They Never Loved Us: Diddy Calls Out The Grammys For History Of Hating On Hip-Hop [VIDEO]

Source: Xavier Collin/ Image Press Agency / SplashNews / Splash News

Diddy Challenges The Grammy’s To Pay Proper Respect To Hip-Hop

Diddy addressed the elephant in the room while accepting the Icon Award at Saturday night’s Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Awards party. He addressed corruption in the Recording Academy and called out the non-profit for never paying hip-hop and black music proper respect.

In the great words of Erykah Badu — we are sensitive about our shit. We are passionate. For most of us, this is all we got. This is our only hope. Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black music has never been respected to the point that it should be. So right now 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.

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. Y’all got 365 days to get this shit together. We need the artists to take back the control. We need transparency. We need diversity. This is the room that has the power to make the change that needs to be made. They have to make the changes for us.

They are a non profit organization that is 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.

We have the power, we decide what’s hot. If we don’t go, nobody goes. If we don’t support, nobody supports. We control what’s cool, we control what’s hot. We control what your kids listen to, what they dance to… We control everything.

Now we’re not going to solve this tonight but it’s going to take all of us to get it done. It’s going to take the artists and executives to recognize their power. And I’m standing here today not to just bash y’all. Like I said y’all a non profit organization. We just need to get it right. And I’m here for the artists, so sign me up. I’m here to help make a difference, and help make a positive outcome. And I believe all my brothers and sisters out there will work to get it right. We just want it right. We just want to be able to go to the Grammy’s. You gotta understand We seen Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson and Michael Jackson was holding 8 Grammys. He was dropping the Grammy’s. And you know why the was dropping the Grammys? Because he was never nominated for ‘Off The Wall.’ And so ‘Thriller’ was his revenge. It wasn’t his honest work. It was his revenge. He was like ‘Y’all want to f**k with me? I’m going to take your souls.’ And then we have ‘Thriller.’ My goal used to be making hit records, now it’s about ensuring that the culture moves forward. My culture, our culture, the black culture. For me to be worthy of receiving an Icon Award, I have to be willing to help make a change, and on that note I’m finishing up. Y’all got 365 days and I want to dedicate this award to Michael Jackson for Off the Wall

Prince for 1999, Beyonce for Lemonade, Missy Elliott for “The Real World”, Snoop Dogg for “Doggystyle”, Kanye West for “Graduation” and Nas for “Illmatic”.

Clive, I love you to death. I love you I love you I love you. Thank you.