Kriti Mehrotra
As a four-part documentary series delving deep into the sexual misconduct allegations against former music mogul P Diddy, Netflix’s ‘Sean Combs: The Reckoning’ is simply gripping. That’s because it incorporates not only archival audio-video footage but also exclusive interviews with many who once personally knew him to really shine a light upon his alleged actuality. Among them is Kirk Burrowes, the man who established Bad Boy Entertainment alongside the rapper and played a significant role in building its success before being suddenly fired.
Kirk Burrowes Gave Everything He Had to Bad Boy Entertainment
A proud native of New York, Kirk Burrowes first encountered Sean Combs when they were young kids exploring their passion for hip-hop and trying to find their place in the world. He thus vividly remembers when his childhood friend dropped out of Howard University’s business program at the age of 19, only to start dabbling in the industry as a background dancer and intern. However, instead of following in his footsteps, he chose to complete his education and graduated from Saint Joseph’s University with a Bachelor’s in Marketing in the mid-to-late 1980s.
Kirk subsequently kickstarted his career as the East Coast Marketing Manager at Orion Pictures in January 1987, where he served for 5 years until he believed he had found his true calling. He had admittedly maintained his bond with Sean, so he was impressed by his ambition to be a pop-culture shaker at a time when things were already evolving, as well as his uniquely cunning ideas. Therefore, when the opportunity arose, the duo joined forces to co-found their own record label, Bad Boy Entertainment, with the former initially holding the internal position of General Manager.
Kirk worked in that standing for over two years before climbing the ladder to be President, meaning he took on a myriad of responsibilities to create magic with some of the biggest artists of that time. After all, they had 112, Craig Mack, Faith Evans, Ma$e, the Notorious B.I.G., and Total on their roster, enabling them to quickly make a name for themselves across the industry. “From Day Zero, I wrote everything down, every day, so I could keep track of everything I needed to do,” he revealed in the show. “I ran all the money, all the budgets for the company… and all that came with it.”
Kirk Burrowes Was Fired From Bad Boy Entertainment in 1997
Kirk genuinely believed that his friendship with Sean was so secure that nothing could ever come between them or their success as the co-founders of the most happening record label of recent times. As per his account, he let a lot of the now-disgraced mogul’s behavior slide through, including his alleged start of substance abuse, his reported excessive spending of company resources, and his alleged violent outbursts. According to his account in the series, he witnessed what he described as an incident where the rapper physically assaulted his then-partner, Misa Hylton, in 1991, but he was “able to push the incident in the back of his mind” as they remained together.
Kirk was then named the godfather of their firstborn in 1993, by which point his stance on the entire domestic ordeal was that his friend had a “really bad moment” when he was “weak.” Nevertheless, in hindsight, he now understands he was likely hooked on Sean’s charm and “may have been the first disciple, believer, and then overall protector (of him) against all odds. Kirk claims that in 1996, Sean stormed into his office with a baseball bat in hand to allegedly force him to sign over the entirety of his 25% stake of the company to him. It is an allegation Sean has never been found legally liable for.
Kirk signed the papers after Sean allegedly continued to threaten him before claiming he would eventually return the ownership shares, but the aftermath was much different from what was expected. He alleged that the man he believed to be a friend had actually taken what he perceived as “active measures to erase” his legacy at Bad Boy Entertainment, further claiming that he never received any compensation for the stakes. However, he continued to work hard for the label and Sean, that is, until the latter allegedly asked him to alter the contract Notorious B.I.G. had renegotiated shortly before his March 1997 murder to make it more favorable to the label. He vehemently claimed in the show that he refused to do so as he was determined never to engage in such unfair practices, only to be fired without cause 90 days later in July.
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Despite Some Hard Times, Kirk Burrowes Has Managed to Remain in the Entertainment Industry
On the show, Kirk also expressed his personal belief that Sean may have had some role in the deaths of the separate murders of friends-turned-rivals Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. However, there is no evidence supporting this claim, and Sean Combs has never been implicated by law enforcement in either case. We should also mention that Kirk had eventually filed a lawsuit against Sean in 2003, related to the alleged incident regarding his 25% stake, but the case was ultimately dismissed. He filed another 18-page complaint against his former business partner in 2025, alleging years of “predatory” actions toward him and the fostering of a “toxic environment of coercion, fear and psychological manipulation.”
The New Yorker even named Sean’s mother, Janice Combs, in the lawsuit, which he claims remains open and pending as of the time of writing. Regarding Kirk’s personal and professional standing since the late 1990s, he has asserted that while he was able to establish Burrowes Entertainment in 1997, it never gained traction. The Chief Executive Officer managed the Queen of Hip-Hop-R&B, Mary J. Blige, during this period, thanks to their past connection. He essentially served as a consultant to a few labels/producers, but he had to close his company’s doors in 2002. In the documentary, he also alleged that “for 25 years, I was basically blacklisted and banned” from the industry, allegedly for his accusations against Sean, which he claims led to him facing financial troubles as well as homelessness.
However, since then, Kirk has managed to get back on his feet again through sheer hard work and perseverance, so we are happy to report that he currently owns and operates Pop-Life Entertainment. Established in January 2018, the company has enabled him to start anew in the entertainment industry. However, he is no longer actively involved in music and is instead focusing on film and television projects. “I’m back, stronger than ever, with incredible stories to tell and the infrastructure to make them real,” he told Netflix Tudum. “This moment, this platform, is something far greater: It is my opportunity to finally speak my truth. Guided and empowered by my Lord and Savior, I remain steadfast. The battle is not over, but neither am I.” In other words, while keeping his faith and morality at the forefront, Kirk is proud to work on projects that truly matter and bring joy to others.
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