uptowns head Andre Harrell (who became his mentor), Diddy was appointed Director of A&R for Uptown Records at the age of only 19, and was integral in Jodeci and Mary J Blige’s early success. Two years later, Diddy was given his marching orders by Uptown, but after begging them for another chance, Diddy returned home to discover an answer machine full of messages from rival record labels, and the empire that was Bad Boy Entertainment was born.

It was signing Notorious B.I.G. that put Bad Boy Entertainment on the map and Diddy in every hip-hop history book written ever since. A highly publicized feud with Death Row Records also increased his notoriety, but this feud was ended in late 1996 when West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur was murdered and label boss Suge Knight was jailed. Six months later, Notorious B.I.G. was murdered. Combs took time out to mourn his friend's death before hitting the charts himself during his biggest year; 1997.

His debut album, 'No Way Out', went triple platinum and earned Diddy two Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album of the Year. As well as dance floor smashes 'It’s All about the Benjamins' which came to define the Diddy sound, 'No Way Out' spawned his tribute to Biggie, 'I’ll be Missing You', featuring his widow Faith Evans, which became a worldwide hit.

1999 was a year Combs would probably rather forget. It saw follow-up 'Forever' released to lukewarm reviews, poor album sales, and controversy following him wherever he went. He faced charges for illegal possession of a firearm after a nightclub shooting in New York, and his highly public relationship with Jennifer Lopez faltered under the pressure, finally ending in 2001. The outcome of the court case saw Diddy’s protégé and friend Shyne imprisoned, and Diddy cleared.

A re-invigorated Diddy released 'P Diddy and the Bad Boy Family...the Saga Continues' in 2001 to stronger reviews and record sales. In 2002 the remix album 'P Diddy and Bad Boy Records Present...We Invented the Remix' was released, and in 2004 'Bad Boy's 10th Anniversary...The Hits' served as an overview of Diddy and Bad Boy Entertainment.

As well as his own musical career, Diddy has continued to over-see a burgeoning roster of talents. Add to that his work as re-mixer, producer, label owner, CEO, restaurateur, charity worker, film star, and head of high end fashion empire Sean John, and you'll see why Diddy's name is known world-wide.

Whether you love or hate the man, think he’s what turned hip hop pop, or was the catalyst for its commercial success; there’s no denying he is a true perfectionist. And when he decided he would give this 'artist' thing a try, managed to become a world wide superstar: Diddy doesn’t do things by halves.

Now after a five year hiatus from new material, he’s back with the album 'Press Play'. And with the announcement of twins via his MySpace site, and his new YouTube channel, there really is no stopping Diddy in his ambition not only to be there, but to be there first.

Is there really anything else that needs saying? Join us as we make the artist that has seemingly done it all, MTV European Artist of the Week.

(Source:allmusic.com)

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