Bad Boy Records

Bad Boy Records
Parent company
Founded1993; 31 years ago (1993)
FounderSean "Puffy" Combs
StatusActive[1][2]
Distributor(s)Epic (2015–present)
Interscope (2009–2015; MGK 2011–2024 releases)
Atlantic (2005–2009)
Rhino (2005–present; back catalog only)
Universal (2003–2005)
Arista (1993–2002)
Genre
Country of originUnited States
LocationNew York City

Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American record label founded in 1993 by Sean "Diddy" Combs.[3][4] During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip hop and contemporary R&B artists, beginning with the Notorious B.I.G. Following his commercial success, the label signed other acts, including Faith Evans, Mase, 112, Total, The Lox, Shyne and Carl Thomas. At its 1997 peak, Bad Boy was worth an estimated US$100 million.

During the 2000s, the label signed artists including French Montana, Machine Gun Kelly, Janelle Monáe, and Cassie. In 2023, Combs created a successor label, Love Records to independently release his fifth studio album, The Love Album: Off the Grid.[5][6][7]

  1. ^ "Trademark Status and Document Retrieval: Bad Boy Entertainment, inactive". tsdr.uspto.gov. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "Trademark Status and Document Retrieval: Bad Boy Entertainment, active". tsdr.uspto.gov. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (July 29, 2016). "Who's Who of Bad Boy Records". Complex Networks. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Gilmore, Mike (August 7, 1997). "Puff Daddy Cometh". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
  5. ^ Aswad, Jem (May 10, 2022). "Sean 'Diddy' Combs Launches New R&B Label, Love Records". Variety. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Guerrasio, Jason (November 5, 2022). "Sean 'Diddy' Combs recently overtook Kanye West as hip-hop's second-highest earner — here's how he makes and spends his money". Insider. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
  7. ^ Kaufman, Gil (April 15, 2005). "P. Diddy No Longer Has Total Bad Boy Control". MTV. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.