October 20, 2006 @ 5:46 pm

Diddy: The Ruler's Back

Danyel Smith

Google “Diddy” and among a zillion other details, you’ll find that Sean John Combs is a Scorpio. Born in 1969—the Year of the Rooster. Catholic schoolboy, with a gorgeous mom, a Baptist grandmother, and a father who was murdered when Sean was 3. Eventually acquired the nickname Puffy. Attended Howard University—promoted dance parties there, ran his own shuttle service—until the pull of N.Y.C. and hip hop yanked him to Uptown Records, where he was promoted to A&R director. Put together a streak of hits, including platinum debuts for Jodeci (1991’s Forever My Lady) and Mary J. Blige (1992’s What’s the 411?). He got fired, then negotiated an Arista Records bankroll with which he started Bad Boy Records. There was, of course, the Notorious B.I.G. And J.Lo. And the trial for which he was acquitted of felony gun possession and bribing a witness. That’s the bare bones. Hang out with the guy, though, and you get the muscle, a little heart, and a sliver of his Gordian soul. His crew still calls him “Puff.” He rents hotel penthouses for meetings and dips through New York City in his bullet-gray Rolls-Royce Phantom (with driver). One of his Manhattan residences—a chic, arbitrarily furnished crash pad with two assistants, racks and racks of clothes, and fresh fruit in the kitchen—overlooks the lush south end of Central Park. Diddy sweats through his clothes when he performs, even when it’s just a taping for a Wal-Mart promo video. When the Rolls rests, Diddy’s in his silver Maybach (with driver). He stood before it one recent afternoon, on a corner in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen, teasing round-the-way kids and signing basketballs with borrowed ballpoints. In slacks, a white tee, and black-on-black shell toes, Diddy could’ve been one of the hustlers gathered around the subdued spectacle of Diddy’s ride—one such in a Lincoln Navigator (with driver!) with front doors tricked out Lamborghini style. From Puff, there was almost an imperceptible nod, then a similar nod in response—a clear case of game recognizing game. It comes down to the fact that a boy from Harlem and Mt.Vernon, New York, has been making phenomenal impact on hip hop, on music, on fashion, and on the culture for almost fifteen years. His parties remain bacchanalian. His ego remains gargantuan. He is a charmer; he is profane. He talks so fast, he seems almost to stutter. People say he is wicked. They say his personality is beautiful. From different eras and areas of his life, folks call him an ass, a terror of a negotiator, a grudge-holder, a gem—plus horrifyingly manipulative, the most fun, richer than he’s supposed to be, a genius. To Read The Rest of This Story, Get This Issue At Your Local Newsstand Now! Do you want VIBE delivered to your home or office? CLICK HERE. Also in VIBE's November 2006 issue:

• Next: Brick & Lace, Anthony David, and Jibbs.

• On My Own - The Game finished his new album. The Doctor's Advocate, without his old team - 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and his brother Big Fase 100 - but he tells Allen Scott Gordon that he's finally home.

• 50 Cent, David Banner-They All Ride For Lil Scrappy, On The Eve of His Second Album, Laura Checkoway Finds Out if Scrap's Finally Ready To Hear What They've Been Telling Him: His Future Is Brighter Than He Ever Dreamed.

• White Heat - For Sean "Diddy" Combs, it isn't enough for his White Party to be the event of the summer. It has to be the only bas that matters.

• Revolutions: Clipse, Lady Sovereign, Ludacris, Alice Smith, Daz, Amos Lee, Fergie, Ruben Studdard, Omarion, Jojo, Federation, Mario Vasquez and more.