Richard Dearlove (born 1966, London, England), better known by his stage name Diddy, is an English DJ.
He is responsible for the dance hit and Feverpitch/Positiva/EMI release "Give Me Love", which peaked at #23 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1997. [1] He also undertook a number of Blondie single remixes for the Chrysalis Records. His remix of Blondie's "Atomic" reached No. 1 on the American Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.
In 2006, Dearlove successfully sued American rapper Sean Combs, who at that time used the stage name P. Diddy. Combs wanted to change his stage name to simply Diddy, but the terms of Dearlove's settlement ordered Combs to pay him significant damages and barred him from releasing music under the name Diddy in the UK. [2] The following year, Combs was ordered to drop a lyric in which he called himself "Diddy" when he performs at Wembley Arena. [3]
Sean John Combs, also known by his stage name Diddy, formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he is credited with the discovery and development of musical artists including the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher. In September 2024, he was arrested on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking by force, and transportation for purposes of prostitution.
Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American record label founded in 1993 by Sean "Diddy" Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip hop and contemporary R&B artists, beginning with the Notorious B.I.G. Following his commercial success, the label signed other acts, including Faith Evans, Mase, 112, Total, The Lox, Shyne and Carl Thomas. At its 1997 peak, Bad Boy was worth an estimated US$100 million.
Craig Jamieson Mack was an American rapper and record producer, and was famous during his tenure under Bad Boy Records. His single "Flava In Ya Ear" (1994) was a crossover hit in both rap and pop charts.
"Hate Me Now" is the second and final single by rapper Nas featuring Puff Daddy, from Nas' third studio album I Am.... The backbeat is inspired by, and contains some samples from, Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana". It was ranked 119 on XXL's 250 Best Songs of the 1990s.
"Heart of Glass" is a song by the American new wave band Blondie, written by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. It was featured on the band's third studio album, Parallel Lines (1978), and was released as the album's third single in January 1979 and reached number one on the charts in several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
"Atomic" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fourth studio album, Eat to the Beat (1979). Written by Debbie Harry and Jimmy Destri and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released in February 1980 as the album's third single.
Casandra Elizabeth Ventura, known mononymously as Cassie, is an American singer, dancer, actress, and model. Born in New London, Connecticut, she began her musical career after meeting producer Ryan Leslie in late 2004, who signed her to his record label, NextSelection Lifestyle Group. She was then discovered by rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, who signed her to a joint venture with his label, Bad Boy Records, to commercially release her 2006 debut single, "Me & U". The song marked the first of her two entries on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number three.
Forever is the second studio album of American hip hop recording artist Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, released on August 24, 1999, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, received platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and sold 205,343 units in its first week. Despite this, Forever was met with mixed to unfavorable critical response and trailed the success of his previous album, No Way Out (1997).
Mason Durell Betha, better known by his mononym Mase, is an American rapper. Best known for his work with Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records, he signed with the label in 1996 and quickly found mainstream recognition as Combs' hype man. He guest appeared on Combs' 1997 single, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, while his singles as a lead artist, "Feel So Good" and "What You Want" both peaked within the top ten of the chart. Released in October of that year, his debut studio album, Harlem World (1997) peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart, received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and spawned his third top ten single as a lead artist, "Lookin' at Me". Furthermore, his guest performances on labelmate the Notorious B.I.G.'s single "Mo Money Mo Problems" and Puff Daddy's "Been Around the World" peaked at numbers one and two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively, that same year.
"Hypnotize" is a song by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G. featuring uncredited vocals by Pamela Long, released as the first single from his album Life After Death by Bad Boy and Arista Records on March 4, 1997. The last song released before his death in a drive-by shooting a week later, it was the fifth song by a credited artist to peak the Billboard Hot 100 posthumously since "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon in 1980. Rolling Stone ranked the song as number 30 on their list of the "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time".
"I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By" is a duet song by American rapper Method Man, featuring American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. The song is a remix of Method Man's "All I Need", which appears on his debut studio album Tical (1994). The song, a hip hop soul record, was released as a single by Def Jam Recordings and PolyGram Records on April 25, 1995.
"Victory" is a song by American rapper and producer Sean Combs, under his then stage name Puff Daddy. The song features vocals from rappers such as the late Notorious B.I.G. and Busta Rhymes. It features heavy use of mafioso-style lyrics, as was popular at the time. The song also heavily sampled the Bill Conti song "Going the Distance", which featured on the soundtrack to the movie Rocky making it a darker start to a rap album that featured many club-standard singles. It also featured the last verses recorded by The Notorious B.I.G. before his 1997 death, as these verses were recorded a day before his shooting. Released as the fifth and final single from No Way Out in March 1998, it peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and was certified gold by the RIAA later that year.
"No One Else" is a song by American girl group Total featuring American rapper Da Brat. It was released as the second single from Total's self-titled debut studio album on November 28, 1995, by Bad Boy and Arista Records. The song was produced by Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs and Poke of the Trackmasters, while the songwriting was handled by the two alongside the featured Da Brat and Terri & Monica vocalist Terri Robinson. The song also contains a sample from the track "South Bronx" by Boogie Down Productions.
The discography of American rapper Sean Combs consists of five studio albums, two collaborative albums, one remix album and seventy-two singles – including thirty-three as a lead artist and thirty-nine as a featured artist.
"I Need a Girl (Part Two)" is a single by American rapper P. Diddy. It was released on May 21, 2002 as the second single from Diddy's and Bad Boy Records' remix album, We Invented the Remix (2002). It is a sequel to the single "I Need a Girl (Part One)", released a few months prior. The song includes guest appearances from Ginuwine, Loon, Mario Winans and Tammy Ruggeri. It was written by Sean Combs, Chauncey Hawkins, Mario Winans, Frankie Romano, Michael Carlos Jones and Adonis Shropshire and produced by Mario Winans and Diddy. Just like with "I Need a Girl (Part One)", the music video was directed by Benny Boom.
Child of the Ghetto is the debut studio album by American rapper G. Dep. It was released on November 20, 2001, through Bad Boy Entertainment/Arista Records.
Diddy – Dirty Money is an American musical trio, composed of R&B singers Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper, and rapper Sean Combs. The group, formed and introduced by the latter in July 2009, refers to their billing with Combs, while the "Dirty Money" act refers solely to Richard and Harper. The group signed with Combs' Bad Boy Records, a then-imprint of Interscope Records to release five commercial singles leading up to the release of their debut collaborative album, Last Train to Paris (2010). Supported by the single "Coming Home", the album peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical reception. It was preceded by one mixtape and followed by another until their 2012 disbandment.
Daz Saund is a British club DJ and Remixer from London, England.
Press Play is the fourth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Sean Combs, under the name "P. Diddy". It was released on October 17, 2006, by Bad Boy Records in a joint venture with Warner Music Group's Atlantic Records, serving as his only album with the label. Press Play was intended to be released under Combs' stage name of simply "Diddy", but a lawsuit from DJ Richard "Diddy" Dearlove effectively prevented him from doing so; however, it was released under Combs' "Diddy" name in regions in which it was not registered.
"Juicy" is the first single by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G. from his 1994 debut album, Ready to Die. It was produced by Poke of the duo Trackmasters and Sean "Puffy" Combs. "Juicy" contains a sample of Mtume's 1983 song, "Juicy Fruit", though it is directly sampled from the song's "Fruity Instrumental" mix, and has an alternative chorus sung by Bad Boy Records cohorts, the girl group Total and label founder Combs. The song is widely considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time.