Lost Media: Puff Daddy’s Video Party Invite

On November 4th, 1998 at 10:00 PM a party that highlighted the fame, fortune, and excess of Puff Daddy’s lavish life took place. His birthday gala, hosted at 55 Wall Street took place only nine months after his debut album No Way Out - still to this day the most successful album of his discography.

Almost 30 years later we have a whole new understanding of the phrase “Diddy Party.” Looking back now it may seem shocking the level of celebrity involved in the videotape sent out as an invitation. Limited to few copies, this VHS tape delivered in a silk bag with a numbered admission ticket is a who’s who of the most rich and famous people of the time.

In 2025, a small section of the tape was uploaded online. However, this video which comes in at 2 minutes cut out a lot of the content. The full tape has a runtime of 5 minutes 40 seconds, and has been archived from an original physical copy by Cult Collectibles.

Notable celebrities featured on the tape include Ellen DeGeneres, Danny DeVito, Oprah, Chris Rock, Will Smith, Joan Rivers, Donald Trump, Tyra Banks, Shaq, and more athletes, actors, and musicians.

It is worth noting that this video is an example of something that did not age well. Presumably, everyone involved was unaware of the negative associations that would later come up regarding P. Diddy.

Below is the introduction of this tape. The background music has been muted, but features an instrumental loop of ‘Mo Money Mo Problems.’