The stories behind all of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ name changes as the hip-hop mogul heads to trial
- NewsBlend360
- May 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 9
BY NEWS BLEND 360
Updated 3:23 PM EDT, May 5, 2025
In this week's criminal indictment related to the sex trafficking trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, the document includes many of the hip-hop mogul's aliases.
Most people, particularly music fans, are likely already familiar with them.
From “Puff Daddy” to “P. Diddy” and even the lesser-known “Brother Love,” let's revisit Combs' self-given names and what was happening in his career during each period.
Puff Daddy
His childhood nickname was Puffy because, as he mentioned to Jet Magazine in 1998, he would huff and puff when he was angry. This led to his early stage names: Puffy and Puff Daddy. During this time, he was closely associated with fellow New York City rapper Notorious B.I.G., who was the star of Combs’ Bad Boy record label.
In 1998, Combs, known as Puff Daddy, won two Grammys: one for best rap album for his debut “No Way Out” and another for best rap performance by a duo or group for “I’ll Be Missing You” with Faith Evans. The song paid tribute to Notorious B.I.G., who was fatally shot in 1997 in a case that remains unsolved. This occurred during the East vs. West rap rivalry, particularly involving Tupac Shakur from California and his team at Death Row Records. Shakur was fatally shot in 1996.
Combs also started his fashion line Sean John, his first and middle name, in 1998.
P. Diddy
The transition to P. Diddy occurred in 2001, shortly after Combs was cleared of gun and bribery charges following an incident where he and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, escaped a shooting that injured three individuals at a New York City nightclub. Some witnesses reported to the police that Combs was among those firing shots in the club.
Combs mentioned at the time that the nickname P. Diddy was coined by Notorious B.I.G. Under this new moniker, Combs achieved greater success. He became the producer and star of the talent-search TV show “Making the Band” in 2002, performed at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004, and shortly thereafter won a Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group for “Shake Ya Tailfeather.”
Diddy
In 2005, he removed the “P.” from his stage name. On the “Today” show, he explained that fans at concerts found it difficult to chant P. Diddy. However, he encountered issues using the name Diddy for his 2006 album “Press Play” due to a lawsuit from British DJ Richard “Diddy” Dearlove regarding the name's usage. As a result, Combs used P. Diddy for some versions of the album.
His legal issues and fame continued. In 2008, Diddy settled a lawsuit brought by a man who claimed that Diddy punched him after a post-Oscar party outside a Hollywood hotel the previous year. About two months later, Combs received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Swag
In May 2011, Combs briefly changed his name to “Swag” for one week, revealing in an online video that this was a part of his “comeback” after recovering from a serious illness.
Love, a.k.a. Brother Love
In November 2017, he announced on social media that he was celebrating his birthday by changing his name to “Love, a.k.a. Brother Love.” Combs declared he would no longer respond to Puffy, Diddy, Puff Daddy, or any of his other nicknames. At that time, he admitted it was a daring and possibly cheesy decision to change his name again, but he expressed that he had grown as a person and was different from his past self. Later that month, he clarified he was joking about the name change and that people could use any of his previous names.
In 2021, he announced he had legally changed his middle name to Love. A year later, he explained on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” that Diddy remains his stage name. He released “The Love Album - Off the Grid” in 2023.
During his sex trafficking trial on Monday, the judge listed his various monikers to prospective jurors, stating, “There is one defendant: Sean Combs.”
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