Fresh off his win at the 2020 GRAMMY Awards, DJ Khaled shared his reaction to Sean "Diddy" Combs calling out the Recording Academy’s lack of diversity.
Khaled, whose “Higher” collaboration with Nipsey Hussle and John Legend won Best Rap/Sung Performance during Sunday’s show, agreed with Diddy’s comments.
“That’s why I made sure [to say] this is for hip-hop,” he explained of his GRAMMYs acceptance speech. “We always have to do better. Every day we’re supposed to get better and greater, and learn, and grow, and what [Diddy] was saying was, ‘Let’s do better. Let’s put more love out there for everybody.’”
“We just want ours too,” the GRAMMY winner added of rap artists being notoriously shut out of the GRAMMYs' major categories.“This is for hip-hop. This is for Nipsey Hussle,” Khaled added.
Earlier in the night, Khaled, Legend, YG and rap newcomer Roddy Ricch performed a touching tribute to Hussle, which also honored NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
Diddy put the Recording Academy on blast while accepting the 2020 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Award at the annual Clive Davis pre-GRAMMY Gala on Saturday.
“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,” the 50-year-old mogul said. “The amount of time it takes to make these records, to pour your heart into it, and you just want an even playing field.”
The GRAMMYs have been embroiled in controversy amid claims made by suspended Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan, who filed a discrimination complaint against her former bosses last week. Dugan accused the Academy of being a “boy’s club,” discriminating against women and people of color, and rigging the nomination process.
In reaction to Dugan’s allegations, the Academy said in a statement, “We regret that Music’s Biggest Night is being stolen by Ms. Dugan’s actions and we are working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.”
Ahead of Sunday's show, the Academy announced several new initiatives including plans to hire a Diversity & Inclusion Officer within the next three months.
