Sean John “Diddy” Combs

November 4, 1969 Sean John “Diddy” Combs, rapper, record producer, fashion designer, and entrepreneur, was born in Harlem, New York.

Combs attended Howard University but dropped out after becoming a top executive at Uptown Records. In 1993, he established Bad Boy Records where he signed and produced The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mariah Carey, and many others. Three albums produced by Combs, The Notorius B.I.G.’s “Ready to Die” (1994) and “Life After Death” (1997) and Mary J. Blige’s “My Life” (1994), are on Rolling Stone’s list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

In 1997, Combs recorded his first commercial song. The single “Can’t Hold Me Down” spent six weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and his debut album, “No Way Out” won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Combs also won Grammy Awards for “I’ll Be Missing You” (1998) and “Shake Ya Tailfeather” (2004). In 1998, Combs started the Sean John clothing line which won the Council of Fashion Designers of America Award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2004.

In 2001, he appeared in the hit movie “Monster’s Ball” and in 2004 starred in the Broadway revival of “A Raisin in the Sun.” In 2008, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Combs net worth has been estimated in excess of $475 million.