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Bad Boy Rising
Who would believe it all started with a paper route? A millionaire by the age of 19, Sean Combs turned his passion for music and artists into a thriving entertainment conglomerate that now employs more than 600 people. The original Bad Boy talks about his business vision, his persona as an artist, and joining a proud line of black moguls.
VH1: How did you get to where you are right now, as a businessman?
Sean Combs: My journey as a businessman or an entrepreneur started a long time ago. I'd have to say it started with my first paper route. I was only 11, but you had to be 12 to have a paper route, so I went in and talked to the guy who was running the paper routes and told him my birthday was coming up and begged him for a chance. So he gave me a small route. I guess that was my first step into being a businessman. But where I've come to today, I guess I got bitten by a bug, which was the music bug, the entertainment bug. And that didn't have nothing to do with business. That had to do more with a feeling, like something taking over your spirit. I had always admired people that were doing the behind-the-scenes stuff, but also I admired the producers. I admired Quincy Jones and Berry Gordy. And I admired Russell Simmons and Run-D.M.C., Michael Jackson and Dr. Dre. And one thing that all these people had in common was, they knew how to package a lifestyle and a point of view and package black American culture in a way where it organically was good business. But I don't really think business had anything to do with what they were doing; the money just came. The money was just a part of it. And everybody passed the baton and I was blessed to one day get the baton passed to me.
VH1: Can you talk about what Bad Boy represents today?
Combs: Bad Boy Entertainment is the modern-day Motown. Everybody has their own dreams, but I would have to say the biggest influence on Bad Boy has been Motown. It's not segregated to just black lifestyle or black culture, but it represents blackness because the company is like 200 young black, Latino men and women who are real strong executives in the field of entertainment and also artists that are superstars. We have a strong artist development, a strong A&R basis, but more than that, we see the big picture. Bad Boy Records represents no boundaries. We have Dream, three young white girls and one Latino girl, but at the same time we have 112 with the No. 1 R&B album in the country. And we have Black Rob and Shine and myself and Biggie on the rap tip. It shows the versatility of just understanding the big picture, being colorblind, but at the same time not losing that soul. Music and entertainment is supposed to bring people closer together. It's a true example of the impossible dream. Nobody would have believed that this could have happened except for Berry Gordy or Quincy Jones. I think that this is the way they wanted it to be.
VH1: What do you think made it possible for you?
Combs: Somebody had to come before us and open up some doors. I think they broke down doors and some of them snuck in the back but once they got in the party, they took it over. And then they opened up the doors so wide, and everybody is getting so paid and getting so much success that a lot of us did not really understand how much power we got hit with. And that's when [guys like] Quincy Jones started pulling in the reins and started saying, "Yo, y'all gotta slow down. You have to realize how powerful y'all are and what this means. It's not all fun and games. It's too important." I think things right now are real big but also on the right path.
VH1: When you started to emerge as an artist, what sort of image did you present to the world?
Combs: Me as an artist is different than me as a businessman. It's like a superstar glow that just takes over your body, and you have to put forth that level of confidence and entertain. It's like you gotta hit a switch. Think back to the days of the Temptations and Stevie Wonder and the Commodores, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jimi Hendrix, Roberta Flack. I'm talking about some real bugged-out cats, you know what I'm saying? They just got so into the music and so into the art form, they just let it take over their body. And that's what I like to do when I'm entertaining, have fun with it. That's what I try to teach my artists. To let go like Billie Holiday when she'd just sit there at the mike and close her eyes and just let it take over, you don't really see that as much now. When I switch gears and go into artist mode, I like to do that or I like to do nothing at all.
VH1: As a CEO, do you help cultivate the image of the artists on your roster - the way that Berry Gordy did, for example?
Combs: Yeah. I'm definitely the biggest fan of Berry Gordy and his artist development and his attention to detail. I think that if Berry had to sew one of the Supremes' outfits he would have, and that's the same thing I would do. If I have to jump in my car and go shopping to style a video, to this day, I will do things like that. If I have to button your shirt or tie your tie, I will do that. And I try to help the artists understand it's not just about what you create. You have to bring something out of an artist and have them understand it so they can live it and be it when it's time for them to be an artist.
VH1: I'm sure you're familiar with the story of how MC Hammer made $25 million and lost everything. Is it hard for artists who come from nothing to walk into all that money and hold onto it? How do you advise your artists financially?
Combs: I try to advise my artists not to live beyond their means. Don't try to live like somebody else. Live like you. And don't do nothing stupid. But do a couple of stupid things, get it out of your system. It's fun. [Laughs]
VH1: When you made your first million, you were in your early to mid-20s?
Combs: No, I was 19. I had just turned 19. That was one of my goals. But after I achieved that, the thrill was gone. It was a good feeling, but more money brings more problems. I don't like to measure success on money. That's one thing I've learned. I measure my success on how many people's lives I touch in a positive way. My greatest wealth is to be able to sit here and say that I employ 600 people, and 90 percent of them are minorities. That's bigger than any bank account to me. And that's just the beginning, I hope.
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