In the 1990s, Sean Combs—aka Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, and other monikers—had his hand in just about every pie in the musical world. First a concert promoter, then a dancer, producer, collaborator with The Notorious B.I.G., rapper, actor, and more, he’s done it all.
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Now, he’s a billionaire, so it seems to have worked out just fine for the mogul. Along the way, too, the now-53-year-old New York City-born Diddy helped write some songs—not just for himself but for others, including tracks he didn’t feature on.
From songs and albums with Biggie to other big names, Diddy collaborated with many an impactful musician. These are four, however, you likely didn’t know he wrote.
1. “Phenomenon,” by LL Cool J
Written by Puff Daddy, LL Cool J, Ron Lawrence
While “Phenomenon” only hit No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart upon its release in 1997, it seemed much more ubiquitous at the time. It’s easy to hear the voice of LL Cool J, who dropped his album of the same name that year, on the chorus. Something like a phenomenon, something like a phenomenon. Puff is also listed as a producer on the track, which you can check out below.
2. “My First Love,” by Faith Evans
Written by Puff Daddy, Faith Evans, Chucky Thompson, Kelly Price
“My First Love” was released on Evans’ 1998 sophomore album, Keep the Faith, as part of Diddy’s Bad Boy record label. Evans, too, was married to The Notorious B.I.G. Puffy had a big hand on the album, as producer and co-writer for a number of the tracks, including “My First Love,” “All Night Long,” which he features on, too, and the single, “Love Like This.”
To fall in love was something that my heart was dreaming of
And then there came the day when I found you
Then heaven came to earth and you were my angel
I fell in love with you
No one but you
And suddenly I saw the change that came into your eyes
I feel you were afraid to tell me why
I thought this thing called love would be forever
I thought our love was true
And now the pain of losing you
3. “Love @ 1st Sight,” by Mary J. Blige featuring Method Man
Written by Puff Daddy, Mary J. Blige, Mario Winans, Method Man, Mechalie Jamison
Another track that Puffy has both writing and producing credits on, “Love @ 1st Sight” from Blige features the gravelly-voiced Wu-Tang rapper Method Man. It also includes a sample of A Tribe Called Quest’s song “Hot Sex.” Released in 2003 by Blige on her album Love & Life, the track hit No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Lookin’ at you from a distance
Gettin’ all of my attention
Could this be love at first sight, baby
You walked away and I missed you
Visions of wanting to kiss you
How could this be if I don’t really know you?
Ohh baby, baby
Could it be love at first sight?
And I never knew that I, could fall in love on the very first night
Could this be love?
4. “Who Shot Ya?” by The Notorious B.I.G.
Written by Puff Daddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Nashiem Myrick
On “Who Shot Ya?” Puffy plays his traditional role with Biggie as his frontman. A role that became notorious itself in 1995 when called out by now-jailed Suge Knight. But that beef is what this song, which Puffy co-produced, is about. The violence and vitriol between West and East Coast rappers. While Biggie said it was about rival drug gangs, many took the song as a reference to the then-recent shooting of iconic West Coast rapper Tupac Shakur. Tupac later countered with “Hit ‘Em Up,” also a notorious diss track and tempers continued to flare. In the wake of it all, both Biggie and Tupac were murdered in 1997 and 1996, respectively. “Who Song Ya?” is permanently connected to that story.
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
