Sean Love Combs, also known by stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Combs worked as a talent director at Uptown Records before founding his own record label, Bad Boy Records, in 1993. Combs has been credited with the discovery and cultivation of artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher.
Life After Death is the second and final studio album by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, on Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, the Lox, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits the Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre. The album is a sequel to his first album, Ready to Die, and picks up where the last song, "Suicidal Thoughts", ends.
Bad Boy Records is an American record label founded in 1993 by Sean "Puffy" Combs. During the late 1990s, the label signed numerous artists including Craig Mack, The Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, Mase, 112, Total, The Lox, Shyne and Carl Thomas. At its 1997 peak, Bad Boy was worth an estimated US$100 million.
Hard Core is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil' Kim, released on November 12, 1996, by Undeas Recordings, Big Beat Records, and Atlantic Records. After achieving success with the hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. and their album Conspiracy (1995), Kim began working on her solo album with the Notorious B.I.G. serving as the executive producer. She collaborated with a number of producers, such as Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Stevie J., David "Ski" Willis and Jermaine Dupri, among others. Other rappers, including Jay-Z, Lil' Cease and Puff Daddy were featured on the album.
Robert Ross, known professionally as Black Rob, was an American rapper who was signed to Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment. He was best known for his 2000 single "Whoa!", which peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.
No Way Out is the debut studio album by American rapper Puff Daddy & The Family. It was released on July 22, 1997 by Arista Records and Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Entertainment. The album's crediting of the Family references the guest appearances from his label-mates at Bad Boy Records.
"It's All About the Benjamins" is a song by American rapper and producer Puff Daddy. It was released as the third single from his debut studio album No Way Out. "Benjamins" is a slang word for money, referring to Benjamin Franklin's image on the US $100 bill. The song featured an uncredited vocal arrangement by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, and featured a signature guitar hook played by Marc Solomon.
Money, Power & Respect is the debut album by hip hop group The Lox. It was released on January 13, 1998, through Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment and featured production from the Hitmen, Dame Grease and Swizz Beatz. The album found huge success, peaking at number three on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and spawned two charting singles, "Money, Power & Respect" and "If You Think I'm Jiggy". In 2008, the title track was ranked number 53 on Vh1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop.
Room 112 is the second studio album by the American R&B quartet 112, released in 1998. The album features label mates Mase and Faith Evans; it also features Lil' Kim, Lil' Zane and MJG. The two singles, "Love Me", featuring Mase, and "Anywhere", featuring Lil' Zane, charted at number 17 and number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.
"Hypnotize" is a single by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. featuring vocals by Pamela Long, released as the first single from his album Life After Death 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 hit number one posthumously, and the first 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.
"Who Shot Ya?" is a song by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., backed by Sean Combs. Bad Boy Entertainment released it on February 21, 1995, on an alternate reissue of Wallace's single "Big Poppa/Warning". Its new B-side "Who Shot Ya", a revision of a track already issued earlier in 1995, was "controversial and hugely influential." Widely interpreted as a taunt at Tupac Shakur, the single provoked a "rap battle" between the two rappers, formerly friends.
Shyne is the self-titled debut album by rapper Shyne. It was released by Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records on September 26, 2000. Shyne had been hyped prior to the album's release as similar in style and delivery to the deceased Notorious B.I.G. Shyne had also drawn unfavorable media attention for being convicted in June 2000 for his involvement in a nightclub shooting. Shyne was incarcerated at the time of this album's release. The album debuted and peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200 and sold just under 160,000 copies in its first week. It sold very well, eventually achieving Gold status. It contained fewer guest artists than most Bad Boy releases. The singles from the album, "Bad Boyz," "Bonnie & Shyne", and "That's Gangsta" were moderate hits.
Emotional is the debut album by American R&B singer Carl Thomas. It was released by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records on April 18, 2000, in the United States. Emotional earned Thomas a nomination in the Best R&B/Soul Album at the 2001 Soul Train Music Awards, also garnering him a Male & Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist nod. "I Wish" was also nominated for Best R&B/Soul Single.
Harve Pierre, also known by the stage name Joe Hooker, is an American record executive. He is best known for his work with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records.
"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.
"No Time" is the debut single by American rapper Lil' Kim featuring Puff Daddy. It was released as the lead single for her debut album Hard Core in October 1996. It peaked at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, reached the top ten on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and peaked the US Rap Songs for nine weeks—becoming Kim's first number one hit on the chart. Additionally, the song charted at number 45 on the UK Singles Chart. "No Time" was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and contains a sample of Vicki Anderson's "Message from the Soul Sisters" and Lyn Collins's "Take Me Just As I Am."
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.
"Nothin' Move But the Money" is the lead single released from Mic Geronimo's second album, Vendetta.
