Happy Birthday, Puffy. Puff Daddy. P. Diddy. Sean Combs. 

There aren't all that many individuals who've shaped the world of hip hop and the culture of/around it as much as Sean "P.Diddy" Combs. Yes, there are other hip hop moguls and their influences are vast, but how many of them can say they brought Biggie into our lives? 

Today's the day the man turns 46 years old, but in true Diddy fashion, he's the one giving gifts. You thought you knew how birthdays work? No, Diddy's here to show you otherwise. 

It's no surprise that the birthday man is the one giving the gifts this year, but it is surprising that he's due to drop a free mix tape, MMM, on the world on his own birthday.

Artwork and a track list for MMM leaked from a private listening/birthday party earlier in the week, but the album itself is as yet unavailable. The album will feature Lil Kim, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, Jadakiss, and more.

And that's what's always been his greatest asset: his ability to effectively demand and/or convince people re-think things they take for granted. 

You thought a tough guy couldn't rap on a R&B sample and not lose credibility? Think again. You thought a kid from Harlem couldn't become a fashion executive? Think again. 

So we're givin' it up to the one and only Diddy, remembering five instances when you just couldn't ignore him.

---

1. Bad Boy Entertainment 

Combs is, when all is said and done, a businessman who emerged at a time when his industry was ready for a change. He was able to anticipate that demand and fill it before listeners knew exactly what they wanted in much the same way Steve Jobs was able to do with technology.

Diddy's label, Bad Boy Entertainment, is over 20 years old. Nobody would have thought that launching a music label in 1993 could have been a risky move, but since labels are a dying breed, it's pretty impressive that Bad Boy is going strong, and so is the Bad Boy himself.

Ever the resourceful entrepreneur, Diddy's insulated his label by making it a division of Sony Music Entertainment, one of "the big three," while also working out a distribution deal with Epic Records. 

---

2. "Roc Boys (And the Winner Is?)" 

This is actually a Jay-Z song, but it's Puffy-produced, and it was called the best song of 2007 by Rolling Stone. Everybody knows that horn melody, it's epic as hell. That's the brand hype you get with Diddy.

It's only natural for Puffy to be all over the video, especially because it was featured in the soundtrack for American Gangster which was a smash hit and took place largely in Diddy's home neighborhood of Harlem.

Check out the video here. 

---

3. "Big Poppa" 

It can be argued that no producer has ever benefitted more from being constantly visible in his/her clients' videos than Sean Combs. And it's all part of his marketing genius, blurring the lines between deal maker, performer, producer, and all around behind-the-scenes guy.

For a while, nobody really knew what Puffy was actually doing, and he drew considerable criticism for riding the coat tales of those he's signed over the years, namely Notorious B.I.G. 

But as his role in multiple industries has become more clear, much of that criticism has faded away in light of contemporary successes. This video is amazing, and Puffy might be the best part about it. Check it out here. 

,

4. "I'll Be Missing You"

Few controversies have gripped the American, and indeed worldwide public than the East Coast/West Coast rap feud. 

It was a convoluted, egotistical, dramatic and mainly senseless and ultimately deadly exchange that mixed entertainment with real-life in ways that many people weren't familiar with outside of maybe news clippings of Great Depression-era gangsters, or the mafia. 

None the less, mourning Biggie's death resonated throughout NYC and the world in a basically unprecedented way, largely precipitated by "I'll Be Missing You," Diddy's requiem for his friend featuring Faith Evans and 112.  

---

5. Making the Band

When it comes to appearing on reality TV, it's hard to balance that constant visibility with maintaining long standing credibility. Thinking about it, Diddy's role on Making the Band fell somewhere between Ozzy Osbourne on The Osbournes and Donald Trump on The Apprentice. 

Part of why Combs was able to keep up his credibility was by being (basically) the only judge on the show. All of the prospective artists were under his tutelage, and his word was final. Again, Diddy's conscious self-portrayal in the public eye was manicured, putting himself in a power position.

 Check out 7 Best Laid-Back Hip Hop Albums Straight Outta NYC. 

[Feature Image Courtesy Vibe]