Diddy – Dirty Money

Diddy – Dirty Money was an American musical trio, composed of R&B singers Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper, and rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs. The group, formed and introduced by the latter in July 2009, refers to their billing with Combs, while the "Dirty Money" act refers solely to Richard and Harper. The group signed with Combs' Bad Boy Records, a then-imprint of Interscope Records to release five commercial singles leading up to the release of their debut collaborative album, Last Train to Paris (2010). Supported by the single "Coming Home" (featuring Skylar Grey), the album peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical reception. It was preceded by one mixtape and followed by another until their 2012 disbandment.

In September 2024, Richard filed a complaint in New York federal court against Combs, citing over a decade of sexual abuse. Shortly after, Harper allegedly received 128 missed calls from Combs. Harper has acknowledged the claims, but did not attest to several of them.

History

According to Combs, Diddy – Dirty Money was "a look, a sound, a movement, [and] a crew" and not about "drug money, illegal money, or anything negative ... for my new concept album Last Train to Paris, I wanted to do something refreshing, something unique, something forward for myself as an artist ... I wanted to tell a love story [but] I couldn't just tell the male's point of view." Bad Boy A&R Daniel 'Skid' Mitchell told HitQuarters that Diddy – Dirty Money is creating a new genre of "futuristic soul".

On July 24, 2010, Diddy – Dirty Money performed at Sun Life Stadium in the Baker Concrete Super Saturday postgame concert following the Florida Marlins' 10–5 loss to the Atlanta Braves.

Diddy – Dirty Money appeared on NBC's Saturday Night Live on December 4, 2010. That same month, the trio guest performed featured on Timati's single "I'm on You". The group's first and only album, Last Train to Paris was released by Interscope Records on December 14 of that year. Allmusic called it a "heavily European-influenced effort" that "mashes together Italo disco, pop-rap, tech-house, and the sound of Bad Boy in its prime, with an all-star guest list that goes from T.I. to Grace Jones." The album peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200 and saw overall praise from music critics. Four days after its release, they performed the album's biggest single, "Coming Home", as well as Diddy's 1997 single "I'll Be Missing You", for the American Armed Forces at WWE's Tribute to the Troops in Fort Hood, Texas.

The trio performed "Coming Home" and a cover of Far East Movement's "Like a G6" at the Maida Vale Studios, for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on January 20, 2011. They also performed "Coming Home" live on American Idol with Skylar Grey on March 10 of that year.

In 2023, a previously unheard song by trio, "Deliver Me", featuring Busta Rhymes, was included on Diddy's fifth album, The Love Album: Off the Grid.

Tours

Coming Home (2011)