27 March 2024 , 19:36
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While Sean Combs is gaining notoriety under his legal name currently after his properties were raided by law enforcement officials the rapper has had a variety of stage names over the years too.
Currently known simply as Diddy, he has had several aliases throughout his career including his arguably most well-known moniker of Puff Daddy, and his later transformation to P. Diddy. He has previously admitted that he was nicknamed "Puff" as a child due to how he would “huff and puff” when he was angry.
The nickname formed the basis of his stage name as he became famous in 1997, with his debut single Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down hitting Number One in the charts. He had already begun building his music empire at that point with his globally famous record label Bad Boy Records being set up in 1993.
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From Puff Daddy to P Diddy
Diddy started out as Puff Daddy (Getty Images for Sean "Diddy" Combs)In 2001 he changed up his stage name, becoming P. Diddy after wanting to freshen up his public persona following a not guilty verdict on charges of gun possession and bribery.
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At the time he said: "No more Puff Daddy - the first week in June, we’re going to have a name-change ceremony. I’m not doing it as serious as Prince. I just want something fresh. I’m rocking with P Diddy just now." The name change was applied to his next album, The Saga Continues and had already been used as a credit on various recordings he had worked on for other artists.
He chose P. Diddy as it had reportedly been a name suggested for him by his best friend and fellow rapper Notorious BIG who was famously gunned down and killed in 1996. One of Diddy's most famous songs - I'll Be Missing You - was a collaboration with Notorious BIG's wife Faith Evans as the pair paid tribute to him with the track which sampled Police's 1983 hit Every Breath You Take.
From P Diddy to just Diddy
Diddy's past mentor relationship with Justin Bieber has some under fire (FilmMagic)2005 saw Sean once again grow tired of his performance name and dropped the P so he could become just Diddy. He claimed the initial letter was making his relationship with his fans harder. However, he did remain P Diddy in the UK thanks to a lawsuit from DJ Richard "Diddy" Dearlove who took legal action over the change.
Since then he has changed his real name legally from Sean John Combs to Sean Love Combs. While Diddy has remained his mainstay he does also still use Puff Daddy as a name, especially when working on any material or projects related to his early career.