Diddy, Puff Daddy, Brother Love: The Changes and Meanings of Sean Combs' Names

In recent months, the career of rap mogul Sean John Combs, better known as Diddy, has taken a steep downturn due to a series of serious allegations, including sex trafficking and assault charges. Last week, he was arrested again in Manhattan, New York, further fueling the controversy surrounding him.

With a long history of reinvention, Diddy, also known as Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy, and Brother Love, has altered his identity over the years. He currently uses the name Diddy on social media and calls himself Love, after officially dropping the “John” from his name and adopting “Love”, becoming Sean Love Combs.

The nickname “Puff” dates back to his childhood. According to Diddy, he got the name because he would huff and puff when he got angry. The nickname has become a personal brand, representing his energy and explosive personality. By that time, Diddy was already a prominent figure in the business world, having founded Bad Boy Records in 1993.

After being acquitted of gun possession and bribery charges in 2001, the rapper decided to change his name to P. Diddy, claiming that it would mark a new phase in his life. “No more Puff Daddy. We’re going to have a name change ceremony,” he announced at the time. He later shortened the name to Diddy.

In recent years, Diddy has incorporated “Love” into his name, a decision that went beyond a simple artistic phase. He formalized the change by removing “John” from his name to officially become Sean Love Combs.

Despite his efforts to maintain the image of a successful businessman, Diddy has faced a series of lawsuits accusing him of violent behavior and using his position of power to exploit women. He vehemently denies all the allegations.

Although he has not been convicted in most of the cases, Diddy has been the subject of allegations of physical assault since the 1990s. The spike in allegations began last year when singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, accused him of a decade of abuse that included coercion with drugs, physical violence and a rape in 2018. Cassie and Diddy met when she was 19, after being signed to his record label. Their romantic relationship lasted for years. Although Cassie’s lawsuit was quickly settled out of court, other similar allegations have begun to surface. In December, a woman claimed she was gang-raped by Combs and others when she was 17. In May, surveillance video emerged showing Combs physically assaulting Cassie, corroborating some of the allegations made in the now-settled lawsuit.