Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Admitted Biggie’s Death Helped His Own Music Career 

Sean “Diddy” Combs released his debut album several months after the death of Bad Boy artist the Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie. In the aftermath of the rapper’s death, some felt that Diddy seemed more concerned with his own music career than the fact that one of his artists died. In 1999, he admitted that Biggie’s death helped boost sales of his debut album, No Way Out.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs shared how Biggie’s death helped boost his music career

In 1997, Biggie died in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. The day before, he recorded verses for the song “Victory,” which appears on the album. His influence is felt further on the album, with Diddy reckoning with his death in the songs. He also changed the title to No Way Out after Biggie’s death.

No Way Out became Diddy’s best-selling album and won him a Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1998. He admitted that Biggie’s recent death helped bolster the album’s commercial success.

“I think his passing added to the fame,” he told Rolling Stone in 1999. “At least 2 million [of the nearly 5 million copies of No Way Out] sold were due to [his death], straight up. And that doesn’t necessarily feel good, but that’s the reality.”

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs put himself on a magazine cover instead of Biggie

Not long after Biggie’s death, Rolling Stone approached Bad Boy Records about putting one of their artists on the cover. The label’s president, Kirk Burrowes, thought Biggie was the obvious choice. Diddy pushed for himself to take the spot, though.

“I was telling Sean, ‘Let’s make it Biggie. You still have a chance [for a cover in the future],’” Burrowes later told Rolling Stone. “He’s like ‘No, he’s dead. I’m putting out [Combs’ debut album, No Way Out] in July. I need to be on the cover of Rolling Stone.’”

In the end, Diddy won out. He appeared on the cover of the magazine.

A former Bad Boy bodyguard was afraid Diddy was going to die that night

Diddy’s former bodyguard, Gene Deal, was present on the night Biggie died. He said that at first, he worried Diddy was the one whose life was in danger.

“I saw this kid lose his life — this kid died while I was pulling him out of the car. I wouldn’t put nobody in my shoes ’cause I don’t feel like they could handle it,” he told Vibe Magazine. “If I didn’t have God in my life, if I didn’t have people praying for me, I don’t know if I could have handled it. Before we left Andre Harrell’s house, Puff told me I didn’t have to go. Now, I went because I knew that somebody was going to die that night, somebody was going to get shot. I did everything in my power to stop it from being Puff, and it wasn’t Puff.”

He said he wished Biggie’s bodyguards had done more to protect the young rapper.