P Diddy emotionally reveals how Hip Hop 'saved his life' on genre's 50th anniversary

As fans and artists around the world celebrate Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary, P Diddy has taken to his Instagram to pen an emotional letter, as he says the genre ‘saved his life’.

Hip Hop, which originated in the Bronx, New York, in 1973 celebrated its 50th anniversary this weekend. The music genre was born when funk and soul DJ Kool Herc mixed two records together. Since then, Hip Hop has become huge across the scene, as P Diddy, real name, Sean Combs, explains how it ‘saved his life’.

P Diddy says Hip Hop ‘saved his life’

Taking to his 20 million Instagram followers, Diddy shared an emotional letter to Hip Hop on the genre’s 50th anniversary. In the post, he wrote:

“Dear Hip, Hop,

“I remember the first time I met you. As a young man growing up in Harlem Esplanade Gardens. Seeing B-Boys carrying boomboxes and hearing your sound for the first time. We grew up together. I was born three years before you. And since the day that we met, you changed my life.

“You gave me the audacity to dream. You made me feel like I mattered. You let me know that with you, I could change the world. You have been there through my ups and downs, my tragedies and triumphs. – You saved my life. You have been my therapist, my BFF, my ride-or-die.

“You gave me an opportunity with Andre Harrell and Uptown Records. You gave birth to Bad Boy. You gave birth to Puff Daddy, P. DIDDY, DIDDY. You led me to LOVE. You gave me the chance to be an executive. You gave me the chance to be a designer. You gave me the chance to be a media mogul. You gave me the chance to be a philanthropist.

“Today we celebrate you for everything you mean to us. For all who came before me and all that will come after me. There is no me without you. Happy Birthday Hip Hop, I will always love you,” the 53-year-old concluded.

Fans celebrate the star in the comments

Hip Hop fans and celebrity faces around the world took to the comments of Diddy’s Instagram post to share their own tribute to the genre and to celebrate Diddy’s contribution.

“Beautiful words King!!!! What you’ve done/are doing is the reason Hiphop can push fwd. LOVE LOVE LOVE,” penned one.

Another commented: “50 Years seems like yesterday.. you have held it down in the industry ever since the days of Notorious BIG and Mase.. For Real you deserve full recognition in Hip Hop Hall of Fame..”

“Wonderful Words @diddy! I loved it! Thank God for Hip Hop! It’s allowed people to express themselves in ways never before!” exclaimed another.

Artists gather for Hip Hop 50 concert in New York

To celebrate the huge milestone, Hip Hop stars across the globe came together at the Yankee Stadium in New York, on August 11 to perform a Live concert at a packed out arena.

The show featured headliners Run DMC, in their final show. Other performances included sets from Nas, Lil Wayne, Ice Cube, and Wiz Khalifa, to name a few.