Jay-Z doesn't think the math adds up when it comes to Grammy Awards for his wife Beyoncé. He made it very clear during Sunday's ceremony.
The Roc Nation founder and “4:44” rapper questioned the Recording Academy and its decisions while accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 66th Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. “We want everyone to do well,” he said, accompanied by his daughter Blue Ivy Carter.
After thanking artists like Dre for opening doors for him and his fellow rappers, Jay-Z got very honest about the Grammys and how he's overlooked Beyoncé for the breakout album of the year award. Although she wasn't nominated this year, the “Break My Soul” singer is the winningest artist in the show's history. Last year, her album “Renaissance” was not nominated for the Grammy.
“I don't want to embarrass this young woman, but she has more Grammys than anyone and she's never won album of the year,” Jay-Z said, referring to his wife, who was watching from the audience. “So even by your own metrics that doesn't work. Think about it.”
In her decades-long career, Beyoncé has been in the running for album of the year four times, but has never won. Last year, “Renaissance” lost to Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House.”
Jay-Z didn't mention his wife by name, but he doubled down and went deeper: “The most Grammy Awards, he's never won album of the year. That does not work. Some of you will go home tonight and feel like you've been robbed, some of you may be robbed, some of you don't belong in any category.”
After acknowledging “I tell the truth” when he's nervous, Jay-Z concluded his acceptance speech with a note about perseverance, despite slights. “Just in life you have to keep showing up…until you get all the praise you think you deserve,” he said.
The Knowles-Carter family, even without winning album of the year, has a total of 57 Grammy Awards. By his count, Jay-Z has 24 Grammy Awards and a total of 88 nominations. Blue Ivy, 12, earned her first Grammy of 2021 in the music video category.
Sunday's ceremony, which aired on CBS, concluded with Taylor Swift and her album of the year winner for “Midnights.” Swift now has four Grammy Awards for album of the year.
