Breaking News....

From the "Keepin' It Real" Department of Urban Culture at the Institute:

We hate to assault you with such life-shaking, faith-challenging news so early in the morning, but sometimes we have to put our emotions aside and focus on our responsibility to the truth. And so we urgently announce that the man formerly known as Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, Puffy and P. Diddy has made it official: From this moment onward, he will now be known as simply “Diddy.”

Say it slowly. Leave the “p” behind. Look towards the future. Let it roll off your tongue: Diddy.

Why the change? “I needed to simplify things,” said the hip-hop mogul. Diddy also plans to “go more rock ‘n’ roll” with his look, and says he’s inspired by Mick Jagger and David Bowie. Keep an eye out for the Diddy Stardust press conference, which should hit in about 3 months.

Update 8:32 He’s actually on the Today Show right now, making a live announcement of this change. “I felt the ‘p’ was coming between me and my fans,” says Diddy.

"One word. Five letters. Period," says the hip-hop heavyweight, who swears he isn't taking the P. out of his name to yank our chain - or as a publicity stunt.

Apart from the frustration of constantly having to tell people what to call him, Diddy says he worried that the name P. Diddy could be bad for business.

"I went to a concert in Madison Square Garden last year and the crowd started to chant my name," he says dryly.

Whereas "Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy Diddy" just trips off the tongue like a twelve-dollar ho' with a wallet full of cash.

Sheer street poetry. Just remember, you heard it here first.