P. Diddy

He could make the move at any moment unpredictable unrehearsed Sometimes the cue would be visual. A sudden shuffle in the club's V.I.P. section, like a stiff breeze through stalks of wheat. Then, suddenly, he'd stand aloft, gazing down on eager followers on the dance floor below. At other times the cue would be aural. His distinctive voice would leap from the speakers, urging the dance floor followers to higher groove rates. And at that very moment, whatever its provence, the event would transform into one thing and only a Bad Boy party, hosted by the irrepressible, unstoppable, seemingly ever-present Sean "Diddy" Combs. Gallons of ink, developed for good or ill, have been spilled over Combs during the course of his career. That metric alone likely guarantees his inclusion in any listing of Hip Hop change agents. But of course, the true accounting runs deeper: Talent spotter and producer nonpareil in the classic sense of the term producer, not the Hip Hop version of mere beatmaker. Business superstar. Ambassador for the good life and heady aspirations. Phoenix-like metaphor for Hip Hop's attendant controversy and its resilience to rise above it. Combs has embodied all of these and more. And it is this twisting, turning strand DNA that makes him one of the more distinct figures to emerge from Hip Hop and, indeed, pop culture as a whole.