Article: Now we know crunch is getting bad: the king of bling ditches private jet Not even rap royalty are immune from economic turmoil, as P Diddy admits rising fuel prices have forced him back on to commercial flights

IN THE get-rich-or-die-tryin' world of rap music, the private jet is has long been the ultimate sign of success.

Along with Cristal Champagne, pimped-up wheels, and displays of bling, it is the favourite way for any self-

respecting artist to prove he has finally escaped the ghetto.

But, as with so much of rap, the grim realities of life can all too often intrude: just as a man gets used to shuttling back and forth from America's East Coast to its West, soaring oil prices make the private jet too expensive to fly.

Such is the problem facing best-selling New York hip hop artist Sean "P Diddy" Combs, who has grumbled that despite being worth an estimated pounds 200 million, he can no longer ...

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