Jermaine Dupri is asking the BET Awards to pay tribute to Clive Davis in a big way after his recent passing.
Taking to social media, the legendary producer said Davis put Black music out to the forefront.
“It’s Black Music Month, and today we lost the guy who really understood how important, how cultural, and how impactful Black music is to the world. The man arranged distribution deals with T-Neck, home of the Isley Brothers, and Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s Philadelphia International (The O’Jays, Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls). When he was at Columbia, he signed Earth, Wind & Fire and Herbie Hancock to the label,” Dupri’s caption read. “And he worked with the imprint’s established superstars, Sly Stone and Miles Davis.”
”He left Colombia in 1975. Davis and Arista cast a wide net, building a roster that included Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and, in 1983, Warwick’s cousin, Whitney Houston. Davis, signed a joint venture with the Atlanta R&B label LaFace, co-founded by Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. And he executed a similar move in 1993 by partnering with Combs’ fledgling hip-hop label, Bad Boy Records. He signed so many other big srtists,” the caption continued. “ I’m just showing you how important he was to Black music and how important Black music was to him.”
Dupri said that the BET Awards should do their best to honor Davis’ legacy.
”He really understood what Black music meant to the world, and what Black music meant to the music business. That’s why his party was so poppin’. It’s a White man with a party that had all the Black executives, all the Black artists. All of Black music wanted to be at Clive Davis Party, said Dupri. “So, I just pray that on the BET Awards…Black music entertainment…that we do something big for Clive as we let him rest in peace.”
Following a recent hospitalization for respiratory issues, Davis died at home on Monday June 22.