During Clive Davis' pre-Grammy gala, Diddy called out the Grammys for not respecting black music. Diddy took the stage to receive the 2020 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Award. During his speech, he said, “Every year, y’all be killing us, man. I’m speaking for all the artists here, the producers, the executives. The amount of time that it takes to make these records, to pour your heart out into it. And we just want an even playing field. In the great words of Erykah Badu, ‘We are artists and we are sensitive about our s**t.’ We are passionate. 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 to the point that it should be.”
He continued, “So right now, with this current situation, it’s not a revelation. This thing been going on, and it’s not just going on in music. It’s going on in films, it’s going on in sports, it’s going on around the world. And for years we’ve allowed institutions that have never had our best interests at heart to judge us, and that stops right now. I’m officially starting the clock: you’ve got 365 days to get this s**t together.”
Diddy also acknowledged Beyonce, who was in the audience. He said, “Beyoncé, I call her King Beyoncé. Everybody all know that’s like my superhero right there. You know when I watch her and she goes and I think I’m working hard? Nah, nah. I’m not working hard like that. She pushes me and she’s been a sister to me, and I thank you.”
He dedicated his award to iconic albums from black artists that never won the Album of the Year Grammy. He said, “And I want to dedicate this award to Michael Jackson for Off the Wall, Prince for 1999, Beyoncé for LEMONADE, Missy Elliott for Da Real World, Snoop Dogg for Doggy Style, Kanye West for Graduation, and Nas for Illmatic.”
