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Embroiled in sexual assault lawsuits, Diddy will not be attending the 2024 Grammy Awards — despite being nominated for the first time in 20 years.
Sean “Diddy” Combs will not be attending the 2024 Grammy Awards on February 4, his representative tells the press. His nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album — the artist’s first Grammy nom since 2004 — was announced before the string of sexual assault allegations against him began, beginning with singer Cassie in November.
The Recording Academy announced on December 11 that it was “taking (the allegations against Diddy) very seriously and we are in the process of evaluating it with the time and care that it deserves.” But given that Diddy’s chances of actually winning the award are fairly low (he’s up against SZA’s “SOS”), his decision not to attend means the Academy is free to more or less sweep it under the rug; the odds of them removing a nomination were next to nothing to begin with.
“We don’t control who the voters vote for. If voters feel like a creator deserves a nomination, they’re going to vote for them,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. when asked about comedians Dave Chappelle and Louis CK’s controversial nominations last year. “If there’s someone that’s been nominated that we don’t necessarily agree with, we’re not going to remove a nomination.”
“We’re never going to be in the business of (evaluating) them on the scale of morality,” Mason continued. “Our job is to evaluate the art and the quality of the art. The thing that we can control is making sure that people that attend our events feel safe (…) and don’t feel threatened by anyone.”
All nominees for a Grammy are invited to the show, and uninviting even one artist could spell disaster for the Academy, with 91 categories across the event and 450 nominees to potentially be vetted should some new process be applied.
“The Love Album” dropped in September, and while it didn’t dominate streaming services or earn special acclaim, the fact it was recognized with a nomination might have been cause for celebration for Diddy. A collaborative project with Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, 21 Savage, Burna Boy, Busta Rhymes, Coco Jones, and many more, “The Love Album” may have in fact landed a nomination due to the sheer number of hands involved in it who then also cast a vote in its favor.
