P Diddy Net Worth

What is Diddy's Net Worth?

P. Diddy, AKA Puff Daddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, entrepreneur and designer. As of this writing, Diddy has a net worth of $900 million. Diddy is best known for his record label Bad Boy Entertainment, in addition to his own solo musical and entrepreneurial pursuits. As a music executive, he launched, or shaped, the careers of numerous artists, including The Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Faith Evans, and produced tracks for Usher, Lil' Kim, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, and TLC, among many others.  In the late 90s, he released the first of multiple successful rap albums, and won his first Grammy for Best Rap Album.  Throughout the 90s and early 2000s, he continued to churn out albums and win awards.  Though his tracks were popular on the radio and with fans, there were a number of hip hop artists who criticized his continual use of samples and guest performers.  While his music made headlines, his personal life also proved to be newsworthy, as he was involved in multiple altercations, including a shoot-out at a club, and dated a number of high profile women, including Jennifer Lopez.  Along the way, he also launched multiple successful clothing lines, two reality shows, a successful liquor brand, a media company and a moderately successful acting career.

Diddy is one of the highest-paid and richest celebrities in the world and has been for two decades+. In a given recent year he earns $50 – $100 million. Between 2000 and 2020 he has earned well over $1 billion from his sprawling business empire that includes music royalties and investments in brands like Ciroq vodka. He also owns a stake in DeLeon tequila and an alkaline water brand called Aquahydrate.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Sean John Combs was born in Harlem, New York City, on November 4, 1969. He was raised in Mount Vernon, New York, after his father was shot to death while sitting in his car on Central Park West when Combs was two years old. Combs graduated from the Roman Catholic Mouth Saint Michael Academy in 1987. He then attended Howard University as a business major, but left after his sophomore year.

He landed an internship at New York's Uptown Records, where he later became a talent director. While at Uptown, he helped develop artists such as Jodeci and Mary J. Blige. After being fired from Uptown in 1993, Combs established his own label Bad Boy Entertainment as a joint venture with Arista Records.

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Music Career

When Combs left Uptown, he took with him then-newcomer artist The Notorious B.I.G., AKA Biggie Smalls. The Notorious B.I.G. and Craig Mack both released hit singles with Bad Boy, and Combs quickly signed other acts such as Carl Thomas, Faith Evans, 112, Total, and Father MC. He also formed an in-house production team known as The Hitmen, who worked with artists like Jodeci, Usher, Lil' Kim, TLC, Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, and Aretha Franklin. During the mid-1990s, a widely publicized rivalry brewed between Bad Boy and Death Row Records on the West Coast. In particular, both Combs and The Notorious B.I.G. were criticized and parodied by rapper Tupac Shakur.

In addition to his successful career as a record executive and producer, Combs has also enjoyed a lucrative solo music career as a recording artist himself. Under the name Puff Daddy, Combs recorded his first commercial work as a rapper in 1997. His debut single "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and stayed on the chart for 28 weeks. He followed this up with his debut studio album "No Way Out" in July 2017. It was originally supposed to be titled "Hell up in Harlem," but he made several changes after The Notorious B.I.G. was killed in March that year. The album was a resounding success, earning Combs five Grammy nominations in 1998, and winning the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. He has released three more albums: "Forever" (1999), "The Saga Continues…" (2001), and "Press Play" (2006).

In 2001 Combs changed his stage name from "Puff Daddy" to "P. Diddy," and in 2005 he announced another name change to just "Diddy." London-based artist Richard Dearlove, who had been performing under the name "Diddy" since 1992, sought an injunction against Combs in the High Court of Justice in London in November 2005. Dearlove accepted an out-of-court settlement of £10,000 in damages and more than £100,000 in costs, and Combs cannot use the name "Diddy" in the UK, so he remains known there as "P. Diddy."

(Photo by Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)

Other Projects and Ventures

In addition to his music career, Combs has also enjoyed a successful acting career. He has appeared in films such as "Made" (2001), "A Raisin in the Sun" (2008), "Get Him to the Greek" (2010), "Draft Day" (2014) and "The Defiant Ones" (2017). He was executive producer of reality TV show "Making the Band," which aired on MTV from 2002 to 2009, and also had a brief stint of his own in reality television with the 2008 VH1 series "I Want to Work for Diddy."

Combs also is a successful businessman. He started a clothing line "Sean John" in 1998, which won the CFDA award for Menswear Designer of the Year in 2004. He is also the head of Combs Enterprises, which is the umbrella company for his business portfolio. In addition to his clothing line, Combs helped develop the Ciroc vodka brand for 50 percent of the profits, has a major equity stake in Revolt TV, and purchased a majority holding in beverage company Aquahydrate in partnership with actor Mark Wahlberg and businessman Ronald Burkle.

Personal Life

Combs is the father of six children. His first biological child was born in 1993 to designer Misa Hylton-Brim. He had an on-again off-again relationship with Kimberly Porter from 1994 to 2007. Together, they had a son and twin daughters, and Combs also adopted Porter's son from a previous relationship. Porter passed away from pneumonia in November 2018. Combs also has a daughter with Sarah Chapman, who he took legal responsibility for in October 2007. He owns a home in Alpine, New Jersey, that he acquired for $7 million.

Combs has had multiple run-ins with the law. In December 1999, while out at Club New York in Manhattan with then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, gunfire broke out. Combs and fellow rapper Shyne were arrested following a police investigation for weapons violations. Combs was eventually charged with four weapons-related charges and bribing his driver to claim ownership of his gun, and underwent a highly publicized trial. He was also arrested for driving on a suspended license in Florida in 2001.

(Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)

Real Estate

In 1998, Diddy paid $2.45 million a home in East Hampton. This is where he would hold his famous White Party. He rented this home at times for as much as $200,000 per month. He sold this property in 2020 for $4.7 million.

In 2004 Diddy paid $4 million for a 3.5-acre estate property in Alpine, New Jersey. His listed this home in 2007 for $9 million but did not get any takers. He finally offloaded this property in 2016 for $5.5 million.

In September 2014 Diddy paid $39 million for 17,000 square-foot mansion in the exclusive LA neighborhood of Holmby Hills. The home was built on spec by developer Nile Niami. Diddy's Beverly Hills mansion has a pool that features an underwater tunnel that connects to a grotto. It also features a 35-seat movie theater, steam room, massage room, beauty salon and wine room. The house is not far from the Playboy Mansion.

In 2009 Diddy paid $5.25 million for a home for Kim Porter, with whom he had several children. Tragically, Kim died in 2018. Diddy still owns this residence.

In August 2021 Diddy paid $35 million for a home on Miami's Star Island that was being sold Gloria and Emilio Estefan. The home sits on 1.3 acres of land and has 240 feet of water frontage. Diddy has owned the property next door since 2003. Here's the mansion he bought in 2021:

In 2003 Diddy paid $3.82 million for a three-bedroom New York City apartment. He sold this property in 2017 for $5.7 million.