Sean "Puffy" Combs, also known as P. Diddy or Diddy, is a hip-hop performer, producer and businessman known for hit records, a clothing line, movie roles and occasional gossip column appearances. Combs had early training working for record companies before setting off on his own with Bad Boy Entertainment. Together with the late rapper Notorious B.I.G., Combs (performing as Puff Daddy) popularized the east coast sound of American hip-hop. In 1997 Puff Daddy sampled the Police song "Every Breath You Take" for his song "Missing You," a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. and a huge commercial hit. His solo album No Way Out was a Grammy-winning success, and Combs earned a reputation as an astute workhorse and jack-of-all-trades in the recording industry. His list of musical collaborations includes a who's who of top artists such as Mariah Carey, Missy Elliott, Usher and David Bowie. As an actor, Combs has appeared in the feature film Monster's Ball (2001, with Halle Barry and Billy Bob Thorton, and the Broadway play A Raisin in the Sun (2004).

In 2001 Combs announced that he was changing his nickname from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy, earning him comparisons to fellow name-changing musician Prince... His romance with singer/actress Jennifer Lopez was closely followed in gossip columns; the two broke up in 2001. That same year Combs went on trial for weapons charges stemming from a 1999 Manhattan nightclub shooting in which three people were injured; at trial's end he was acquitted of all charges... In 2005 Combs announced that he was again changing his name, settling on simply Diddy.