“Naming Him After Diddy Kong Would Make Him a Hip Hop Laughing Stock”: Gene Deal Explains Diddy’s Name Origin

Gene Deal, the former bodyguard of Sean “Diddy” Combs, participated in an in-depth interview with The Art of Dialogue on October 9, in which he provided extensive insights into the well-known rapper. During their discussion, Deal revealed that Combs acquired his name from the late rap icon, The Notorious B.I.G. Currently, Combs is incarcerated, awaiting trial for serious charges including sex trafficking and racketeering.

Previously, Combs shared that his initial nickname, “Puff,” stemmed from his childhood habit of “huffing and puffing,”ultimately leading him to adopt the stage name Puff Daddy in 1997. However, he has made several changes to his name over the years, eventually settling on the simpler “Diddy.”

According to Deal, the nickname “Diddy”was actually suggested by his friend, the late Biggie Smalls, who was tragically murdered in 1996. Deal confirmed this assertion in their interview, stating:

“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 discusses the B.I.G. influence and Diddy Kong connection

Deal elaborated that the stage name Combs adopted was inspired by the character Diddy Kong from the popular Donkey Kong video game series. For those unfamiliar, Diddy Kong is known as the fast and agile character from that franchise.

The moniker “Diddy”was reportedly chosen for the character due to its connotation of something small in Northern English slang. The designer of Diddy Kong described him as a combination of a “chimpanzee” and a “monkey.”

Gene Deal remarked during 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 a March 2001 MTV interview, Sean Combs confirmed he would be changing his name from “Puff Daddy”to “P. Diddy,”seeking a fresh identity following his acquittal on gun possession and bribery charges. He stated:

“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 public relations expert Kayley Cornelius discussed in an interview with The Mirror US on October 14 that Combs’ frequent name changes have been a strategy to refresh his brand. Among his various nicknames, Love, Brother Love, and Swag are just a few others he has used.

Cornelius noted:

“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, Diddy remains in custody, awaiting his trial scheduled for May 5, 2025, following charges of prostitution, racketeering conspiracy, and sex trafficking. The founder of Bad Boy Records has been denied bail on three occasions since his arrest on September 16.

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