"Giving him that name would make him the laughing stock of Hip Hop": Gene Deal reveals how Diddy got his name from Diddy Kong

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ former bodyguard, Gene Deal, sat down for an interview with The Art of Dialogue on October 9 to extensively discuss the now infamous-rapper. The latter revealed in the interview that the musician got his name through the late rap legend The Notorious B.I.G. Meanwhile, Combs remains behind bars as he awaits his trial related to his s*x trafficking and racketeering charges.

As per AS, Combs had previously revealed that he was given his first moniker of “Puff” as he would “huff and puff” when he was a child, subsequently leading to the rap name Puff Daddy in 1997. However, the same was changed numerous times and eventually took on the nickname of just “Diddy” in the span of his career.

AS also revealed that Combs was suggested the moniker “Diddy” by his friend Biggie Smalls, who was fatally shot in 1996. The same was corroborated by Gene Deal, who said in the aforementioned interview:

“See what happened is that every tragedy that we know that happened, Puff changed his name… Every great tragedy he changed his name ‘cuz he running. Those names have certain significance in his life… B.I.G. gave him that name and B.I.G. was laughing when he gave him that name and somehow B.I.G. knew that giving him that name was going to make him the laughing stock of Hip Hop.”

Gene Deal reveals that B.I.G. was inspired by Diddy Kong to give Sean Combs his new moniker

Gene Deal elaborated by saying that Combs’s stage name was taken from the Donkey Kong Nintendo gaming series. For those uninitiated, Diddy Kong was the secondary protagonist from the Donkey Kong series. He was recognized as the fastest member of the Kong family.

The name "Diddy" was reportedly given to the gaming character as it was inspired by the term being used to describe something “small” in Northern England. The character’s designer claimed that he was a mix of a “chimpanzee” and a “monkey.”

Gene Deal said in the interview:

“So B.I.G. was calling him a little monkey back then. He just didn’t know it… He changed something but B.I.G. knew something, because he was laughing when he gave him that name”

In an interview with MTV in March 2001, Sean Combs confirmed with fans that he was changing his name from "Puff Daddy" to "P. Diddy" as he wanted something different after being found not guilty of gun possession and bribery charges. He said:

“No more Puff Daddy- the first week in June, we’re going to have a name-change ceremony. I’m not doing it as serious as Prince. I just want something fresh."

Celebrity PR guru Kayley Cornelius said in an interview with The Mirror US on October 14 that Combs changed his name multiple times to revamp his branding. Some of his nicknames included Love, Brother Love, Swag, and Puff Daddy among others.

Cornelius said in the interview:

“Using more generic names like Love or Swag dilutes the uniqueness of his brand, complicating efforts to trace him digitally, especially given how briefly his name changes have lasted… Interestingly, though, when it comes to promoting his music, P Diddy always returns to his core brand, suggesting he knows when to leverage his strongest asset.”

Meanwhile, the rapper remains behind bars as he awaits his May 5, 2025, trial after facing pr*stitution, racketeering conspiracy, and s*x trafficking charges. The Bad Boy Records mogul was denied bail three times since his arrest on September 16.

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