Quincy Jones {Stefanie Keenan/WireImage}
[Update, 4:12 p.m. PT: On Wednesday afternoon, Quincy Jones released a statement denying any lack of respect for Sean "Puffy" Combs. "No controversy, no diss," he said. "I have nothing but love and respect for Puffy and all that he has achieved as an artist and an executive. Always have and always will."]
Quincy Jones certainly has the credentials to critique music--after all, he's responsible for producing the best-selling album of all time, Michael Jackson's Thriller.
However, did he go too far this week by critiquing a fellow artist?
Jones took it upon himself to blatantly diss hip-hop mogul P. Diddy at an event Tuesday announcing a new venture by music service Spotify. Saying that Diddy "wouldn't know a B-flat" if it hit him, the legendary producer went on to note that Diddy's talents lie in marketing--not music.
"P. Diddy has a doctorate in marketing...he's got clothes companies and Ciroc vodka," Jones pointed out, according to a report by The Wrap. True...but a lot of musicians have non-music related enterprises, right?
Diddy (real name Sean Combs), who like Jones is responsible for identifying and defining the careers of a number of best-selling artists as well as releasing his own music, didn't respond formally to Jones's comment.
Regardless, one thing's for certain. Neither man has much to worry about in terms of power, influence, and achievement. So, this will probably go down in the books as yet another sticks-and-stones dig.
Jones was speaking at the event to commemorate Spotify's launch of a new app featuring artist-curated playlists, for which he contributed his own list. Spotify also announced an integration partnership with Yahoo! the same day; however, Jones's appearance was not directly connected with the Yahoo! deal.
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