From Bad Boy to backlash: Where Kirk Burrowes is now after Diddy accusations

When Sean “Diddy” Combs and Kirk Burrowes launched Bad Boy Entertainment in 1993, the label quickly became one of the most powerful forces in hip-hop, helping introduce artists such as The Notorious B.I.G. to the world. Decades later, Burrowes’ name has returned to public attention under very different circumstances.

In 2025, the former Bad Boy executive accused Combs of years of coercion, sexual harassment, physical violence and industry blacklisting in newly filed lawsuits and a Netflix docuseries, Sean Combs: The Reckoning. Combs has denied all wrongdoing, with his legal team calling the claims unfounded.

The rise of Bad Boy and Burrowes’ exit

Burrowes served as Bad Boy’s president, general manager and chief operating officer during the label’s early rise. According to his account, tensions escalated in 1996 when he claims Combs threatened him with a baseball bat and forced him to sign away his 25 percent ownership stake in the company without compensation.

Burrowes also alleged that he was later dismissed after refusing to alter The Notorious B.I.G.’s contract in the label’s favour. He has said that following his exit, he was effectively erased from the company’s public history.

The allegations and legal fallout

In 2025, Burrowes filed new lawsuits accusing Combs of repeated sexual harassment, physical intimidation and forced submission to degrading acts during the mid-1990s. He also accused Combs’ mother, Janice Combs, of helping secure full control of the company through what he described as a fraudulent ownership transfer.

Combs’ lawyers have denied the claims, stating that Burrowes’ allegations mirror cases that were previously dismissed in court. The legal disputes remain ongoing.

Burrowes has also claimed he was blacklisted across the music industry for more than two decades, alleging that Combs personally discouraged executives from working with him. In interviews, he has described periods of severe financial hardship following his removal from Bad Boy.

Where Kirk Burrowes is now

After leaving the music industry, Burrowes transitioned into film and television development. In 2018, he launched Pop Life Entertainment in New York, where he currently serves as chief executive officer. He has said the company represents both a professional rebuilding and a personal turning point after years outside the spotlight.

Burrowes’ personal journals from his Bad Boy years were later used as source material in the Netflix docuseries. According to the series’ production team, the documents offered rare internal insight into the label’s early operations.

Speaking publicly in 2025, Burrowes described his current chapter as a moment of resilience and reckoning. “The battle is not over, but neither am I,” he said.

As legal proceedings continue, his story now exists at the intersection of hip-hop history, unresolved ownership battles and some of the most serious allegations ever levelled against one of the genre’s most influential figures.