In the 1990s and 2000s, Sean “Diddy” Combs reigned over American hip-hop. He produced chart-topping albums, launched an influential record label, recorded hit songs, inked lucrative branding deals and catapulted hip-hop into a worldwide cultural force.

Combs, who then performed as Puff Daddy, released his 1997 debut album, “No Way Out,” on his Bad Boy Records label. According to Diddy, the album was heavily inspired by the March 9, 1997 shooting death of Diddy’s close confidant and Bad Boy artist Notorious B.I.G.