LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - What do Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Bill Gates and Ralph Lauren have in common? They are all heroes of hip-hop impresario Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, who announced on Thursday a new three-year marketing and distribution deal for his Bad Boy Entertainment label with Universal Records. World heavyweight champion Ali and basketball player Jordan had strong work ethics, Combs said in an interview with Reuters, who said he admired their "passion and commitment".
"They didn"t want to be just one of the players. I don"t want to just one of the players. I want to be great," he said. Combs has built up an empire with nearly $300 million (183 million pounds) in annual sales and is renowned for his extravagant life style. Combs, a music producer who has his own fashion line, Sean John, said he admired two greats in his twin fields of music and fashion: Motown producer Berry Gordy and designer Lauren, who reinvented the Ivy League "preppy" look for the masses.
Gates, founder of software maker Microsoft, was an entrepreneur who had built his business by himself, Combs said. "He wasn"t handed it down from the Gates family," he said. Universal Records is part of the entertainment arm of media and utilities giant Vivendi Universal.