Whether you know him as Puff Daddy, Puffy, Puff, P. Diddy, Diddy, or Sean Love Combs, the Bad Boy founder is undeniably one of the greatest businessmen in the entertainment industry. There isn't an area of business that Diddy doesn't have his hand in: music, fashion, television, film, art, restaurants, politics—the list goes on. It all began when he was an intern at Uptown Records making his way up the ranks until he was a recognizable name in the game. The creation of Bad Boy would shift how the world saw Diddy, and he helped shape the careers of some of our favorite R&B and hip hop artists for over two decades.
Rolling Stone celebrated the influential careers of both DJ Khaled and Diddy for their latest cover story where the two chatted about their humble beginnings, work ethic, and admiration of one another. At one point, Khaled asked Diddy how he and the late-great Notorious B.I.G. met each other. Diddy recalled that their first introduction was at Sylvia's in Harlem.
"Yeah. I wanted to sign him so bad. And I saw he was a big guy, and I was from Harlem," he said. "I was like, 'Man, the best thing for me to do is to invite him to Sylvia’s.' And the crazy thing was that when he sat down, I said, 'What you want to eat?' He said, 'I’m not hungry' [both laugh]. He would never eat around me!"
The two would make history together and it's obvious that Diddy is looking to help create artists who have the talent and it-factor that he felt with Biggie. When asked what he looked for with new artists, Diddy shared that he's in "semi-retirement." He added, "If you don’t see my name on all the Top 10 records, that means I’m not making music. I’m bringing Making the Band back in 2020. I’m contemplating, 'Is there a role for me in music now?' I just know that for me, I would only be able to sign legends. To be honest, my decisions will be made through God. I’m at another frequency and level of music. It would have to be something that God fully put in my heart, like when I heard Biggie or I heard Mary [J. Blige]." Is there an artist that you think is that level of legendary?