Sean “Diddy” Combs went on a prolonged rant at a celebrity-filled pre-awards party on Saturday night, telling the star-studded audience that the Grammys have never “respected” black music.
Diddy, 50, made the declaration while speaking at Clive Davis’ legendary pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Vibe magazine reports. Adding to the chilling atmosphere is the fact that this is the same hotel the late, legendary Whitney Houston was found dead in from a drug overdose in 2012.
The impressive guest list included Janet Jackson, Cardi B and Offset, John Legend, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Lana Del Rey, Faith Evans, Ma$e, Lil Kim, Ozzy Osbourne, Avril Lavigne, Paula Abdul, Trevor Noah, Billy Porter, Darren Criss, Jessie J and Channing Tatum, according to TMZ.
Interestingly enough, Diddy’s 50-minute speech in which he unloaded his feelings about the Grammys came while accepting the Industry Icon award. In all, Diddy has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards and won three.
“Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black music has never been respected by the Grammys,” the music mogul said while pounding the podium for emphasis. “For the longest, we’ve allowed institutions that don’t have our best interest at heart to judge us. And that stops right now.”
Diddy also took the time to dedicate his award to the classic Black albums that have never won a Grammy. They include Beyonce’s Lemonade, Missy Elliott’s Da Real World, Nas’ Illmatic and Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle.
What do you think about Diddy’s words?
Check out Diddy’s tirade against the Grammys below:
