Sean “Diddy” Combs received a standing ovation from Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and other music industry pros; Diddy gave an outstanding speech.
What We Know:
- Firstly, Diddy gave a speech at the Clive Davis Pre-Grammys Gala Saturday night. Diddy started with, “There’s something that I need to say to the Grammys — and I say this with love,” he added, “Every year y’all be killing us. I’m speaking for all the artists and executives: in the great words of Erykah Badu, We are artists and we are sensitive about our sh–. For most of us, this is all we’ve got. This is our only hope. Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black music has never been respected by the Grammys.”
- Moreover, Love a.k.a. Brother Love called out the Grammys, for their current back and forth accusations with the organization’s former CEO Deborah Dugan. Briefly, the Recording Academy Board of Trustees placed Dugan on administrative leave — effective immediately. The matter is still unclear regarding the reason, but reports have stated that a senior female team member of the Recording Academy reported Dugan for misconduct.
- “I’m officially starting the clock: you’ve got 365 days to get this sh— together,” Diddy said. Furthermore, he continued, “We need the artists to take back control, we need transparency, we need diversity. This is the room that has the power to [force] the change that needs to be made. They have to make the changes for us: They’re a non-profit organization that is supposed to protect the welfare of the musical community. That’s what it says on the mission statement: they work for us.”
Diddy to Grammys: Hip-hop has always been disrespected. “You have 365 days to do better.” pic.twitter.com/3JjuiobtHC
— Andrew Hampp (@ahampp) January 26, 2020
- Many artists have expressed their concerns on the Grammys, as to the ceremony’s inherent racism. Artists are aware that the Grammys lacked racial and gender diversity. According to Variety, the situation was thrown into dramatic relief when the previous CEO Neil Portnow said in 2018 that female artists and executives need to “step up” to advance in the industry.
- According to a report from CNN, after receiving the award, Tyler, the Creator spoke backstage, calling the Grammys out on their racism when it comes to music genres. “It sucks that whenever we — and I mean guys that look like me — do anything they always put it in a rap or urban category. I don’t like that ‘urban’ word — it’s just a politically correct way to say the n-word to me,” Tyler said. The artist, however, expressed appreciation for the Rap Album of the Year Award for Igor.
Diddy gave a speech for the Gods!
