Jay-Z Calls Out Grammys for Never Awarding Wife Beyoncé Album of the Year
Jay-Z slammed the Grammys this weekend and called the awards show out for never awarding his wife, Beyoncé, album of the year.
Feb. 4 2024, Published 11:45 p.m. ET
The 54-year-old rapper’s surprising diatribe came on Sunday night as Jay-Z accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact award at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Downtown Los Angeles.
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But while the 99 Problems rapper’s speech started normal, it quickly took a turn for the worse when Jay-Z noted how his wife has never won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year – despite holding the current record for the most wins in history with a whopping 32 Grammys.
“How far we have come with Will Smith, the Fresh Prince winning their first Grammy in ’89 and boycotting, because it was not televised,” Jay-Z said as he started his speech on Sunday night. “And then they went to a hotel to watch the Grammys. I don’t even understand, it was not a great boycott.”
“But then in ’98, I took a page out of their book and was nominated for best rap album,” he continued. “And DMX put out two, they were both number one, and he was not nominated at all. So I boycotted and I watched.”
“I’m just saying, we want you all to get it right,” Jay-Z charged. “We love y’all, we love y’all. We want you to get it right – or at least get it close to right.”
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The rapper’s diatribe came on Sunday night as Jay-Z accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact award at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
“And obviously, it’s subjective, because it’s music and it’s opinion-based, but some things…”
It was at this point that Jay-Z turned to Beyoncé, who was sitting out in the audience, and complained that she has still not been awarded the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year,” he said while looking at Beyoncé but targeting the Grammys. “So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.”
“Think about that. The most Grammys, never won album of the year,” Jay-Z noted. “That doesn’t work.”
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“When I get nervous, I tell the truth,” Jay-Z said after calling out the Grammys.
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The rapper-turned-producer then admitted that he was “nervous” and that “when I get nervous, I tell the truth.”
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“When I get nervous, I tell the truth,” Jay-Z concluded before ending his speech and departing the Grammys stage.
While some viewers agreed with Jay-Z’s rant, others argued that it was not the time or place to be holding grudges.
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While Beyoncè has been nominated for Album of the Year four times, she has never won.
“Yah boy jay-z turning the grammys into politics,” one Grammys viewer tweeted shortly after Jay-Z’s speech.
“How much do people care about his opinion anymore?” wrote another. “Compared to say Taylor Swift?”
“Why is he dragging Beyoncè like this?” wrote one more person who tuned in to Jay-Z’s speech on Sunday night.
While Beyoncè has been nominated for Album of the Year four times, she has never won.
