In 2013, Forbes named, P. Diddy, the richest rapper alive with the famous hip-hop artist Jay Z coming in second place. His real name is Sean John Combs and his stage names are Puff Diddy, Puff Daddy, or Diddy. Apart from being a successful American rapper, he is also an actor, music producer, and business magnate. He is married to Cassie, whose full name is Casandra Elizabeth Ventura from 2007 to date.

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Amazingly, the list contains relatively new celebrities such as Drake and Nicki Minaj who have managed to make millions of dollars within a short time since their entry into the music industry. He on the other hand has not been as lucky because his journey to the top has taken several years. He rose to fame in the 1990s, when he was rapping about his desire for $100 dollar bills commonly referred to as Benjamins. Fast forward to over 10 years later and the man has a net worth of $580 million. The hip-hop music industry is a great way to make money and the current reigning rappers know that. However, for a rapper to attain that million-dollar mark and become the richest rapper, he /she has to do lucrative jobs such as producing music and endorsing various products such as clothing lines.

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The Pre-Fame Days Of The Richest Rapper Alive

One of the top richest rappers, Sean Puffy Combs, was born on November 4, 1969, in Harlem, New York, and comes from a humble background and rose in Mount Vernon. His mother, Janice, was a model and a teacher’s assistant while his father, Melvin combs, was an associate of a convicted New York Drug Dealer. Combs grew up in the sole care of Janice as Melvin was shot while in his car when Sean was 2 years old. As a young man, he played football for his school on a talented team that was able to win a division title back in 1986. In 1987, he graduated from the Roman Catholic, Mount Saint Michael Academy.

Journey Of P. Diddy’s Music Career

He dropped out of Howard University, where he was studying business, to pursue his career in the music industry. He was able to secure an internship with a music recording company, Uptown Records. At the company, he worked as a talent scout where he brought in new singers. Diddy has a natural ability for spotting and developing talent an insight that saw him promoted to vice president of Uptown Records. After gaining enough exposure and experience, he established a joint venture recording company, Bad Boy Entertainment. Under his leadership, the company grew to become a $300 million conglomerate.

Sean’s talent director smarts have been responsible for some of the big names in the musical world. He and his in-house production team are responsible for discovering and developing the talent of celebrities such as Notorious B.I.G, Mariah Carey, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and Lil’ Kim.

Diddy began his hip-hop career in 1997 when he released his first vocal commercial rap song, ‘Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down’. At the time, Sean entered the music industry with the stage name “Puff Daddy.” His first song was a huge hit and spent several months on the Billboard Hot 100 Chat. In the same year, he released his debut album, ‘No Way Out’ through Bad Boy Records. With 3 Grammy Awards and 2 MTV Video Music Awards in his pocket, Diddy’s musical career was successful as his album was able to earn 5 nominations. By the year 2000, his album had sold over 7 million copies thus attaining Platinum status. Despite his success, he also experienced some negativity in his music endeavors and was slapped with a couple of lawsuits during the early stages of his career. In a span of 2 years, he was charged with several charges that included, assault, landlord neglect, weapons violation, and other charges.

After Diddy exonerated himself from all the charges, he released his solo studio album, ‘Forever’ in 1999. Despite all the negative publicity surrounding Diddy, his album was able to reach, number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and was at the top of the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for a week.

In 2001, Sean changed his stage name to P. Diddy and released a gospel album titled “Thank You’ in March. In June of the same year, he ended the joint venture of Bad Boy Entertainment with Arista Records and gained full control of the recording label along with its roster of artists. In the years following his gospel album, he grew his music career by releasing more albums and hit songs. He also ventured into the acting industry and appeared in several films, including Made, Carlito’s Way- Rise To Power, A Raising In The Sun, and Monster’s Ball.

In 2005, he changed his stage name yet again and called himself ‘Diddy’. Currently, he is one of the most famous celebrities on the music scene and made to list of the richest rappers. He is also a member of a rap supergroup that goes by the name ‘The Dream Team. The rap group consists of Diddy, Red Café, Rick Ross, Dj Khaled, Fabolous, Fat Joe, and Busta Rhymes.

Business Ventures And Charitable Deeds Of Sean John Combs

Aside from rapping and acting, he is also a talented businessman. He is the owner of the Sean John clothing line, a brand that has received both positive and negative publicity. His brand saw him nominated as Menswear Designer of the Year in 2000. The Sean John clothing line also released a men’s perfume called “I Am King.” He also owns 2 restaurants, a Blue Film advertising company, and the clothing line Enyce and is the designer of the Dallas Mavericks jerseys.

Diddy is an active philanthropist who has received honorary recognition for his charity work. In 2003, the richest rapper alive ran in a New York City Marathon and was able to raise $4 million for public schools. He also owns 2 charitable organizations and funded Daddy’s House Social Programs, an organization that helps the youth. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Wall of Fame and the Chicago Mayor named October 13, 2006, as ‘Diddy Day’, in honor of Combs’ charitable deeds.

Facts

Despite having never married, Diddy is their unofficial stepfather of Quincy and the father of 5 children. A list of his personal assets includes 1 yacht, 5 homes, and 3 cars.