Diddy to Kickoff New York Fashion Week, and Diddy on Cassie

The Sean John/Bad Boy mogul, Diddy has been named by Essence Magazine to help kick-off New York's Fashion Week in early September. Sean 'Diddy' Combs will play host for the Essence-sponsored Black Style Now back carpet opening night on Friday, September 8, 2006, from 6:00pm to 11:00pm at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd Street. The exclusive celebration, in honor of the Museum of the City of New York's groundbreaking exploration of hip-hop style and the Black fashion revolution. The exhibition is the first major American exhibition to explore Black fashion. Opening on September 9, 2006, and running through February 19, 2007, the exhibition will present historic photos, video images and stylized vignettes to reveal how today's fashion is shaped by African-American style. Beyonce, Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Russell Simmons, Sean 'Jay-Z' Carter, LL Cool J, Kanye West, Lil' Kim and Andre 3000 are among the celebrities whose influence will be documented in BLACK STYLE NOW.

Diddy addresses Cassie performance on MTV's "TRL" and BET's "106 & Park. "She had her first television performance, and she had an all right performance," he said. "You could hear the nervousness in her voice. And to be honest, I kind of smiled at it, because it made me really appreciate what I really love about her: She's a regular person. And we, as artists, we sometimes get nervous. I told her it's like riding a bike" More at MTV.com