Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is awaiting his 2025 trial from behind bars
The yr is 1999. Sean “Diddy” Combs’ “White Parties” are already the speak of the city, regardless of having began only a yr prior. Sitting down with Leisure Tonight, the rap mogul within the making can’t assist however hype up his now-infamous gatherings.
“You’re gonna hear about my parties. They’re going to be shutting them down. They’re probably going to be arresting me doing all types of crazy things just because we want to have a good time, you know?” he declared.
Quick ahead to 2024, and that’s precisely what occurred — phrase for phrase.
Combs — often known as Puffy, Love, and Diddy — is now behind bars, awaiting trial for intercourse trafficking and racketeering conspiracy expenses, amongst others. With over a 100 sexual assault lawsuits in opposition to him and extra rising every day, his once-exclusive events, which featured alleged “freak-offs,” at the moment are on the centre of a sprawling authorized and ethical reckoning.
If discovered responsible in his trial set for Might 2025, the person who as soon as dominated the music business might face wherever from 15 years to life in jail.
However how did Diddy go from hip-hop royalty to going through a mountain of prison expenses? Let’s check out the rise — and fall — of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The Rise of Sean “Diddy” CombsChildhood, Household, and Schooling
Diddy’s dad and mom Melvin and Janice Combs
Sean Combs was born on November 4, 1969, in Harlem however grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. Tragedy struck early — his father, Melvin Combs, was killed in a taking pictures when Sean was simply two years previous. Melvin had ties to convicted drug vendor Frank Lucas.
Raised by his mom, Janice, Combs grew up Roman Catholic and even served as an altar boy. By highschool, he’d earned the nickname “Puff” for his behavior of “huffing and puffing” when annoyed. After graduating from Mount Saint Michael Academy in 1987, he enrolled at Howard College to check enterprise however dropped out after two years to chase his music desires.
In 2014, he returned to Howard for an honorary doctorate, however that diploma was revoked in 2024 amidst mounting scandals.
Internship at Uptown Information (1990)
Diddy with late Uptown Information founder Andre Corridor
In 1990, Combs landed an internship at Uptown Information in New York, the place he was mentored by Andre Harrell. It was right here he first showcased his expertise for recognizing and shaping stars, working carefully with Jodeci and Mary J. Blige to refine their types. This knack for artist improvement would quickly change into a cornerstone of his profession — and his rise to fame.
Unhealthy Boy Information (1993)
Diddy and Infamous B.I.G AKA Biggie Smalls
Combs didn’t final lengthy at Uptown Information, getting fired simply three years later. He later admitted it was on account of his cockiness and outsized ego.
However he didn’t waste time — by 1993, he’d launched Unhealthy Boy Information and secured a take care of Arista Information. Considered one of his first strikes was signing a then-unknown rapper named Christopher Wallace — who would quickly rise to fame as Infamous B.I.G AKA Biggie Smalls.
“Pretty Wild” Get together Way of life
By 1994, the discharge of Biggie’s Able to Die had made Unhealthy Boy Information a family title. With chart-topping artists like Religion Evans, Complete, and Father MC on its roster, the label was unstoppable. Diddy’s manufacturing crew, “The Hitmen,” collaborated with a few of the greatest names in music, together with Usher, Lil’ Kim, and Mary J. Blige.
However behind the music, Diddy’s celebration way of life was already notorious. In an eyebrow-raising 2016 interview with Howard Stern, Usher — who lived with Combs for a yr at age 13 — referred to as the early ’90s “pretty wild” and declared that he would by no means let his personal youngsters round that way of life.
East Coast-West Coast Rivalry
By the mid-’90s, the hip-hop world was divided. The East Coast-West Coast rivalry was in full swing, with Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight of Demise Row Information taking public photographs at Unhealthy Boy Information, Diddy, and Biggie.
What began as a conflict of egos and labels rapidly escalated, setting the stage for one of the vital notorious and tragic chapters in rap historical past.
Tupac Shakur and Suge Knight pictured on the night time of his deadly shootingTupac and Biggie Capturing (1996, 1997)
The late ’90s noticed hip-hop rocked by tragedy. Tupac Shakur was killed in a Las Vegas drive-by on September 7, 1996, adopted simply months later by Biggie Smalls in the same taking pictures in Los Angeles on March 9, 1997.
Each circumstances stay unsolved, fuelling conspiracy theories that implicate figures like Suge Knight and even Diddy. Notably, the continued trial of Tupac’s suspected killer, Duane “Keefe D” Davis — arrested in late 2023 — solely factors extra fingers at Diddy, whom Keefe D accused of ordering a million-dollar hit on Pac.
Jennifer Lopez Membership Capturing (1999)
In 1999, Combs and then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez had been having fun with an evening out at a Instances Sq. Membership when photographs had been fired. Combs and his protégé Shyne confronted weapons expenses, however whereas Combs was acquitted, Shyne served ten years in jail.
The incident ended Combs’ relationship with Lopez, and years later, Shyne — now a politician — claimed he was made the “fall guy” for his former mentor.
The Fall of Diddy
For over 20 years, Diddy remained a cultural power. He managed artists beneath Unhealthy Boy Information, acted in TV exhibits, and launched music like The Saga Continues and The Love Album: Off the Grid. Alongside the way in which, he cycled by means of stage names, from “Puff Daddy” to “Love.”
However by November 2023, his once-untouchable legacy started to unravel when ex-girlfriend Cassie filed a stunning sexual assault lawsuit. What adopted was a cascade of allegations and authorized troubles that marked the start of his dramatic fall from grace.
Cassie’s Sexual Assault Lawsuit (November 2023)
Diddy and then-girlfriend Cassandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura
In November 2023, singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura shook the world with a lawsuit in opposition to Combs. Their decade-long, on-and-off relationship, which led to 2018, appeared amicable on the floor — till Cassie accused him of rape, intercourse trafficking, and years of emotional and bodily abuse.
The case was settled inside a single day, main many to marvel what Combs is perhaps hiding behind an enormous payout.
Cassie’s claims sparked a wave of comparable sexual assault lawsuits, however Combs denied all of them, as his once-glittering repute started to crumble.
FBI Raid (March 2024)
In March 2024, the FBI raided Combs’ properties in Miami, Los Angeles, and New York as a part of a intercourse trafficking investigation. Combs, who was vacationing on the time, had not addressed any of the lawsuits in opposition to him, nor the raid.
Cassie Assault Video Leaked (Might 2024)
In Might 2024, CNN launched stunning footage of Combs bodily assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie in 2016. The grainy resort surveillance video confirmed Combs grabbing Cassie by the neck, throwing her to the bottom, kicking her, dragging her down a hallway, and throwing a vase at her.
The leak compelled Combs to deal with the Cassie scenario publicly for the primary time, apologising for his actions in a since-deleted Instagram video.
Later, his authorized staff claimed the Division of Homeland Safety leaked delicate grand jury supplies to smear him, however a choose rejected the argument.
SA Lawsuits Hold Pouring In
Because the fallout continued, sexual assault lawsuits in opposition to Combs saved piling up. New claims appeared to floor each week, with women and men accusing him of assaults going again to the early 2000s. Many alleged they had been drugged earlier than being attacked, including a disturbing sample to the accusations.
The lawsuits additionally put a highlight on Combs’ inside circle. Up to now, R&B singer Aaron Corridor and rapper Jay-Z have been talked about, however followers consider extra large names might come to mild.
Diddy Arrested (September 2024)
On September 16, 2024, Combs was arrested in New York on expenses together with racketeering conspiracy and intercourse trafficking.
100-Plus SA Circumstances Come In (October 2024)
Even whereas he was behind bars, the sexual assault lawsuits in opposition to Combs saved piling up.On October 1, 2024, over 100 victims got here ahead with accusations of sexual abuse and exploitation in opposition to Combs.
Shockingly, one of many alleged victims was simply 9 years previous when the assault occurred.
Diddy Denied Bail
Combs walked into his bail hearings assured he’d stroll out — solely to have his request denied not as soon as, not twice, however thrice. Now, he’ll be spending the approaching months behind bars as he awaits his trial.