The Hollywood Reporter unveiled Clive Davis’ annual yearbook photo from his pre-Grammy bash Wednesday, but the evening’s big honoree, Diddy, was a no-show for the pic.
He arrived late to the gala Saturday, and an insider told us he skipped the photo because he was celebrating at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation brunch earlier in the day. Cyndi Lauper, Chance the Rapper, Miguel, Lil Kim and fellow honoree Janet Jackson were among the 15 artists featured in the image.
Diddy, however, later made up for his absence with a 50-minute speech that called out the Recording Academy for its lack of diversity: “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.”
Pal Naomi Campbell, took his words to heart and pressured the Academy to rethink its World Music category by posting on Insta: “Afrobeats is a musical genre played on mainstream and primetime radio not only across the continent of Africa, but across the world … Please take the next 363 days to reassess and reflect on your perspective of ‘World Music’ … This is bigger than you, so open your eyes, ears and minds and treat us right and with the respect we deserve,” with a photo of artists Angelique Kidjo and Burna Boy.
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