Diddy rips into Grammys organisers in fiery speech

Sean "Diddy" Combs hijacked Clive Davis's annual pre-Grammy bash with a 50-minute speech that showed members of the Recording Academy some tough love. Davis's starry party largely avoided the behind-the-scenes scandal that rocked the Grammys last week with the exception of Davis describing it as a "Very tumultuous time for the academy." But Diddy, who was honoured with the Icon award at the gala, wrapped up his nearly hour-long speech with a call to action for the old guard. "This is discrimination and injustice everywhere at an all-time high. But there's something I need to say to the Grammys and I changed my middle name to love, so it's Sean Love Combs now I say this with love to the Grammys because you really need to know this.” "Every year, y'all be killing us man. I'm talking about the pain. I'm speaking for all the artists here, producers and executives – the amount of time to make these records, to pour your heart out into it in the great words of Erykah Badu, 'We are artists and we're sensitive about our s-t. We are passionate.'". Diddy took it a step further and specifically talked about how the awards show shuns black artists. "For most of us, this is all we've got. It's 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. So, right now, in 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 film. 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 interest at heart, to judge us. And that stops right now.” "Y'all got 365 days to get this s-t together We need the artists to take back control. We need transparency. We need diversity. This is the room that has the power to make the change. It needs to be made. They have to make the changes for us. They're a nonprofit organization that's supposed to protect the welfare of the musical community. That's what it says on the mission statement. That's the truth. They work for us," he said. Diddy closed the speech, acknowledging iconic albums from black artists the academy ignored in the past. Diddy received a standing ovation from the artists in the room including Jay-Z and Beyoncé, who sat front and centre applauding him. "Beyoncé, I call her King Beyoncé. Everybody all know that's like my superhero right there. When, I watch her and she goes and I think I'm working hardy? Nah, nah. She pushes me and she's been a sister to me, and I thank you," Diddy said during the speech. At one point, his crew even chanted, "Bad Boy." When Diddy took the stage, partygoers were so taken aback by how long he spoke, one person even pleaded, "Diddy release us," to their table. To Diddy's credit, he gave the room a fair warning. "Right now, I'm truly present, and it feels like a dream. I'm going to be up here for a second because I follow in the footsteps of Clive Davis. So, everyone can sit down and relax. I don't want your feet to hurt, but it's a lot of people to thank. But, this dream has become a reality, so. I'm going to take my motherf-king time," he said. Davis's bash ended at 1 a.m. and Diddy continued the party at his Holmby Hills mansion, where DJ Cassidy had people dancing all night. At one point in the evening, Diddy closed the door to his living room where he hung out with only the A-listers. #Source #SummarisedVersion