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The Birth of Diddy: Sean Combs Makes His World Debut

Article Overview: Born on the dangerous streets of Harlem and exposed to violence at an early age, the odds were stacked against Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, from day one. Nobody believed he would amount to much, let alone go on to become one of the most successful and well-known musicians, producers and entrepreneurs of our time.

The Birth of Diddy: Sean Combs Makes His World Debut

Born on the dangerous streets of Harlem and exposed to violence at an early age, the odds were stacked against Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, from day one. Nobody believed he would amount to much, let alone go on to become one of the most successful and well-known musicians, producers and entrepreneurs of our time.

November 4, 1969 was the day Sean John Combs entered the world. Born in Harlem, New York City to Janice and Melvin Combs, Combs’ early life was a far cry from the luxurious existence he has grown accustomed to since. At the age of two, Combs’ life would change forever. His street-hustler father was gunned down, leaving Janice to raise Combs and his sister on her own. Fearful of the increasing danger Harlem posed to her children, Janice moved the family to Mount Vernon, New York. This, she believed, would provide the children a safer environment in which to grow up.

Without the support of her husband, Janice was forced to work three jobs in order to not only provide for her kids, but to be able to also give them the best possible education. Combs attended Mount Vernon Montessori School and later completed his secondary education at the private, Catholic boys’ school Mount Saint Michael Academy. Of his mother’s influence on his life, Combs recalls, “She was constantly pushing. I feel like I was nurtured into wanting to be somebody special.” Were it not for his mother’s strong encouragement and the faith she had in him, Combs’ could have easily followed in the footsteps of his father and suffered the same fate at a young age. Instead, with his mother by his side and a good education in hand, Combs was given a strong character base, from which his future success would later stem.

After graduating from high school, Combs moved to Washington, D.C. to attend Howard University where he pursued a degree in business administration. His attention slowly began to shift from inside the classrooms to outside on the streets. His entrepreneurial instincts started to kick in, and soon he was producing weekly dance parties and also running an airport shuttle service.

Combs would never finish his degree. Fortune smiled on him when he was offered an internship at Uptown Records, one of the most popular hip-hop and R&B labels of its time. Recalling his desire to work closely with Uptown founder Andre Harrell, Combs says, “I told him I’d wash cars, quit school – anything – a priceless chance to be in your presence.” At just 19 years old, Combs had been promoted to become one of the label’s top executives, managing such notable acts as Father MC, Mary J. Blige and Heavy D & the Boyz. The very first record that Combs produced, Jodeci’s Come & Talk to Me, sold two million copies and led to Combs’ promotion to vice president.

After just two years with Uptown, Combs was fired. “I guess Andre didn't want two kings in the castle,” Combs says of his dismissal. “I had obtained some success, some notoriety, and I didn't realize it wasn't my house.” And so, at the young age of 21, Combs decided to create a company of his own.

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Article Tags: boys school, catholic boys, character base, dangerous streets, degree in business administration, diddy, encouragement, far cry, fate, footsteps, good education, harlem new york, howard university, janice, john combs, montessori school, producers, secondary education, street hustler, washington d c



Related Forum Posts
Re: Should you hire ambitious workers or employees with no goals - [quote="TheRainmaker":4eq894a4]Thanks Shri, I really hate the word GRUNT. I had a client once who called his staff 'minions'. he didnt last long as a client...I just hate the negative perspective in anything. realist yes, pessimist, no.[/quote:4eq894a4] Hi Jude and Shri, I'm not saying that it's good to call anyone a "grunt", but the truth is many people are treated like one everyday. I was recently watching the reality show "Making the Band 4" and P. Diddy (aka Puff Daddy or Sean Combs) was telling one of his employees, Aubrey (from the group Danity Kane) that he was the CEO and he didn't have to communicate his plans or vision for his company to her. More importantly, if Aubrey didn't like the way he does business, she has the choice to walk away/quit. At the end of that show, Diddy ended up firing Aubrey for always causing trouble and feeling she was ENTITLED to certain things. In addition, owner of Sky Sport Gym (and star of Bravo's "Work Out"), Jackie Warner undermined one of her trainers by stepping in midway through a boot camp to take over. Jackie's trainer was very upset, but rather than apologizing Jackie simply said something along the lines of "I'm the owner and I can do whatever I want. If you don't like it, you can work for someone else." The problem is that most employees claim ownership over their "jobs" because they put a lot of hard work and time into them... but the reality is that the owners can treat them as kindly or disrespectful as they want. And the only option for the employees is to stay or leave.
Name for website - Hmmmm Authors World Authors Network Authors World Wide Weblog World Wide Authors Arboretum (or some other alliterative word) WritertoWriter Writer to Reader WritersWorld WritersConnect AuthorsandtheirReadersBlog
Re: Hello, Just Joined - Hey Sean, welcome to the forum!
Re: Does birth order influence the desire to start a business? - I think this study is bogus. I don't think birth order influences any of this. It's the nature vs nurture argument magnified. Some is nature, but most is nurtured through child development and adolescence. Birth order has nothing to do with it.
Re: Hello, Just Joined - Hello Sean Welcome to the forum its Really nice to have you here , have a great day


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