Editing Sean Combs (section)

===1990–1996: Career beginnings===
Combs became an [[intern]] at New York's [[Uptown Records]] in 1990.{{sfn|Traugh|2010|p=23}}<ref name="YNUptown">{{Cite web |date=May 9, 2020 |title=Music boss who launched Sean Combs and Mary J Blige dies aged 59 |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/music-boss-launched-sean-combs-155608486.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211208085353/https://sports.yahoo.com/music-boss-launched-sean-combs-155608486.html |archive-date=December 8, 2021 |access-date=December 8, 2021 |publisher=[[Yahoo! News]]}}</ref> While working as a talent director at Uptown, under the guidance of label founder [[Andre Harrell]],<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=May 9, 2020 |title=Andre Harrell, Founder of Uptown Records, Dead at 59 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/andre-harrell-uptown-records-dead-obit-996655/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214173424/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/andre-harrell-uptown-records-dead-obit-996655/ |archive-date=December 14, 2023 |access-date=December 14, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone}}</ref> he helped develop [[Jodeci]] and [[Mary J. Blige]].<ref name="grabow.biz" /> In his college days, Combs had a reputation for throwing parties, some of which attracted up to a thousand participants.{{sfn|Traugh|2010|p=24}} [[Usher (musician)|Usher]], who lived with Combs for a year in New York City when he was 13 years old, told [[Howard Stern]] in 2016 that Combs's lifestyle was "pretty wild" during that time.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://people.com/usher-saw-very-curious-things-when-he-lived-with-diddy-at-age-13-8621029|title=Usher Says He Saw 'Very Curious Things' When He Lived with Diddy for a Year at 13 in 2016 Interview with Howard Stern|first=Ilana|last=Kaplan|publisher=People|date=March 28, 2024|accessdate=March 28, 2024}}</ref> In 1991, Combs promoted an AIDS fundraiser with [[Heavy D]] held at the [[City College of New York]] (CCNY) gymnasium, following a charity basketball game. The event was oversold, and a [[City College stampede|stampede occurred in which nine people died]].{{sfn|Traugh|2010|pp=24–25}}

Shortly after being fired from Uptown in 1993, Combs established his own label [[Bad Boy Records]], which entered a joint venture deal with [[Arista Records]]. Combs brought Uptown signee Christopher Wallace (better known as [[the Notorious B.I.G.]]) along with him to the newly established label.<ref name="rollingstone" /><ref name="Black Profile" /> Both Wallace and [[Craig Mack]] began recording for the label and yielded mainstream recognition, leading to the former's debut album and the label's first major project, ''[[Ready to Die]]'' (1994).<ref name="rollingstone" /> Combs signed more acts to Bad Boy, including [[Carl Thomas (singer)|Carl Thomas]], [[Faith Evans]], [[112 (band)|112]], [[Total (band)|Total]],{{sfn|Traugh|2010|p=49}} and [[Father MC]].<ref name="DJ Booth" /> The Hitmen, his in-house production team, worked with Jodeci, Mary J. Blige, [[Usher (musician)|Usher]], [[Lil' Kim]], [[TLC (group)|TLC]], [[Mariah Carey]], [[Boyz II Men]], [[SWV]], [[Aretha Franklin]], and others.<ref name="iTunes" />

[[Mase]] and [[the Lox]] joined Bad Boy just as a widely publicized rivalry between the [[East Coast hip hop|East Coast]] and [[West Coast hip hop|West Coast]] hip hop scenes was beginning. Combs and Wallace were criticized and parodied by [[Death Row Records]] cohorts [[Tupac Shakur]] and [[Suge Knight]] in songs and interviews during the mid-1990s.{{sfn|Traugh|2010|pp=52–53}} During 1994–1995, Combs produced several songs for TLC's ''[[CrazySexyCool]]'', which finished the decade as number 25 on Billboard's list of top pop albums of the decade.<ref name="Billboard 1999" />{{sfn|Harrison|2011|p=28}}