“As a young black man, I don't want to pull the race card, but it certainly seems like the odds were against me,” says Combs. “Eighty percent of my friends are dead or in jail. It’s just something I have to live with.”
In the 1960s, Harlem, New York was little more than a dangerous, black ghetto. With few landlords willing to rent to black tenants throughout the rest of New York, they were forced to live in the deteriorating conditions and pay the high rents that were characteristic of Harlem. It is estimated that a one-room apartment in Harlem cost between $50-74 to rent, while a room of the same size in a poorer white area of New York City would cost between just $30-49. The 1960 census also revealed that only 51% of Harlem housing was ‘sound’, compared to 85% throughout the rest of the city. Rats and crumbling buildings became a regular sight. In a process of ‘ghettofication’, Harlem became a hub for drug dealers and other illegal activities. Unemployment and mortality rates also tended to be twice as high as the New York average.
Inadequate and overcrowded housing, lack of sanitation, violence, racial unrest – this was the world that Sean Combs was born into. He had experienced the tragedy of the area on a personal level at the young age of two with the murder of his father. His single and unemployed mother was now left to care for him and his young sister in this increasingly dangerous environment. Here, where survival was the name of the game, there was hardly any mention of opportunities such as university. Thinking of a brighter future or achieving success beyond the streets of Harlem was not considered a realistic goal. It was a pipedream, and one that could get you killed.
Under the circumstances, Combs rise to the top was against all odds. Statistically, it should not have been possible. But, Combs didn’t pay attention to the statistics. Armed with his mother’s faith in him, Combs set out to prove the world wrong. It was these obstacles that Combs had to face as a young boy that would give him the courage and the ability to overcome those that he would come across later. It was also his childhood experience that would inspire many of his future artistic endeavours, including his Sean John clothing line.
“I come from Harlem, New York, and one of the things Harlem is known for is style, making something out of nothing. Nobody has money but everybody knows how to dress.” His mother’s strength and his tight-knit family were two of the major pillars of Combs’ success, again not only providing Combs with the support to make it through the hard times and defy the odds, but also inspiring his work. “My mother was a model and a shopaholic,” recalls Combs. “I was definitely a mama’s boy; I was dragged into bargain shopping for the right pieces. My aunt was a seamstress. My uncle George was gay.”
From day one, Combs never let his circumstances determine his future. With the support of his family, he came to understand that success was more a state of mind than anything else. With the right attitude and the power to never give up, Combs knew he could defy the odds.
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