Diddy Plans To Skip Grammy Awards Amid Sexual Assault Allegations
Rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, will reportedly shun the 2024 Grammys ceremony despite being nominated in the Best Progressive R&B Album category.
Diddy made the nomination list for his music project, "The Love Album: Off the Grid," alongside projects from the likes of 6LACK, Janelle Monae, SZA, Terrence Martin, and James Fauntleroy.
It comes in the wake of a slew of sexual assault allegations against the rapper, which he has since denied.
Diddy Was Nominated In The Best Progressive R&B Album Category
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Diddy has no plans to attend the 66th Annual Grammy Awards scheduled to be held on February 4, 2024, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Despite the rapper being nominated for the Best Progressive R&B Album category, he is expected to be a no-show, as confirmed by his representative.
In his absence, his project "The Love Album: Off the Grid" will be competing with the likes of 6LACK's "Since I Have A Lover," Terrence Martin and James Fauntleroy's "Nova," Janelle Monae's "The Age Of Pleasure," and frontrunner SZA's "SOS" for the top prize.
This nomination marks Diddy's first mention for a Grammy in eight years, following his 2016 nod as one of the many producers on Kanye West's "All Day."
Meanwhile, the rapper last competed at the Grammys for a personal project in 2004. At the time, he won best rap performance by a group or duo for the hit track "Shake Ya Tailfeather," featuring Nelly and Murphy Lee. The song was also part of the Bad Boys II soundtrack, executively produced by Diddy under his Bad Boy label.
Why Is The Rapper Skipping The Grammy Awards?
It's not clear why the rapper decided to skip the Grammys, as he or his representative hasn't provided any information about it.
However, it is most likely related to the litany of sexual assault and abuse allegations against him from women he has been linked with in the past, all of which he has denied.
It's possible that the rapper wanted to take action before the Recording Academy decided whether to revoke his attendance, especially after they expressed taking the accusations "very seriously."
"We are taking this matter very seriously, and we are in the process of evaluating it with the time and care that it deserves," the Recording Academy said.
At the time, they also noted that they were only discussing his attendance and not his nomination since getting a nod is dependent on voters' choices.
Diddy Addresses The Sexual Assault Allegations
Back in November, Diddy was hit with a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, in which she accused him of rape and sex trafficking. She also claimed that she was trapped for a decade in a cycle of abuse and violence.
While the case was eventually resolved outside of court, it triggered three additional accusations from different women. The most recent accusation comes from someone identified as Jane Doe, who alleged that Diddy and Bad Boy Entertainment President Harve Pierre sexually assaulted her when she was in high school.
After a period of silence, Diddy released a statement to defend himself, saying he wasn't guilty of any of the accusations -- in all capital letters.
"ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, I HAVE SAT SILENTLY AND WATCHED PEOPLE TRY TO ASSASSINATE MY CHARACTER, DESTROY MY REPUTATION AND MY LEGACY," the rapper began in a post on Instagram.
He added, "SICKENING ALLEGATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE AGAINST ME BY INDIVIDUALS LOOKING FOR A QUICK PAYDAY. LET ME BE ABSOLUTELY CLEAR: I DID NOT DO ANY OF THE AWFUL THINGS BEING ALLEGED. I WILL FIGHT FOR MY NAME, MY FAMILY AND FOR THE TRUTH."
Diddy's Empire Has Been On The Decline
The three-time Grammy winner's empire has been crumbling since the sexual assault allegations first made headlines.
He first relinquished his position as chairman of Revolt, a digital cable television network specializing in music, which he founded in 2013. Retail giant Macy's then cut ties with him, breaking their nearly two-decade-long partnership with his Sean John clothing label. Shortly after, Diddy was dropped by the Harlem charter school, which he co-founded in 2016.
Further losses came in the form of his project with Hulu being scrapped. James Corden's production company, Fulwell 73, was in charge of producing the show, which had the tentative title Diddy+7.
Additionally, over a dozen companies boycotted his recently launched e-commerce platform, Empower Global, an online marketplace for black-owned businesses.
