If you happen to run in circles with Sean Combs, don’t update your iPhone contacts just yet. The artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy, and Diddy announced over his 48th birthday weekend that he had changed his name, yet again, but there is more to the story.
I decided to change my name again!
My new name is LOVE aka Brother Love. #TakeDat pic.twitter.com/gArAXusygG
— Sean Diddy Combs (@diddy) November 4, 2017
“I have some very serious, serious news. I’ve been praying on this and I decided – I know it’s risky because it could come off as corny to some people – I decided to change my name again.” He went on to explain, “I’m just not who I am before. I’m something different. So, my new name is Love a.k.a. Brother Love. I will not be answering to Puffy, Diddy, Puff Daddy, or any of my other monikers but Love or Brother Love.”
Yo. Find a new gimmick. I invented and perfected Brother Love. I am the original and you are not. Remember North Carolina.
— Bruce Prichard (@bruceprichard) November 4, 2017
Shortly after the announcement, the original Brother Love, former WWE wrestler Bruce Pichard, replied to Combs’ tweet, “Yo. Find a new gimmick. I invented and perfected Brother Love. I am the original and you are not. Remember North Carolina.” Which has left fans everywhere wondering WTF happened in North Carolina.
In the two days following the declaration, media outlets and fans of both Brother Loves blew up @Diddy’s Twitter mentions. This prompted a Monday evening follow-up video on Instagram.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, today I’ve come to the conclusion that you cannot play around with the internet. Due to an overwhelming response from the media out there, and just due to there not wanting to be any confusion… I was only joking. Okay? I didn’t change my name. It is just part of one of my alter egos. One of my alter egos is Love.” Combs continued, “You can address me by any of my older names, but if you still want to call me ‘Love’ you can call me ‘Love’, baby. But, I was only playing.”
It’s hard to believe that Diddy was only kidding about adopting this latest stage name. Not only did he claim to “pray on it,” but he also prefaced the announcement with the warning that it “may come off as corny.” His latest video is the equivalent of saying “PSYCH!!” or adding “JK!” after revealing the name of your secret crush in a slam book. You realized too late that this was a bad idea, and instead of owning up to it, you pretend it was all a joke.
It seems as though the short-lived Brother Love 2.0 didn’t do his due diligence on the name, and certainly didn’t expect backlash. The good news is that the OG Brother Love isn’t holding any serious grudges:
Thank you everyone for helping @diddy see the light! Just so you know Puffy… I love you… But that doesn't mean…
— Bruce Prichard (@bruceprichard) November 7, 2017
Now, if someone would please tell me what happened in North Carolina.