{"id":803475,"date":"2020-01-26T12:05:53","date_gmt":"2020-01-26T19:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/?p=943092"},"modified":"2020-01-26T12:05:53","modified_gmt":"2020-01-26T19:05:53","slug":"theres-the-elephant-in-the-room-inside-the-beautiful-chaos-of-clive-davis-pre-grammy-gala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/music-news\/theres-the-elephant-in-the-room-inside-the-beautiful-chaos-of-clive-davis-pre-grammy-gala\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018There\u2019s the Elephant in the Room\u2019: Inside the Beautiful Chaos of Clive Davis\u2019 Pre-Grammy Gala"},"content":{"rendered":"

For six hours at Clive Davis<\/a>\u2019 pre-Grammy gala in Beverly Hills Saturday night, the music industry<\/a>\u2019s most recognizable faces gently set the controversy shrouding<\/a> the Recording Academy<\/a> down on their tablecloth-draped banquet tables and poured out dozens of toasts and smiles \u2014 celebrating themselves, their colleagues, and the continued triumph of their world.<\/p>\n

Davis\u2019 party \u2014 which the octogenarian music executive has co-hosted with the academy since, some trusted sources say, \u201cliterally the dawn of time\u201d \u2014 ran from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Beverly Hilton hotel, but the show-slash-celebrity-bacchanal has long seemed to exist outside of the construct of time itself<\/a>. Figures like Jay-Z, Beyonc\u00e9, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson, Quincy Jones, and Jimmy Iovine could all be spotted chatting animatedly to friends and bobbing along to a lineup of glittering performances from their seats. Davis capped off the night with a Grammys\u2019 Salute to Industry Icons Award to artist-exec Sean \u201cDiddy<\/a>\u201d Combs.<\/p>\n

The gala began with a cocktail hour, which felt like a physical embodiment of that Hollywood clich\u00e9 \u201cdon\u2019t you know who I am\u201d as the room filled with dozens of beloved figures including Billy Porter, Bebe Rexha, Alexander Wang, Cardi B, Offset, Dua Lipa, G-Eazy, Nas, Ozzy, Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, Pete Wentz, Smokey Robinson, Timbaland, \u201cWeird Al\u201d Yankovic, Wiz Khalifa, Usher, Anderson .Paak, Jessie J, Kenny G, Faith Evans, Berry Gordy, 21 Savage, David Hockney, Michael Douglas and Jamie Foxx. Davis later gave personal shout-outs to many of these figures during the four-hour performance portion of the gala \u2014 with the audience giving particularly enthusiastic standing ovations to the introductions of Nas, U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Beyonc\u00e9 and Jay-Z, who slipped quietly into the show halfway through.<\/p>\n

For all the toasting, performing, and speaking, no one directly addressed Deborah Dugan\u2019s explosive allegations about the dysfunction and corruption of the Recording Academy<\/a>, which plucks the winners of each year\u2019s Grammy Awards and is meant to serve as the industry\u2019s governing organization. Harvey Mason Jr., the interim CEO of the Recording Academy who was appointed after Dugan\u2019s unexpected ouster last week, sidestepped the matter in his opening remarks by calling generally for a more \u201cinclusive industry\u201d and then drawing the crowd\u2019s attention to celebration, saying: \u201cHistory is created right here in this room. Looking around, I\u2019m reminded of how much a unifier music is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BEVERLY<\/p>\n

Courtesy\/Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"BEVERLY<\/p>\n

Courtesy\/Alberto E. Rodriguez\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThis is clearly a very tumultuous time for the Academy, but tonight we come together to celebrate music,\u201d Davis said in opening remarks. \u201cBut I do believe that before this night is over, you will have heard incredible music and witnessed spectacular performances to remind us all why our lives have been so deeply enriched by our lifelong careers in music.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so the promised spectacles began: Beck, Santana, Ryan Tedder, Miguel, Chance the Rapper, Adrienne Warren, Khalid, Brandi Carlile, Cyndi Lauper, John Legend, Faith Evans, Ma$e, Lil\u2019 Kim, Carl Thomas, King Combs, Andy Vargas, Wyclef Jean, and Cynthia Erivo all performed in the exhaustive (if not exhausting) show, some individually, some together in surprise duets and trios and quartets. Carlile and Lauper weaved around the room for an electric \u201cGirls Just Wanna Have Fun\u201d \u2014 \u201cThis ain\u2019t gonna work,\u201d Lauper muttered, removing her heeled boots on stage before the song \u2014 while Lil\u2019 Kim, Diddy\u2019s son King, and Faith Evans treated the crowd to a salute to three-time Grammy winner Diddy, a.k.a. Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and Brother Love.<\/p>\n

\"BEVERLY<\/p>\n

Courtesy\/Alberto E. Rodriguez\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After that, Davis resumed the stage for the umpteenth time to finally present the Grammys\u2019 industry icon award to Diddy himself \u2014 whose speech veered the night in a new direction for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m following in Clive\u2019s footsteps tonight. Since my dream has become reality, I\u2019m going to take my motherfucking time,\u201d Diddy announced upon taking the podium close to midnight. \u201cSo, the year is 1978\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

The wine at everyone\u2019s tables was drained; desserts had long been taken away. Many of the patient celebrities were already wiggling themselves into coats and hiding yawns behind their hands. But Diddy went on to speak for 45 minutes \u2014 during which time Davis rose from his seat several times and began ambling his slow way to the microphone, only to be thwarted by Diddy\u2019s recounting of yet another chapter in his life. He addressed the poverty and racism that plagued his career before telling the story of his determined, gradual climb to become one of the music industry\u2019s most influential record executives under the mentorship of those like Clarence Avant and Iovine. \u201cHip-hop, we\u2019re making money now,\u201d he shouted at one point, to rousing cheers from fellow artists like Jay-Z, Chance the Rapper, and Nas.<\/p>\n

Then, Diddy said good night by being the first speaker of the night to truly address the news and rumors surrounding the Recording Academy. \u201cThere\u2019s the elephant in the room,\u201d Diddy said. The room hushed. Feet that had been ready to turn and exit were stilled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something I need to say to the Grammys, and I changed my middle name to \u2018Love,\u2019 so I say this with love to the Grammys because you really need to know this: every year, y\u2019all be killing us, man,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m talking about the pain speaking for the artists, producers, executives. The amount of time it takes to make these records, pour your heart into it \u2014 and we just want an even playing field. For most of us, this is all we got. This is our only hope. Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. This current situation is not a revelation \u2014 it\u2019s been going on around the world, and for years we\u2019ve allowed institutions that have never had our interests at heart to judge us. And that stops right now. I\u2019m officially starting a clock. Y\u2019all got 365 days to get this shit together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BEVERLY<\/p>\n

Courtesy\/Gregg DeGuire\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The crowd rose to its feet in salute as Diddy closed out his speech: \u201cWe need the artists to take back control. This is the room that has the power to make that change. They are a nonprofit that is supposed to protect the welfare of the music community. They work for us \u2014 we have the power, we decide what\u2019s hot. If we don\u2019t go, nobody goes. We control what\u2019s hot. We control everything<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal used to be making hit records, and now it\u2019s about ensuring the culture moves forward,\u201d he concluded. \u201cOur culture. And for me to be worthy of receiving an icon award I have to be making a change. So, y\u2019all got 365 days. I want to dedicate this award to Michael Jackson, Prince, Beyonce, Missy Elliot, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Nas. I love y\u2019all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cFor years, we\u2019ve allowed institutions that have never had our interests at heart to judge us. And that stops right now. I\u2019m officially starting a clock. Y\u2019all got 365 days to get this shit together.\u201d \u2014 Diddy<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Circa 1 a.m., Davis returned to the stage once more to toast one last special guest of the evening: Janet Jackson<\/a>, who kept her words gracefully short. \u201cI know it\u2019s late and everybody\u2019s ready to go to bed,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWhen I was getting dressed this evening, I thought to myself that I\u2019ve been in this industry 47 years and I still enjoy going to work. And I feel very blessed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then the party dispersed, the crowd scrambled to hop into chauffeured limos and Ubers that charged triple surge pricing \u2014 shout-out to my driver who waited patiently in the Hilton\u2019s roundabout for all the limos to disperse before he could even inch toward my spot \u2014 and everybody went to bed.<\/p>\n

\"BEVERLY<\/p>\n

Courtesy\/Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"BEVERLY<\/p>\n

Courtesy\/Alberto E. Rodriguez\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"BEVERLY<\/p>\n

Courtesy\/Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"BEVERLY<\/p>\n

Courtesy\/Alberto E. Rodriguez\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

via:: Rolling Stone<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For six hours at Clive Davis\u2019 pre-Grammy gala in Beverly Hills Saturday night, the music industry\u2019s most recognizable faces gently set the controversy shrouding the Recording Academy down on their tablecloth-draped banquet tables and poured out dozens of toasts and smiles \u2014 celebrating themselves, their colleagues, and the continued triumph of their world. Davis\u2019 party […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-803475","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-music-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-24 15:48:50","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803475\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}