Diddy, who was
tasked with introducing Clive Davis at the veteran music executive's annual pre-GRAMMY party, took the opportunity to pay tribute to Whitney Houston, who passed away earlier that day.
Pop & Hiss, the Los Angeles Times music blog,
shared the text of his speech, which you can read below.
"We see each other a lot but don't get a chance to really connect and tell each other how much we appreciate, how much we love and respect each other. I want to give all my love and respect to all my peers that are here. I want to say it tonight, because tomorrow night, as you see, is not promised.
"Tonight I was like, you guys: 'Am I gonna go, am I not gonna go? Is it right? What should I do?' I called up Clive and I spoke to Clive and I just wanted to make sure he was all right, because he's one of the kindest, most beautiful people that I know.
"Then I was thinking about the time I got honored with a BET Award and I sat next to Whitney Houston. And if you ever sat next to Whitney Houston anywhere, you already know that you're in for a good time.
"Whenever you saw Whitney, she always hit you with that beautiful smile, she always hit you with that incredible energy, she gave you that hug, that grandma hug that shook your body, that real love. So that made me kind of get dressed and hopefully made you guys get dressed in the memory of her natural, positive spirit.
"I also called [veteran music executive] Clarence Avant, who most of us call when we're in trouble. I called him on this occasion because I know how wise he is. He said, 'A lot of us profess to believe in God. If we truly believe in God, then we should celebrate the life of Whitney Houston.'
"Whitney Houston, simply put, had the greatest voice in the world. She was a gift of God. Hearing her sing was like listening to magic. If it wasn't for Clive Davis, the world may not have known ... that miraculous voice.
"Whitney Houston sold over 170 million records worldwide, DVDs and CDs combined. Today we didn't just lose one of our fellow artists, we truly lost an angel.
"Any time we think of Whitney, we have to remember that positivity that she gave us. Whenever she performed she performed at 5,000%, she always gave love. She was not a hater, she was a congratulator all the time.
"When I found out on the news today, I was literally in a state of shock. I immediately thought of ... her mother Cissy, her father, her daughter, her family and friends - and Clive Davis.
"It's rare in this industry that you get somebody to live and die with you. Imagine going through the ups and downs and having somebody to stand by your side when the whole world is turning their back on you. Somebody who believes in you. Somebody who's going to be there in your darkest hour for you.
"That's the type of man Clive Davis is. And that's why all of us are up here tonight and also in honor of Whitney Houston and Diana Ross [who was honored with a 2012 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award], let's give them a round of applause please."
Comments
Add Comment
READ BEFORE COMMENTING: Participation constitutes agreement to our
User Guidelines, which are stricter than most other blogs', so please read them before commenting. No advertising (posting links to your site), inflammatory (flaming) remarks, vulgarities (any kind of profanity that you can imagine) or questions about our
guidelines or comment deletions. We generally try to maintain a family friendly atmosphere here. Please keep this in mind. A few common examples:
- Posting a link to your blog or to any site you are affiliated with will probably get your comment deleted, unless we asked for it or it acts as a TrackBack.
- Asking why your comment was deleted will get your comment deleted. Please contact us instead.
- Attacking a blogger or fellow commenter instead of attacking their point will probably get your comment deleted.
Treat our users and our
guidelines with respect and you'll be fine. As long as you do that, we're happy to have you at the Bad Boy Blog.
Please note that all comments made on entries that are at least 14 days old are moderated.