Sean “Diddy” Combs has held a variety of music and commercial roles since starting Bad Boy Records in 1993, in addition to his linked role as the ultimate party host and entrepreneur. His yearly Fourth of July White Party, which ran from 1998 to 2009, was the stuff of legend in the Hamptons (and later in St. Tropez and Beverly Hills) with a perfectly observable dress code and a suitably fin de siècle guest list. Not to mention his birthday celebrations, such as the 2009 and 1998 Black and White Balls, when Truman Capote allusions were welcome.
Though the White Party may now only exist in moodboards and anecdotal histories, Combs has never wavered from his enthusiasm for joyous spectacle. Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio, Pharrell, Jimmy Iovine, Naomi Osaka, Cardi B, Offset, Lizzo, Janelle Monáe, Nelly, Kate Beckinsale, Snoop Dogg, Ted Sarandos, Queen Latifah, Post Malone, Regina King, Lauren London, Jaden Smith, and Jack Dorsey were among the music, entertainment, and business guests who attended his 50th birthday celebration on Saturday night at his Beverly Hills mansion. Naomi Campbell, who was also present, had invited them, or at least it sounded like she had. “There ain’t no party like a Diddy party,” she declared in the voiceover that accompanied the invitation, along with three guidelines: dance or don’t attend, black tie means black tie, and emit “good vibrations.” Jay-Z, West, Kardashians, and other celebrities posed for Vanity Fair’s picture studio with Carlos “Kaito” Araujo. Usher and Lil’ Kim came on stage to toast the host with Combs’ kids in tow.
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Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West.
After the dust settled and he’d changed out of his Alexander McQueen tuxedo, Combs told V.F., “I’m blessed to have made it to 50.” “I’m glad that my closest friends and family could be here to celebrate me and this milestone, even after all the ups and downs and accomplishments. I’m much more appreciative of my children because they inspire me to improve every day, and I can’t wait to celebrate my 50 years with them.
Cîroc was the drink of the night, so like most things Combs, the event was also a testament to his business successes (Forbes has him at No. 9 on its list of highest paid musicians this year). Along with his vodka and music enterprises, there’s the art collecting. Last year, it was widely reported that Combs had acquired the Kerry James Marshall painting “Past Times” for $21 million, and that it was the highest sale price for a living black artist. Combs didn’t confirm the purchase himself at the time, instead waiting for Saturday, when it was on display near the party’s candlelit entrance.
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Inside, his fellow collector Swizz Beatz MC’ed the night, and Mary J. Blige performed—her working relationship with Combs predates the founding of Bad Boy, and he was the executive producer of her 1992 debut album What’s the 411?—as did the gospel singer Marvin Sapp. Combs took to the center of the dancefloor as the night wore on, calling back to any number of music videos. By then he was surrounded by several generations in music, and The Weeknd and Travis Scott led the singing of “happy birthday.”
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Eniko Parrish and Kevin Hart.
Chadwick Boseman
Jaden Smith
Lauren London
2 Chainz
Corey Gamble, Kelly Rowland, and Christian Combs.
Dr. Dre and Nicole Young.
Lizzo
Khloé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner.
Paris Hilton
Post Malone