LOL! DIDDY WANTED TO BE A GROUPIE & PRINCE WASN'T HAVING IT!

Nothing compares 2 the shade that Prince gave Sean (Diddy) Combs at Essence's Black Women in Music event in Los Angeles Wednesday night.

Put it this way: If Prince were running a nightclub, Diddy wouldn't get past the velvet ropes.

Both men were on hand to salute Grammy-nominated artist Janelle Monae, who was guest of honor at the event at the Playhouse Hollywood nightclub. Monae records for Diddy's Bad Boy record label, and she performed as an opening act for one of Prince's recent "Welcome 2 America"shows at Madison Square Garden.

According to a source at the Essence soiree, Prince and Diddy were installed at adjacent booths at the Hollywood Blvd. nightclub. Diddy, who co-hosted the event, had the larger booth and sat with a group that included Grammy-nominated heartthrob Bruno Mars.

Next door, the privacy-loving Prince had custom decorated his VIP perch with a velvet rope and four security guards to keep unwanted guests from bothering him or his date for the night, American Ballet Theater dancer Misty Copeland. The dark-haired hottie, who twirled to his "The Beautiful Ones"onstage at the Garden, was dressed, like Prince, in a cream-colored ensemble.

During Monae's performance, both men stood, says our source, and that's when Diddy, who looked sharp in a black suit, tie and patent leather shoes, approached Prince. With the velvet rope between them, he gave the pocket funkster a handshake and a hug.

That's as warm as things got, however. Our insider tells us, "You could see that Diddy wanted to hang out, but Prince was very cold. He didn't have his security take down the velvet rope,"so that Diddy could pass into the inner sanctum and join him.

Eventually, our source adds, Diddy returned to his table and "his Ciroc,"a reference to the brand of vodka that the hip-hop tycoon shills.

Prince's camp declined to comment for this story, so it's unclear why the fuchsia-loving funkster gave Diddy the cold shoulder. According to one music-industry insider, though, Diddy "isn't Prince's kind of guy,"says the source. "He's a lot of flash and dash, and very bragadocious. Prince, believe it or not, is real down to earth. He isn't about all that flossing."

Despite Prince's outrageous fashion and lyrics, the pomp and precision of his Garden gigs show that like James Brown before him, he is one of the hardest-working men in showbiz. Combs works hard too, though mostly at self-promotion.

Diddy's spokeswoman responded: "There is absolutely no truth to this,"added that the two men "greeted each other.”


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