How Diplo Got Accused Of Dissing Beyonce At The Grammys
The Bey Hive does not tolerate disrespect toward their queen. So, when famed DJ and producer Diplo appeared to shade Beyoncé at the 2023 Grammy Awards – her fans rang the alarm. But amid the online discourse, the globetrotting DJ defended himself against the full force of Beyoncé's dedicated fanbase.
On the night of the 2023 Grammys on February 5, Beyoncé and Diplo were both up for a trophy in the best dance electronic music album category. The "Cuff It" singer was up for her 2022 dance music fantasia, "Renaissance," and Diplo for his fourth, self-titled solo album. In a historic (and unsurprising) turn of events, Beyoncé's name was called, officially making her the artist with the most Grammy wins at a grand total of 32.
As Beyoncé made her way to the stage amid a standing ovation, the camera quickly cut to a close-up that showed Diplo clapping and inaudible saying something to his neighbor. Immediately, fans took to social media to spread theories on what the DJ was remarking, and an internet-led investigation spread like wildfire.
Diplo's words were misconstrued, even though we never heard them
This case of online sleuthing might have missed the mark. Fans online insisted that if you read Diplo's lips when the Grammy cameras cut to him, the music producer had accused Beyoncé and her team of bribing the Recording Academy. "They bought that," he supposedly said, according to some so-called lip readers online. While it undoubtedly looks that those are the words he used, the DJ took to Instagram to clear up all the confusion about what he said.
When the celebrity gossip show "Hollywood Unlocked" reported about the online hatred directed at Diplo, the DJ responded to the clip in the show's DMs. "You know I didn't say that lol," he insisted. He further clarified that he was actually saying, "Glad to be part of it," referencing their past collaborations.
In his post-Grammys Instagram post, the "Leon On" creator further elaborated on his love for dance and electronic music, as well as for Beyoncé herself. "Beyoncé['s] album was legendary," he gushed. "What's important to understand was that her intention was 100%. She did the work found the real producers and she made classics, so she deserves her flowers. And when she won I was just proud to see my nomination on the screen in the huge arena."
Diplo respects Beyonce's craft
If you just read the online discourse around Diplo's Grammy lip-reading fiasco, you would think he and Beyoncé are mortal enemies. In actuality, the two musicians have collaborated on music several times over the years. The first time Diplo was credited on a Beyoncé song was as a producer on two iconic songs from her 2011 album, "4;" "End of Time" and "Run the World (Girls)," the latter of which sampled the DJ's song with Major Lazer, "Pon de Floor." Then, he was brought back to work on 2016's "Lemonade" for the songs "All Night" and "Hold Up."
But just because Diplo is credited on her tracks, it doesn't mean he was super involved in the album-making process with Beyoncé herself. During an interview on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" in 2020, he revealed the "Halo" singer's preference for secrecy. "With Beyonce, when you work on her music, you actually never hear it until it's out," he explained. "Like, you send her music, it's like in a guarded lockbox sent from the engineers to your house, and you never know what it is, the final product, until you hear it on the album." Overall, it doesn't look like Diplo is ever actually in the studio with Beyoncé for hours, but instead, he told Rolling Stone that he mostly "[stays] in touch with her team" and sends them music for her to choose from.