Diddy: Snapshot
- Name
- Diddy
- Birth Date
- November 04, 1969
- Birth Place
- New York, N.Y.
His production and marketing skills launched the careers of Mary J. Blige, Jodeci and, ultimately, Diddy's own label, Bad Boy. There, he developed artists Lil' Kim, Faith Evans and the legendary Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who was murdered in 1997. Diddy's tribute to his slain friend, "I'll Be Missing You," helped make his debut album, No Way Out, a multi-platinum seller.
Diddy's celebrity has only grown, thanks to a highly publicized relationship with Jennifer Lopez, as well as forays into acting, politics and marathon running.
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Diddy: Five Fun Facts
- Calling himself a "bath connoisseur," Diddy tells PEOPLE that he takes a bath every night at 3 a.m. when he gets home to wind down. And, in the morning after his wake-up shower? "I walk around naked for 10 minutes to air dry."
- As a 12-year-old, the enterprising Diddy lied about his age to get a paper route, then made up a number of false identities so he could earn more money by managing several routes at once.
- After meeting Diddy – who went by the Puff Daddy moniker at the time – at a December 1999 gala, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger asked a friend, "Why does he call himself Fluffy?"
- In the invitations to his swanky post-MTV VMAs party in Manhattan in 2002, Diddy told prospective guests "The Dress Code Must Be Respected! If your shoes are scuffed, you're going to have a problem. If you're wearing jeans, you're on the wrong track."
- In order to promote his 2006 album Press Play, Diddy launched his own YouTube channel, Diddy TV. He recorded dozens of video diary entries which showcased moments in the life of Diddy, including "Definition of a Messed Up Hairline," "Diddy Feeling Scared?" and "Keep Your Teeth Clean."
Diddy: Biography 
- 1972
Meeting Hip-Hop
Diddy is just 3 years old when his father, Melvin, a street hustler, is shot to death in Manhattan's Central Park. Soon after, his mother Janice moves the family from Harlem to a suburb just north of the Bronx. As an adolescent, he soaks up the rising hip-hop scene in '80s Harlem. In the fall of 1988, he attends Howard University, studying business administration, but his real education comes when he leaves in 1990 for an internship at New York record label Uptown Records.
- 1994
Gimme the Loot
Two weeks after being fired from Uptown Records, Diddy forms Bad Boy Records. He produces Ready to Die, the legendary debut album by 22-year-old Brooklyn rapper, The Notorious B.I.G. The record's success establishes both as emerging stars and cements their bond. Diddy makes a name for himself as a producer with more albums by Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, 112 and Mase.
- 1997
I'll Be Missing You
After leaving a Vibe magazine party in L.A., The Notorious B.I.G. is shot to death by an unknown assailant. Diddy is riding in the vehicle ahead of B.I.G.'s. Police speculate that the shooting might be retaliation for the September 1996 murder of rapper Tupac Shakur, who had been feuding with Diddy and B.I.G. "There's definitely no truth in that," Diddy tells Time. "He did not deserve to die. Our problems were some record-type s---."
Photo Credits
Top Left: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders/Corbis Outline
BIOGRAPHY (top to bottom): Classmates Yearbook Archives; Venus Bernardo-Prudhomme/Pacha/Corbis
