Diddy Drops the P Rapper Diddy fined in Britain for name

Diddy Drops the P.
Rapper Diddy fined in Britain for name-change Posted on Saturday, September 09, 2006 (EST)
US rap superstar Sean Combs must change his name once again after losing the right to call himself Diddy in Britain to a disgruntled little-known music producer.

Sean Combs
© AFP/Getty Images/File Evan Agostini

LONDON (AFP) - Combs, 36, who used to call himself Puff Daddy, Puffy and P Diddy, agreed to pay more than 100,000 pounds (190,000 dollars, 150,000 euros) legal costs and 10,000 pounds damages as part of a settlement sealed earlier this week at the High Court in London.

London-based Richard Dearlove, who has traded under the Diddy name since 1992, sued Combs after he dropped the P from his moniker, under laws designed to protect commercial interests from unfair competition.

"He changed his name to Diddy. I was gutted," Dearlove told The Guardian newspaper.

"I started getting emails from Puerto Rican girls asking if they could be in my video and people were asking me to look at their clothing line."

Combs, who presides over a vast media empire and fashion lines, and whose hits include "I'll Be Missing You", will now have to rebrand himself in Britain, which could prove costly.

©AFP

At least he didn't change his face

Sean Combs Changes Name To Diddy, Does Not Change Face

As word spreads of rap mogul Sean Combs's decision to drop the P. of "P. Diddy" ("Diddy is more personal," says Diddy), other artists have become concerned that their own names aren't as personal as they could be. Worse, these artists fear the friendly, more personal "age of Diddy" might keep potential audiences from even giving their music a chance, despite their songs being just as personal as Combs's.

"This is a disaster," says Erik Sayenga, ex-drummer of death metal band Dying Fetus. Bands such as Angel Corpse, Morbid Angel, and Nun Slaughter report similar sentiment.

Now record companies are scrambling to convert current artist names to friendlier, more personal versions. Unfortunately, several names pose incredible difficulty--the clock is ticking.

Photos E! Online Photo

Tue Aug 16, 7:46 PM ET

"It's the era of Diddy."

So proclaimed the hip-hop impresario formerly known as Sean Combs, Puffy, Puff Daddy and now P. Diddy on Tuesday's Today Show, as he explained that he was changing his name once again.

The rap mogul last switched it up--from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy--in 2001, while seeking a "fresh start" after being acquitted on gun charges.

As for what brought about the latest change in moniker, the entertainer admitted that his previous name change left his fans uncertain of how to address him.

"I felt like the 'P' was getting between me and my fans and now we're closer," Diddy said.

"During concerts, half the crowd is saying 'P. Diddy'--half the crowd is chanting 'Diddy'--now everybody can just chant 'Diddy.' "

He confessed that his unwieldy name was even starting to befuddle him.

"I even started to get confused myself--and when I'd called someone on the telephone it took me a long time to explain who I was. Too long," Diddy told the New York Post.

"One word. Five letters. Period," he added.

Of course, just talking about his new name isn't enough for the scene-making mogul, who's planning to throw his latest title a coming-out party of sorts when he hosts the MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 28.

"To be honest, the unveiling of Diddy, you gonna see that at the [Video Music Awards]," he told MTV News. "You gonna see that in the entrance. You gonna see that swagger. You gonna see how I'm gonna navigate you through the journey. I'm gonna play my position, my role. The artists are gonna play their role. We're gonna have an incredible, incredible party."

As usual, it's been a busy year for Diddy.

In April, he announced a deal with Warner Music that gave the company a 50 percent interest in his Bad Boy Records label. Though exact figures were not released, it's estimated that Warner shelled out a cool $30 million in the deal.

Meanwhile, the multi-monikered one has also been dealing with various legal issues.

Last month, he settled a lawsuit with Random House over a $300,000 advance he received to pen his memoirs, which he never completed.

Diddy has also been battling his ex, Misa Hylton-Brim, over child support payments for their 11-year-old son, Justin.

After he was ordered by a judge in April to dole out more than $21,000 a month for the care of his son, the rap mogul vowed to appeal the ruling, claiming that Hylton-Brim was acting out of greed, rather than in the interest of their child.