Photo cred: Tony Felgueiras | Flickr

Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs has inked a deal to merge Bad Boy Entertainment with Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, to usher in a new era of music. Under the deal, Epic Records will provide distribution for two forthcoming albums by Puff as well as marketing, promotion and sales for Bad Boy artists.

This new venture comes to the Sony Music label following similar deals with Warner Music Group, Interscope Records and Arista Records. According to Epic Chairman and CEO L.A. Reid, who sees the merger as a full-circle moment,

"Sean 'Diddy' Combs aka Puff Daddy and I have been musical collaborators since the 1990s, when we both ran independent record labels. ... Over the years, we not only enjoyed incredible success together, but we also became lifelong friends. Today, of course, Puffy is truly in a league all his own, continuing to influence culture and ignite musical revolutions time and time again. He’s a true innovator and I could not be more excited to join forces once again."

In celebration of this deal, Puff Daddy will be performing new music at the BET Hip-Hop Awards scheduled on October 13th in Atlanta.