Sean John Combs was born on November 4, 1969, in Harlem, New York City, to Melvin Earl Combs and Janice Combs. He spent much of his early childhood alongside his sister, Keisha Combs. When Sean was still a young boy, his father was tragically killed, having been associated with known drug trafficker Frank Lucas. Following his father's death, the family relocated to the Bronx.
Combs attended Mount Saint Michael Academy, an all-boys Catholic school, graduating in 1987. During his school years, he was active in sports and helped lead his football team to a division title in 1986. In 1988, he enrolled at Howard University as a business administration major but left before graduating to pursue an internship at Uptown Records.
At Uptown Records, Combs quickly rose through the ranks, becoming a talent director and instrumental in launching the careers of several major artists. He was promoted to vice president within two years. However, his tenure at the label ended abruptly after a tragic incident at a celebrity charity basketball game, where overcrowding led to the deaths of nine people and injuries to dozens more. Although Combs was not criminally charged, the incident led to his dismissal from Uptown Records.
Following his departure from Uptown, Combs established Bad Boy Entertainment in 1993. The label's first major release was The Notorious B.I.G.’s debut album, Ready to Die, which was met with critical acclaim and commercial success. Combs's production prowess extended to artists like Mase, Mary J. Blige, and Carl Thomas. His production team also contributed to tracks for Mariah Carey, Usher, and Boyz II Men, further cementing his status as a premier producer in the hip-hop and R&B industries.
| Net Worth 2021: | 740 million |
