Jan 26, 2020 - Economy & Business

Diddy blasts the Grammys: "Hip-hop has never been respected"

Diddy accepts he 2020 Industry Icon award last night: Photo: Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

Ahead of Sunday's Grammy Awards, Sean "Diddy" Combs called out the show for dissing rap and R&B stars, in a blazing speech that got a standing ovation from Beyoncé, Jay-Z and others, AP reports.

What they're saying: At the end of his 50-minute speech last night at Clive Davis' white-hot pre-Grammys gala, Combs said: "So I say this with love to the Grammys, because you really need to know this: Every year, y'all be killing us, man."

  • "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."

The context: Over the years, the awards show has been criticized when Beyoncé, Kanye West, Eminem, Mariah Carey and others lose in major categories.

  • The rap and R&B stars often fall short of their pop, rock and country counterparts.
  • And the voting process was called into question last week after the academy's just-ousted CEO, Deborah Dugan, claimed that the awards are rigged and filled with conflicts of interest.

Go deeper: On-demand video rental services get awards season boost

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Photo: Bonnie Cash/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

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Catch up quick: Moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump on Tuesday, "Are you willing, tonight, to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down?" Trump asked who specifically he should condemn, and then responded, "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left."

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Photos: Jim Watson and Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

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What they are saying: "Last night's debate made clear that additional structure should be added to the format of the remaining debates to ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues," the CPD said in a statement.

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Why it matters: The comments set off outrage and calls for clarification from a number of Republican senators. After being asked several times on Wednesday whether he will condemn white supremacy, Trump responded, "I have always denounced any form — any form of any of that, you have to denounce. But I also — Joe Biden has to say something about antifa."

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