Sean "Puffy" Combs has established himself as one of the biggest names in hip-hop. Before pursuing a career as a vocalist, Combs was a business-minded Howard University student and an intern at Andre Harrell's Uptown Records. He made his name by dancing in various music videos, promoting hip-hop concerts and producing acts for Uptown Records. Combs soon became the A&R representative for Uptown. He then began producing for Mary J. Blige, Heavy D, and Jodeci to name a few. After being let go by Uptown Records, Combs took his act over to Arista Records' distribution team in late 1993 (who are rumored to have paid an estimated $75,000,000 to establish his own record label, Bad Boy Entertainment). During the spring of 1994, Bad Boy began promoting Craig Mack's single "Flava In Ya Ear" and the Notorious B.I.G.'s single "Juicy." "Flava In Ya Ear" blew up the spot in the summer of 1994 and B.I.G.'s "Warning", "One More Chance", and "Big Poppa" took B.I.G.'s album Ready To Die and the Bad Boy label to new heights. Combs also established a music publishing company named after his son, Justin. Following the platinum success of Biggie and Craig Mack, Combs has managed to produce and remix a variety of tracks for the likes of New Edition, KRS-One, Mariah Carey, Lil' Kim and many more. At the same time, he has also introduced the likes of R&B artists such as 112, Faith Evans, and Total and also introduced hip-hop acts such as Mase, The Lox, and Black Rob. All the while, Combs' musical techniques have produced scrutiny in the eyes of many hip-hop fans, mainly because of the manner in which samples have been used or re-used on the majority of the Bad Boy records. Despite some criticism, Combs won SongWriter of the Year in 1994 for his work on Biggie's album, Ready To Die. In December of 1996, Combs stepped aside from the production room and went in front of the microphone for the first time as a prominent MC. On his first track, "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" featuring Mase, Combs threw down the braggadocio vibe over Grandmaster Flash's classic beat from "The Message." "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" was #1 on six Billboard charts for 12 weeks and, according to SoundScan, the best-selling single of the year. Following the unfortunate death of the Notorious B.I.G. in March of 1997 and the subsequent multi-platinum release of B.I.G.'s album, Life After Death, Combs put together a tribute song to his friend over the Police track, "Every Breathe I Take", called "I'll Be Missing You." The tender tribute song, on which Combs rhymes and Biggie's wife Faith Evans sings the chorus, has touched listeners around the globe. "I'll Be Missing You" has transcended the walls of language and culture to show that fans worldwide are mourning Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G. and supporting Sean "Puffy" Combs. In July of 1997, Combs released the most anticipated hip-hop album (that was thought to never happen), No Way Out, which includes the Notorious B.I.G., Faith Evans, 112, Mase, Lil' Kim, Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, The Lox, Black Rob, Twista, Ginuwine, Carl Thomas, and Busta Rhymes. Although he rhymes throughout the album, Combs refuses to call himself a rapper or an MC. "I'm an entertainer", he says. In reality, Combs is much more than that. He funds and oversees Daddy's House Social Programs, which give inner city, homeless, and foster kids positive experiences. He has also opened a restaurant in New York called Justin's. He plans to start a clothing line soon called Sean John and, in the near future, he might have his own movie company called Bad Boy Films.