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Sean “Diddy” Combs aggressively marketed himself to the ultra-rich as he turned his edgy rap glamor into a billion-dollar fortune.

Billionaires told The Post he would cold email with business proposals, while other Wall Streeters acclaimed him as a “genius” and one CEO of the New York Stock Exchange called him an “inspiration” on a par with the Founding Fathers

But after federal investigators raided his Los Angeles and Miami homes as part of what law enforcement sources have told The Post is a sex-trafficking investigation led by the Southern District of New York, his career as an entrepreneur and investor is in jeopardy. Diddy has denied wrongdoing and called the probe “a witch hunt.”

Diddy was first declared a billionaire by hip-hop wealth expert Zack O’Malley Greenburg in 2022, but had coveted the status for years, telling Forbes in 1999, “I wanted to be very, very rich.”

Along the way he acquired a Rolodex littered with bold-faced names: he partnered with billionaire investor Ron Burkle; was “mentored” by hedge fund guru Ray Dalio; had his fashion line sold in Macy’s and Dillards; went into business with alcohol giant Diageo; opened the New York Stock Exchange with Este Lauder heir William Lauder; struck deals with Zac Posen and Liz Claiborne; 50% owned his own TV channel Revolt; launched a water range with Mark Wahlberg; and teamed up with Salesforce’s Marc Benioff to launch a black business marketplace.

In 2003, he sent the then owner of the Dallas Maverick Mark Cuban an email asking to design the uniforms for the NBA team, Cuban told The Post. They had never met so the cold email was a bold move.

For Diddy, it was a slam dunk to associate his new clothing brand, Sean John, with a pro sports team.

While Diddy took credit for the design, it was actually Diddy’s top designer who created it and Diddy signed off, Cuban said.

“We were an up and coming team at a time when pro sports teams didnt do anything with entertainment industry people,” Cuban said.

“We never even met… we never did any follow up or anything beyond that,” Cuban said.

For Diddy who had gone to Howard University to study business a single deal with an NBA team gave him credibility that he leveraged for even more dealmaking.

But it was a two-way street: Diddy also used his own cache the promise of entry into a world of celebrity to attract investment for his projects.

The same year as his Mavericks deal, Diddy got Burkle, a serial investor worth an estimated $2.9 billion according to Forbes, to inject $100 million into his fashion range Sean John.

It was to become Diddy’s longest-standing Wall Street relationship. After it was done, they partied with Michael Jackson while Sean John became a fixture in Macy’s and Dillards stores.

The next year the rapper teamed up with Este Lauder to create multiple fragrances, including one that was named “Unforgivable.”

The move gave him instant social cache. It let him rub shoulders, lucratively, with a New York social dynasty and in turn gave their decades-old brand a fresh, contemporary glamor associated not just with rap music, but his celebrity-packed White Parties in the Hamptons.

The company was thrilled with the partnership and chief operating officer William Lauder said Diddy was a “man who has built a phenomenal reputation as a tastemaker in music, in fashion and in business.”

The Lauder and Macy’s deals were celebrated with Diddy ringing the New York Stock Exchange’s opening bell in 2003, a sign of his power and influence.

Analysts said Diddy was one of the first celebrities to essentially license his name to brands and companies were able to draw on that to reach a more diverse group of customers.

In 2007, he was approached by the alcohol giant Diageo to become a brand spokesperson for its Croc vodka.

But he countered by proposing he become brand manager and chief marketing officer in return for a 50% profit share — and even had the business cards made up for his new role before the deal was done.

The vodka brand agreed. He missed no opportunity to promote it with the deal paying him nearly $1 billion over the next 15 years and turning Croc into a hugely successful brand.

The savvy negotiations led many in Hollywood to respect Diddy’s acumen. He was a master entrepreneur, one music business insider who said the rapper was widely respected in Hollywood as a businessman told The Post.

He was a super intelligent hardworking guy and a genius at brands… he turned Croc into a billion dollar business.

When he rang the NYSE bell in 2016 as a representative for Croc, then NYSE president Tom Farley said Diddy was “an inspiration” to him and similar to the Founding Fathers since they were both hustlers.

The comments were written up by Diddy’s own news website Revolt, which often reported favorably on its co-founder.

But the Diageo relationship ended in rancor in 2023 with Diddy accusing the multinational of racism; the case was settled in January with Diageo now sole owner of Croc and DeLen tequila.

In 2015, Diddy again teamed up with Burkle and also with boyband heartthrob turned movie star Mark Wahlberg, to buy now defunct water company AquaHydrate.

Once again, Diddy promoted it energetically, appearing on both coasts with Wahlberg.

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At least on paper, Burkle had the longest relationship with Diddy of any of his business partners. He has not commented on the allegations against Diddy.

Earlier this year Burkle, a one time close friend of former president Bill Clinton, was linked to another alleged sex trafficker when he was listed in an unsealed court filing naming people associated with Epstein. There is no suggestion Burkle engaged in wrongdoing.

Diddy also forged a relationship with Dalio, who as well as founding Bridgewater, the world’s largest hedge fund, has a personal net worth of $15.4 billion, according to Forbes, and has become a sought-after guru for his principle of radical transparency.

In 2017, at a Forbes gathering for the “100 Greatest Living Business Minds,” Diddy approached Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio and started peppering him with business questions.

Diddy was a frequent attender at business events. His celebrity rider included his own drink brands and “a young Thai coconut.”

Dalio tweeted in 2019 that Diddy “asked me to mentor him” and posted a slickly-produced video of a “recent mentor session of ours.”

?[H]es a real hero, Dalio said. And he wants to be a role model and help others.

“The greatest joy Im having now is helping other people to be successful, particularly helping people who can help a lot of people. Sean Combs, also known as @Diddy, is one such person,” Dalio posted, boosting Diddy to 1.3m followers looking for financial wisdom.

In 2021 Diddy teamed up with tech mogul Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, who Forbes estimates to be worth $10.5 billion, to launch “SHOP CIRCULATE,” a marketplace for black-owned businesses.

That same year he launched a similar online marketplace, Empower Global.

“Building Black wealth starts with investing in Black-owned businesses and giving entrepreneurs access to the consumers needed to build sustainable companies that can thrive,” Combs said.

He told Billboard magazine last year that he wants to collaborate with Byron Allen, the TV mogul, and billionaire Hollywod director Tyler Perry to create a “black-owned media conglomerate,” although neither struck any deals with him.

After Diddy was accused by his ex Cassie of rape, sex trafficking, and domestic violence last November, and settled the suit without admitting her claims, brands began distancing themselves.

Macy’s, which still carried his fashion line, said they would stop selling his products. And 18 companies selling products on Empower are reported to have left the platform in recent months.

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P Diddy: Rapper Sean Combs says video of him assaulting singer Cassie is ‘inexcusable’

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P Diddy: Rapper Sean Combs says video of him assaulting singer Cassie is 'inexcusable'

Sean “Diddy” Combs has said CCTV footage showing him attacking singer Cassie in a hotel hallway in 2016 is “inexcusable” and that he is “disgusted”.

Warning: This story includes images readers may find distressing

“It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that,” the rapper said in a video on Instagram.

“I was f***** up – I mean I hit rock bottom – but l make no excuses. My behaviour on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.

“I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry.”

Pic: CNN via AP
Image:
Pic: CNN via AP

Pic: CNN via AP
Image:
Pic: CNN via AP

The 54-year-old, whose homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents in March, has faced a series of public allegations of physical and sexual violence.

Footage obtained by CNN this week shows Combs also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – wearing only a white towel as he punches and kicks Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway on 5 March 2016.

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The footage also shows Combs shoving and dragging Cassie and throwing a vase in her direction.

Pic: CNN via AP
Image:
Pic: CNN via AP

Cassie, an R&B singer whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, was his protege and girlfriend at the time.

The 37-year-old sued Combs in November with the lawsuit accusing him of rape and violent behaviour during their decade-long relationship.

The suit was settled the next day, but it lead to intense scrutiny of Combs, who has since been named as a defendant in several sexual abuse lawsuits, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to the raid in March.

Sean Combs and Cassie in 2017. Pic: PA
Image:
Sean Combs and Cassie in 2017. Pic: PA

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Diddy’s homes raided

He denied the allegations in the lawsuits, but neither he nor his representatives had responded to the newly emerged video until Sunday.

After the footage emerged, Douglas H Wigdor, lawyer for Ms Ventura, said in a statement in response: “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combs.

“Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

Combs’ Instagram apology is the hip-hop mogul’s most direct response after six months of allegations that have threatened his reputation and career.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs. Pic: AP
Image:
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Pic: AP

Previous statements have been released through his lawyers.

The security camera video, dated 5 March 2016, closely resembles the description of an incident at an InterContinental Hotel in the Century City area of Los Angeles described in Ms Ventura’s November lawsuit.

The suit alleges that Combs paid the hotel $50,000 (around £39,000) for the security video immediately after the incident.

Neither he or his representatives have addressed that specific allegation.

CNN did not say how it obtained the footage.

Combs is not in danger of being criminally prosecuted for the beating.

The statutes of limitations for the assault and battery charges he would be likely to face expired years ago.

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Mets’ Diaz open to change in role amid struggles

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Mets' Diaz open to change in role amid struggles

MIAMI — Edwin Diaz is open to a change to help ignite the slumping New York Mets — even if that means losing his role as closer.

Amid a terrible start to the 2024 season in which he has blown two consecutive save chances and three of his past four, the star reliever with a $102 million contract said he would be willing to change his role if the team thinks that’s best.

“I’m open to everything,” Diaz said Saturday after squandering a four-run lead in the ninth inning against one of the league’s worst-hitting teams in the Miami Marlins.

Diaz has a 10.80 ERA over his past eight appearances after serving up four homers in 8⅓ innings.

“I want to help my team to win,” he said. “That’s my main thing. If they want to talk to me about that and I feel good about it, I agree on it. I just want to win games in any position they put me.”

The struggling Mets (20-25) led the Marlins 9-5 when Díaz entered in the ninth.

He allowed an RBI single by Jazz Chisholm Jr. that drove in Vidal Brujan, who had led off with a double. Bryan De La Cruz reached on an infield single with one out, and Josh Bell hammered Diaz’s first-pitch slider 428 feet to straightaway center field for a three-run shot that tied the score.

That was it for Diaz, who wasn’t charged with a blown save because he came in with a four-run lead. But in his past three outings he has given up seven earned runs, seven hits, three walks and two homers over 2⅓ innings.

New York lost 10-9 when Otto Lopez singled home the winning run off Jorge Lopez in the 10th.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said he’s concerned about Diaz’s confidence. The 30-year-old Diaz, a two-time All-Star, indicated his struggles this season are mostly mental.

“I won’t lie, my confidence I feel is down right now,” he said. “I’m making pitches. I’m throwing strikes. I’m trying to do my best to help the team to win. Right now I’m not in that capacity.

“Physically, I feel 100 percent right now. My body is not an issue. I think right now I’ve got to think about what I’m doing, trust myself a little bit more when I’m on the mound. I think I’m thinking too much.”

Mendoza indicated the team would consider moving Diaz out of the closer role to help him rebuild his confidence.

“It’s one of those things I have to talk to the coaching staff and to Edwin,” Mendoza said, “whether we want to find him some softer spots to get him going. He’s still our closer and he will get through it.”

Saturday was Diaz’s first outing at Miami’s home ballpark since he tore the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a win for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic there in March 2023.

The injury required surgery and cost him the entire 2023 season. He was baseball’s most dominant closer in 2022, striking out 118 batters in 62 innings while saving 32 games and compiling a 1.31 ERA.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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‘Joy to watch’: Cubs’ Imanaga lowers ERA to 0.84

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'Joy to watch': Cubs' Imanaga lowers ERA to 0.84

CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs rookie starter Shota Imanaga lowered his ERA on the season to 0.84 on Saturday after throwing seven shutout innings in his club’s 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

It’s the lowest mark through a pitcher’s first nine career games since ERA became an official stat in 1913, besting Fernando Valenzuela, who compiled a 0.91 ERA after nine starts in 1981.

“If I’m being honest, I’m not really too interested in my own stats or any historic value,” Imanaga said after the game through the team interpreter. “But just knowing that there are so many good pitchers that came before me is a good learning experience.”

Imanaga, 30, gave up four hits while striking out seven including his final batter with two on and two out in the seventh inning. He used a combination of nearly all fastballs and splitters to stymie the Pirates, making him the very early front-runner for NL Cy Young. Pirates manager Derek Shelton was asked why he’s so tough to square up.

“That’s a great question,” he answered. “This guy is going to give hitting coaches nightmares. The fastball is not 94-95 mph but it’s effective. The split is real. It’s strike to ball.”

Imanaga averaged just 90.9 mph on his fastball, which he threw 46 times. The rest of his pitches were splitters — save four curveballs. All of it was extremely effective, moving from the top of the zone with the fastball and coming down with his split.

“You feel the hitter a little in-between,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “It makes both pitches better.”

The Cubs won the game on a walk-off RBI single by Christopher Morel that plated Cody Bellinger, though the play at the plate was reviewed before the celebration at Wrigley Field could begin. It’s the team’s first 1-0, walk-off win since September 2015.

“We’ve won two 1-0 games that he’s started,” Counsell said. “It’s hard to win 1-0, and the fact that he’s been the starter nine games into his career in two of them is incredible.”

In addition to being the lowest to start a career through nine outings, Imanaga’s 0.84 ERA is also the third lowest through the first nine games of a season for any pitcher, trailing only Jacob deGrom (0.62) in 2021 and Zack Greinke (0.82) in 2009. The win came a day after Pirates rookie Paul Skenes struck out the first seven batters he faced en route to a six-inning, no-hit performance. Imanaga did him one inning better, making the Pirates the ninth different team unable to solve the lefty.

“We’re fortunate to watch it,” Counsell stated. “His aptitude, pitch-making ability, his stuff, his competitiveness. They’ve all been a joy to watch.”

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