Diddy on His Legacy: ‘The Playing Field Is Not Even For Us’
Sean “Diddy” Combs first broke into the music industry over three decades ago before eventually founding his own record label in the early ’90s. In the years since then, Diddy’s legacy has grown as he’s pursued other ventures beyond the world of hip-hop. Still, he acknowledges that there’s more work to be done — not for him, but for his community.
Diddy got into the music industry 30 years ago
As a college student at Howard University, Diddy commuted back home to New York for an unpaid internship at Uptown Records working under the legendary Andre Harrell. Diddy eventually joined as a full-time A&R; during this time, he discovered an up-and-coming rapper from Brooklyn named Biggie Smalls and worked to get him signed to Uptown Records. Harrell fired Diddy in 1993, and by the end of the year, he had founded his own record label, Bad Boy Records. The Notorious B.I.G. was his first signee, and his 1994 debut album Ready to Die was the first record released by Diddy’s label.
In the late ’90s and throughout the 2000s, Diddy continued to make a name for himself outside of music. He launched his Sean John clothing brand in 1998, and helped bring Cîroc to the US and popularize it with rappers in the 2000s; in the early 2010s, he bought the DeLeón tequila brand and similarly helped build it out.
Diddy’s hard work over the years is reflected in his net worth. He’s one of two billionaires in hip-hop (along with Jay-Z), and he’s provided for his seven children over the past three decades.
Diddy says the ‘playing field is not even’ for Black artists
Despite all the strides — financial and otherwise — that Diddy has been able to make, he acknowledged in a 2006 interview with Oprah Winfrey that Black people have had to overcome difficulties to achieve greatness for centuries.
“I hope I’ll be remembered as someone who worked hard. I hope I leave an understanding, especially to my people, of what it takes to achieve your dreams. The playing field is not even for us, and I have no problem with that because I think we’re built for it. We went through slavery so that we could withstand the challenge,” he said. “I take pride in the trend of entrepreneurship in our community.”
“[The purpose of my power is] to inspire others and to show people what is possible,” he continued. “I want my life to be about more than just fame or jewelry or parties. Hip-hop has the power to change the world. I am here to lead by example.”
Diddy is preparing to release a new album in 2023
The last album Diddy released was 2006’s Press Play, and in the years since then, he’s largely stuck to featured guest appearances on songs. In 2022, however, he signaled that a new album was on the way.
Diddy released the single “Gotta Move On” with Bryson Tiller in June 2022, and followed it up with remixes including a “Queens Remix” with Ashanti and Yung Miami and a “Kings Remix” with Fabolous and Tory Lanez.
