Grammys 2020: Industry Icon award-winner Diddy calls out Grammys, says 'black music has never been respected'
Hot on the heels of recent controversies surrounding voter bias at the Grammys, Diddy has now called out the event for not recognizing black talent.
Accepting the award for Industry Icon, Diddy ended his 50-minute-long speech with some stern words for the Grammys.
"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," Diddy began.
"The amount of time it takes to make these records, to pour your heart into it, and you just want an even playing field."
He continued, "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."
Over its history, the Grammys has faced severe criticism for its perceived exclusion of black artists in their nominee lineups. Recently ousted CEO Deborah Dugan was brought on-board for the purpose of improving diversity at the Grammys, but was removed after raising several complaints over sexual assault allegations and voter bias.
While not explicitly naming her, Diddy referenced the controversy by saying, "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 film, it´s going on in sports, it's going around the word."
Diddy's speech, though long and winding, does make a point. Since its inception, the Grammys have awarded Album of the Year to only two rap albums -- Lauryn Hill's 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' and Outkast's 'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'. Only one non-white artist, Bruno Mars, has won Album of the Year in the last decade.
Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' made history when is was awarded Song as well as Record of the Year in 2019, making it the first hip-hop song to win these awards.
Diddy went on to say "And for years we've allowed institutions that have never had our best interest at heart to judge us. And that stops right now." He ended with a clear message to the Grammys: "I'm officially starting the clock -- y´all got 365 days to get this (expletive) together.'
Diddy dedicated his award to other artists who didn't win it, including Prince, Kanye West, Nas, and Beyoncé -- who joined fellow artists in giving Diddy a standing ovation for his speech.
