Latest news with #Hypnotize
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs: The ups and downs of a ‘bad boy' turned businessman
Sean 'Diddy' Combs once traced his success back to a pair of shoes. One day, when he was a child, he asked his mother for a new pair of sneakers, but she couldn't afford them. He recalled in a 2016 CNN interview that his mother almost began to cry upon hearing his request. That day, he said, 'my hustle was born.' The man who famously once sang about being a 'bad boy for life' had it pretty good for a long time, thanks to that hustle and his entrepreneurial successes. Buying new shoes may not be a problem anymore but he has bigger ones — especially lately. This week, authorities conducted searches on two of Combs' homes as part of a federal investigation carried out by a Department of Homeland Security team that handles human trafficking crimes, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. The probe reportedly stems from many of the same sexual assault allegations put forth in some civil lawsuits against him, according to a different law enforcement source familiar with the searches conducted on Combs' homes. Combs has been accused of sexual misconduct in five separate lawsuits filed in recent months – allegations he has repeatedly denied. It is unclear which allegations are included in the federal investigation. Throughout his career, the tides have changed for Combs about as often as he's changed his name. With his legacy in question, this particular chapter of the story of Sean 'Diddy' Combs is currently punctuated more by an ellipsis than a period. But if he manages to rebuild a once towering professional empire in the aftermath of his present legal troubles, Combs' image may one day be more synonymous with miracle worker than hitmaker. Before the world knew him as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, Diddy and Love, Combs was building a career for himself and, most notably, as a producer for other artists, like Christopher Wallace, who was better known as Notorious B.I.G. Combs signed Wallace to his label Bad Boy Records in 1993, going on to produce with the young talent hit records like 'Big Poppa,' 'Hypnotize' and 'One More Chance' until 24-year-old Wallace's murder in March 1997. Months later, Combs, then only 27 himself, released his debut album, 'No Way Out.' It included a tribute song to Wallace that remains one of Combs' most memorable songs. 'I'll Be Missing You,' which sampled the The Police's 1983 hit 'Every Breath You Take,' was a massive hit for Combs and recording artist Faith Evans. 'I think I'll always feel some sort of responsibility because I'm in this thing with him,' Combs told Wendy Williams of Wallace's murder during an episode of her show in 2017. 'He's my artist.' 'I'll Be Missing You' was the first rap song to debut as No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to win a Grammy. His success continued with albums such as 1999's 'Forever' and 'The Saga Continues…' which was released in 2001. That same year, Combs was found not guilty of charges relating to a shooting incident outside a Manhattan night club in 1999, following a high-profile trial. After the verdict, Combs told reporters that he would speak more on the matter at a later time, 'but right now, I just want to go and be with my kids.' He had two children at the time, but Combs is now a father of seven. His first child, Justin, was born to Combs' former girlfriend, stylist Misa Hylton, in 1993. Combs' long time, off and on relationship with model and actress Kim Porter resulted in the birth of son Christian in 1998. Twin daughters Jessie James and D'Lila Star followed in 2006. Combs adopted Porter's son, Quincy, from a previous relationship. He also fathered daughters, Chance, with internet personality Sarah Chapman in 2006, and, Love, with cybersecurity professional Dana Tran in 2022. In the world of business, Combs kept himself busy with ventures both during and after he peaked in the music world. Between his Sean Jean clothing line, his lucrative deal with Ciroc Vodka, his Revolt Media film and TV projects and his record label — among other ventures — Combs proved that 'All About the Benjamins' wasn't just a phrase in a song, it was a code he lived by. Those once burgeoning brands and businesses, however, are not what they once were. Founded in 1998, his Sean Jean clothing line once had annual retail sales of around $450 million by 2016, when Combs sold a majority stake to Global Brands Group, according to Women's Wear Daily. Combs won a bidding war to buy the brand back in 2021 after Global Brands Group went bankrupt. 'I launched Sean John in 1998 with the goal of building a premium brand that shattered tradition and introduced hip-hop to high fashion on a global scale,' Combs said at the time in a statement to Billboard. 'Seeing how streetwear has evolved to rewrite the rules of fashion and impact culture across categories, I'm ready to reclaim ownership of the brand, build a team of visionary designers and global partners to write the next chapter of Sean John's legacy.' There was drama with some of his other business ventures. In May 2023, he filed suit against Diageo PLC, his partner in the Ciroc vodka and DeLeón tequila businesses, alleging discrimination and that the company was limiting the reach of his brands by marketing them as 'urban.' That suit was resolved in January 2024. 'Sean Combs and Diageo have now agreed to resolve all disputes between them. Mr. Combs has withdrawn all of his allegations about Diageo and will voluntarily dismiss his lawsuits against Diageo with prejudice,' both parties said in a statement. 'Diageo and Mr. Combs have no ongoing business relationship, either with respect to Cîroc vodka or DeLeón tequila, which Diageo now solely owns.' His Bad Boy Entertainment label is still operating. The hip-hop mogul was also known for the media company Revolt. In November of 2023, the company announced Combs had temporarily stepped down as chairman after being hit with a suit by former longterm girlfriend Cassie Ventura, in which she alleged that she had been raped and repeatedly abused by Combs during their more than decade long relationship. Combs denied the allegations and the suit has been settled. The settlement was followed by four other civil suits filed in the past four months. The cases returned to the spotlight this week when authorities swarmed homes owned by Combs in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a federal investigation carried out by a Department of Homeland Security team that handles human trafficking crimes, according to a senior federal law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. 'There was a gross overuse of military-level force as search warrants were executed at Mr. Combs' residences,' Aaron Dyer, Combs's attorney, said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday. 'There is no excuse for the excessive show of force and hostility exhibited by authorities.' Dyer added, 'There has been no finding of criminal or civil liability with any of these allegations. Mr. Combs is innocent and will continue to fight every single day to clear his name.' Several artists long associated with him have yet to comment about Combs' legal issues publicly. CNN has reached out to some of his former collaborators, including Mary J. Blige, Faith Evans, MGK and Janelle Monáe, for comment. Combs and his twin teenage daughters were preparing to leave Miami for a planned spring break trip on Monday when the searches happened, a source close to Diddy and with direct knowledge of the situation told CNN. He was briefly stopped by law enforcement and subsequently released The source would not reveal Combs' vacation destination or current whereabouts. CNN's John Miller, Elizabeth Wolfe, Eric Levenson, Denise Royal, Elizabeth Wagmeister and Carlos Suarez contributed to this report
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Primary Wave Finalizes Deal For Biggie Smalls Catalog
The Notorious B.I.G.'s estate has closed on a deal to sell a stake in the legendary rapper's catalog to Primary Wave, the company confirmed on Thursday. The deal comes weeks after The Hollywood Reporter first broke the news on the deal's development.. Primary Wave didn't disclose the financial details of the deal. Sources previously told THR that Biggie's publishing rights were up for about $100 million, while the master rights were on the table for another 30 to 50 million. Sources said the deal gives Primary Wave 50 percent to both rights, as well as his name and likeness. More from The Hollywood Reporter Coachella 2025 Is Almost Here: These Are the Best Deals on Weekend Passes, One-Day Tickets, Camping and More Online Eminem's Former Employee Charged With Leaking Rapper's Music On 'Hot,' K-Pop Stars Le Sserafim Explore Love and Perseverance: "We Are Going to Give Our All" Voletta Wallace died last month, and as the Wall Street Journal reported, she reached the deal just before her death. Biggie is known as one of the greatest and most influential artists in the history of rap, recording hits like 'Big Poppa,' 'Juicy' and 'Hypnotize,' while his 1994 debut album Ready to Die is considered one of the greatest albums of all time. Biggie, whose real name is Christopher Wallace, was tragically killed in Los Angeles in 1997 when he was just 24 years old. Life After Death, the sequel to Ready to Die, came out two weeks after his death and featured the hits 'Hypnotize' and 'Mo Money Mo Problems.' Since his death, Voletta Wallace oversaw his estate and worked at preserving her son's legacy as one of the seminal figures of hip hop. The estate released the posthumous albums Born Again and Duets: The Final Chapter in 1999 and in 2005. She was a producer on the 2009 biopic Notorious as well. Primary Wave has been one of the most active companies in the catalog acquisition space over the past several years, buying up rights for legendary artists like Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, Bob Marley and Luther Vandross. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2024: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo and More
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Voletta Wallace, mother of rapper Notorious B.I.G. and steward of his legacy, dies at 78
Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. who worked to elevate his short-lived but influential career to hip-hop greatness, has died. She was 78. "We suffered a tremendous loss today. Our mother, our matriarch, the woman who dedicated herself to uplifting her son, Christopher Wallace, and preserving his legacy has passed," Wallace's family said Friday on her Facebook page. "It is with immense sadness that we share this news with you, and ask that you give our family the space and time needed to grieve this monumental loss. Thank you for your continued outpouring of love, prayers and condolences in this difficult time." Wallace died Friday morning in Stroudsburg, Penn., the Monroe County coroner, Thomas Yanac, confirmed to the Associated Press. She died of natural causes in hospice care at home, he said. Yanac did not immediately respond to The Times' requests for comment. Wallace's son, who was also known as Biggie, was gunned down in 1997 following a music industry party in the Mid-Wilshire district, just two weeks before his seminal album "Life After Death" was released. His mother worked to safeguard the "Hypnotize" rapper's legacy and pass on his wealth to her grandchildren, "Notorious" star Christopher Jordan "C.J." Wallace and daughter T'yanna Dream Wallace. The family also filed a number of lawsuits alleging wrongful death and conspiracy. Read more: 20 years later, Notorious B.I.G.'s killing remains one of L.A.'s biggest unsolved homicides She and her family also sued the city of Los Angeles, alleging that officials covered up police involvement in the rapper's slaying. A federal judge dismissed that lawsuit in 2010 after lawyers on both sides said they had reached an agreement allowing for the lawsuit to be filed at a later date. The family brought several other lawsuits stemming from the killing, which remains unsolved. Wallace, a Jamaican immigrant, worked as a preschool teacher and was a single mother. Her son, who was 24 when he died, was killed just six months after rival rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas. The Brooklyn emcee and "Big Poppa" rapper, born Christopher Wallace, was among the most successful acts launched by embattled music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. Six months after his death, his mother took the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to accept the prize for rap video ("Hypnotize") on his behalf. "I know if my son was here tonight, the first thing he would have done is say, 'Big up to Brooklyn,'" she said. Two years later, she and Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur, put on a united front at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards to "stand united as mothers preserving their [sons'] legacies. "The fact that we are even standing here shows what the power of faith, friends, family, loved ones and fans can do to bring us all closer," Wallace said. The matriarch also worked with the mothers of other late young musicians — Aaliyah, TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Jam Master Jay, among them — through the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation and its B.I.G. ('Books Instead of Guns') Night Out. 'It is our way of saying, 'Keep your head up,'' Wallace told the Associated Press in 2003. 'It's the foundation's way just to let these parents know that we love them.' Read more: Notorious B.I.G.'s autopsy report released 15 years after his death When Combs fell from grace last year, Wallace was among those who spoke out against the music producer after a video of him attacking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura surfaced and made her "sick to [her] stomach." 'I don't want to believe the things that I've heard, but I've seen [the video],' Wallace told Rolling Stone last May. 'I pray that he apologizes to her. I hope that I see Sean one day and the only thing I want to do is slap the daylights out of him. And you can quote me on that. Because I liked him. I didn't want to believe all the awful things, but I'm so ashamed and embarrassed.' Biggie, who released his debut album "Ready to Die" with Bad Boy Records in 1994, was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, one of his many achievements that his mother highlighted on her social media accounts that she largely dedicated to him. Last year, she marked "Hypnotize" reaching 1 billion streams on Spotify after its 1997 release. In an early 1997 profile in The Times, Biggie, describing his own reformation, said: "What I'm doing now is right. I'm taking care of my mother, my kids and my peers. It's legal, and I'm just using a talent that I have to express myself and get paid, so it's only right that I follow that righteous road." Read more: From the Archives: Notorious B.I.G.: 'You Start Living Too Fast' In 2005, Wallace published a memoir, 'Biggie: Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son, Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G.," to pay tribute to Biggie, describing losing him so young as feeling like "a 100-pound lead weighing down in my chest." The Atria-published book included never-before-published photographs and a foreword from Biggie's widow, singer Faith Evans. The book charted her son's climb to stardom and how Wallace worked to keep "her bright, precocious son on the straight and narrow." In it, she also condemned Biggie's friends whom she claimed treated her with little respect after he died, as well as her ongoing quest to identify her son's killers. In 2021, she worked as an executive producer on the Netflix documentary 'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell." Prior to that, she served as a producer on the 2009 biopic "Notorious," in which Angela Bassett played her, and Biggie's son C.J. played a younger version of him. Jamal Woolard starred as the elder version of the rapper. She visited the set nearly every day, and although she loved the final film, she said, it also made her angry and sad. Read more: From the Archives: Notorious B.I.G.: 'You Start Living Too Fast' "I learned a lot … about my son — a lot that I never knew. But I still love him because he was from [my heart] and the love is still here," she told CinemaBlend in 2009. "You can't change love." To mark Biggie's 50th birthday, she and the rapper's children, along with collaborators Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease, got together at the Empire State Building when it changed its colors to red and white in his honor. New York also commemorated the rapper with a special edition MetroCard and an orchestral tribute to his music at Lincoln Center, Variety reported. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Voletta Wallace, mother of rapper Notorious B.I.G. and steward of his legacy, dies at 78
Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. who worked to elevate his short-lived but influential career to hip-hop greatness, has died. She was 78. 'We suffered a tremendous loss today. Our mother, our matriarch, the woman who dedicated herself to uplifting her son, Christopher Wallace, and preserving his legacy has passed,' Wallace's family said Friday on her Facebook page. 'It is with immense sadness that we share this news with you, and ask that you give our family the space and time needed to grieve this monumental loss. Thank you for your continued outpouring of love, prayers and condolences in this difficult time.' Wallace died Friday morning in Stroudsburg, Penn., the Monroe County coroner, Thomas Yanac, confirmed to the Associated Press. She died of natural causes in hospice care at home, he said. Yanac did not immediately respond to The Times' requests for comment. Wallace's son, who was also known as Biggie, was gunned down in 1997 following a music industry party in the Mid-Wilshire district, just two weeks before releasing his seminal album 'Life After Death.' His mother worked to safeguard the 'Hypnotize' rapper's legacy and pass on his wealth to her grandchildren, 'Notorious' star Christopher Jordan 'C.J.' Wallace and daughter T'yanna Dream Wallace. The family also filed a number of lawsuits alleging wrongful death and conspiracy. She and her family also sued the city of Los Angeles, alleging that officials covered up police involvement in the rapper's slaying. A federal judge dismissed that lawsuit in 2010 after lawyers on both sides said they had reached an agreement allowing for the lawsuit to be filed at a later date. The family brought several other lawsuits stemming from the killing, which remains unsolved. Wallace, a Jamaican immigrant, worked as a preschool teacher and was a single mother. Her son, who was 24 when he died, was killed just six months after rival rapper Tupac Shakur was gunned down in Las Vegas. The Brooklyn emcee and 'Big Poppa' rapper, born Christopher Wallace, was among the most successful acts launched by embattled music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Six months after his death, his mother took the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards to accept the prize for rap video ('Hypnotize') on his behalf. 'I know if my son was here tonight, the first thing he would have done is say, 'Big up to Brooklyn,'' she said. Two years later, she and Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur, put on a united front at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards to 'stand united as mothers preserving their [sons'] legacies. 'The fact that we are even standing here shows what the power of faith, friends, family, loved ones and fans can do to bring us all closer,' Wallace said. The matriarch also worked with the mothers of other late young musicians — Aaliyah, TLC's Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes and Jam Master Jay, among them — through the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation and its B.I.G. ('Books Instead of Guns') Night Out. 'It is our way of saying, 'Keep your head up,'' Wallace told the Associated Press in 2003. 'It's the foundation's way just to let these parents know that we love them.' When Combs fell from grace last year, Wallace was among those who spoke out against the music producer after a video of him attacking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura surfaced and made her 'sick to [her] stomach.' 'I don't want to believe the things that I've heard, but I've seen [the video],' Wallace told Rolling Stone last May. 'I pray that he apologizes to her. I hope that I see Sean one day and the only thing I want to do is slap the daylights out of him. And you can quote me on that. Because I liked him. I didn't want to believe all the awful things, but I'm so ashamed and embarrassed.' Biggie, who released his debut album 'Ready to Die' with Bad Boy Records in 1994, was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020, one of his many achievements that his mother highlighted on her social media accounts that she largely dedicated to him. Last year, she marked 'Hypnotize' reaching 1 billion streams on Spotify after its 1997 release. In an early 1997 profile in The Times, Biggie, describing his own reformation, said: 'What I'm doing now is right. I'm taking care of my mother, my kids and my peers. It's legal, and I'm just using a talent that I have to express myself and get paid, so it's only right that I follow that righteous road.' In 2005, Wallace published a memoir, 'Biggie: Voletta Wallace Remembers Her Son, Christopher Wallace, aka Notorious B.I.G.,' to pay tribute to Biggie, describing losing him so young as feeling like 'a 100-pound lead weighing down in my chest.' The Atria-published book included never-before-published photographs and a foreword from Biggie's widow, singer Faith Evans. The book charted her son's climb to stardom and how Wallace worked to keep 'her bright, precocious son on the straight and narrow.' In it, she also condemned Biggie's friends whom she claimed treated her with little respect after he died, as well as her ongoing quest to identify her son's killers. In 2021, she worked as an executive producer on the Netflix documentary 'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell.' Prior to that, she served as a producer on the 2009 biopic 'Notorious,' in which Angela Bassett played her, and Biggie's son C.J. played a younger version of him. Jamal Woolard starred as the elder version of the rapper. She visited the set nearly every day, and although she loved the final film, she said, it also made her angry and sad. 'I learned a lot … about my son — a lot that I never knew. But I still love him because he was from [my heart] and the love is still here,' she told CinemaBlend in 2009. 'You can't change love.' To mark Biggie's 50th birthday, she and the rapper's children, along with collaborators Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease, got together at the Empire State Building when it changed its colors to red and white in his honor. New York also commemorated the rapper with a special edition MetroCard and an orchestral tribute to his music at Lincoln Center, Variety reported.
New York Times
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Voletta Wallace, Mother Who Shaped the Notorious B.I.G.'s Legacy, Dies at 78
Voletta Wallace, the mother of the Brooklyn rapper the Notorious B.I.G., whose stewardship of her son's career and legacy after he was killed in 1997 helped cement him as a hip-hop icon, died on Friday. She was 78. Ms. Wallace had been in hospice care at her residence in Stroudsburg, Penn., according to a news release from the Monroe County coroner, Thomas Yanac, who confirmed the death, citing natural causes. A middle-class immigrant and single mother from Jamaica, Ms. Wallace was forced into the hip-hop spotlight after the Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace and also known as Biggie Smalls, died at 24 in a Los Angeles drive-by shooting. Biggie's death came just six months after the Las Vegas slaying of the rapper Tupac Shakur, a onetime friend turned bitter rival, with the killings abruptly ending a formative and fruitful moment in mainstream gangster rap amid a tangled East Coast-West Coast beef that went far beyond music. For decades, both cases remained unsolved, fueling an ongoing ecosystem of true-crime books, documentaries, articles and more that have attempted to explain the possible links between the two killings, including the involvement of national gangs and crooked cops. (In 2023, prosecutors in Las Vegas charged Duane Keith Davis, a former gang leader known as Keffe D, with murder in the Shakur case; he is set to stand trial later this year.) Ms. Wallace, a preschool teacher, took on the mantle of her son's career almost immediately. Biggie's second album, 'Life After Death,' came out two weeks after he died; six months later, Ms. Wallace accepted the MTV Video Music Award for best rap video ('Hypnotize'), telling the New York crowd, 'I know if my son was here tonight, the first thing he would've done is say big up to Brooklyn.' Two years later, she appeared alongside Afeni Shakur, Tupac's mother, at the same awards show, urging unity and the preservation of their sons' legacies. Ms. Wallace would go on to work with other mothers of musicians who died young through her Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation and its B.I.G. ('Books Instead of Guns') Night Out. 'All I want to do is put a book into a child's hand. Because books do not kill,' Ms. Wallace said in 2003. 'Books do not murder. But weapons do.' In 2002, Ms. Wallace and her son's widow, the singer Faith Evans, filed a wrongful-death suit against the city of Los Angeles, accusing the Los Angeles Police Department of covering up police involvement in the killing. A 2005 trial ended in a mistrial, with a judge ruling that the police had intentionally withheld evidence and ordering the city to pay the estate's legal fees. An amended version of the suit filed by Biggie's estate in 2007 estimated financial losses at $500 million. The case was dismissed in 2010 to avoid interfering with what the estate called a 'reinvigorated' criminal investigation. 'The family only wanted justice to be done,' a lawyer for the estate said at the time. Despite the lack of closure in the case, Ms. Wallace continued to spread the Notorious B.I.G.'s story across popular culture. She was credited as a producer — and played by Angela Bassett as 'a saint with a powerful tongue,' as one film review put it — in the 2009 biopic 'Notorious,' even coaching the actor, Jamal Woolard, who played her son. 'I felt like I sometimes intimidated him during the film,' Ms. Wallace said. 'I felt bad for that, but as a producer my job is to be there.' In a 2021 documentary, 'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell,' Ms. Wallace recalled her musical influence on her once-shy son from their days in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, where he was exposed to a mix of reggae, jazz and — her personal favorite — country music. 'Ever since I was a little girl I liked stories,' Ms. Wallace said. 'When he was a little boy and was growing up, I always had the radio on and tuned in to the country music station. I love my Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. He listened to it all with me because he had no other choice.' Information on survivors to Ms. Wallace was not immediately available. For years, Ms. Wallace was a reliable presence alongside the music executive Sean Combs, known as Puff Daddy or Diddy, who helped discover Biggie and also shepherded his legacy after death. But she was unequivocal last year, as Mr. Combs was accused of widespread sexual abuse and indicted on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. 'I hope that I see Sean one day and the only thing I want to do is slap the daylights out of him. And you can quote me on that,' Ms. Wallace told Rolling Stone. 'Because I liked him. I didn't want to believe all the awful things, but I'm so ashamed and embarrassed.'
