Fiery Diddy calls out Grammys in speech
Sean “Diddy” Combs called out the Grammy Awards for dissing rap and R&B stars in its major categories in a blazing speech that earned him a standing ovation from Beyonce, Jay-Z and several other music industry players.
At the end of his 50-minute speech Saturday night at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammys gala, where Combs was honored, the music mogul demanded change and said he was happy to be involved in making a difference.
“So I say this with love to the Grammys, because you really need to know this, every year y’all be killing us man. Man, I’m talking about the pain. I’m speaking for all these artists here, the producers, the executives,” he said. “The amount of time it takes to make these records, to pour your heart into it, and you just want an even playing field.”
Over the years, the awards show has been criticized when top performing acts like Beyonce, Kanye West, Eminem, Mariah Carey and others lose in major categories. The rap and R&B stars often fall short of their pop, rock and country counterparts.
“In the great words of Erykah Badu: ‘We are artists and we are sensitive about our (expletive).’ We are passionate. For most of us, this is all we got. This is our only hope,” Combs said. “Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black music has never been respected by the Grammys to the point that it should be.”
Combs, a three-time Grammy winner, earned the 2020 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Award on Saturday.