Jay-Z came to the Grammys with a public service announcement: Beyoncé should have already won a Grammy for Album of the Year.
The legendary rapper took the stage along with his daughter Blue Ivy at Crypto.com Arena Sunday night to accept the first-ever Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. During his speech, he focused in on his view that the Grammys do not always get it right when it comes to who should win each award.
As an example, Jay-Z put the spotlight on his wife, who is the artist with the most Grammy Awards all-time.
"I don't want to embarrass this young lady but she has more Grammys than everyone and has never won Album of the Year," Jay-Z said to the Grammys crowd. "So even by your own metrics that doesn't work. Think about that. The most Grammys, but never won Album of the Year. That doesn't work."
Beyoncé has won a record 32 Grammy Awards, but has never won Album of the Year. She has been nominated for Album of the Year five times, the latest being for "RENAISSANCE" at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
During his speech, Jay-Z also said of the Grammys that "we love y'all" and "obviously, it's subjective," but "sometime... you know."
As for Jay-Z, he has won 24 Grammy Awards and earned 88 nominations, some of which come from his work with Beyoncé.
Although Jay-Z's speech was at times critical, he ended by giving advice to artists out there.
"Just in life, just keep showing up. Forget the Grammys, just keep showing up. Until they give you all those accolades you feel you deserve. Until they call you champion. Until they call you a genius. Until they call you the greatest of all time. Feel me?" Jay-Z said.
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At this point, he looked at Beyoncé, his wife, and said, “I don't want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn't work. Think about that. The most Grammys, never won album of the year.
What was Jay's speech about the Grammys? ›
“I don't want to embarrass this young lady, but (Beyoncé) has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year, so even by your own metrics, that doesn't work.” Jay-Z said, referencing his wife Beyoncé. “Think about that. The most Grammys, never won album of the year.” The thing is, he's right.
Who won the most Grammys but did not win the Album of the Year? ›
Jay-Z called out the Grammys this week for repeatedly snubbing Beyonce for Album of the Year. Despite winning 32 total Grammys (the most in history), she's never won AOTY.
Did Beyoncé ever win the Grammy for album of the year? ›
Beyoncé has been nominated four times as a solo artist for the prestigious album of the year category, but has not won it once. She earned album of the year nominations in 2010 ("I Am... Sasha Fierce"), 2015 ("Beyoncé"), 2017 ("Lemonade") and 2023 ("Renaissance").
What was Jay-Z complaining about at the Grammys? ›
During a speech at the Grammys on Sunday, Jay-Z criticized the awards show for what he described as its snubs and inconsistencies in giving out honors to Black artists, pointing out that his wife, Beyoncé, has the most Grammys but has never won for album of the year. “Even by your own metrics it doesn't work,” he said.
What did Jay-Z's speech mean? ›
Jay-Z's Grammy speech is a call to tear down the walls dividing music. It's hard to categorize music in a way that doesn't make tired assumptions about the people recording it or the people presumed to be listening to it. Beyoncé and Jay-Z at the Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday.
What was Jay-Z's Grammy speech about? ›
A deeper look at the representation issues Jay-Z talked about in his Grammys speech. While accepting an honorary Grammy, Jay-Z criticized the Recording Academy for ignoring Black artists, including his wife, Beyonce. SACHA PFEIFFER, HOST: Jay-Z has 24 Grammy Awards, and he won an honorary Grammy last night.
Who did Beyoncé lose to for the Album of the Year? ›
That doesn't work.” Beyoncé has been nominated for Album of the Year four times, but has lost each time she has been nominated: first to Taylor Swift, then to Beck, then to Adele, and finally to Harry Styles.
What did Jay-Z say about Beyoncé? ›
"We love y'all. We want y'all to get it right," he said. "I don't want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than anyone and never won album of the year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn't work."
What GRAMMY has Beyoncé never won? ›
The fact that Beyoncé has never won Album of the Year for Self-titled, Lemonade, and RENAISSANCE is shameful. The LAST Black woman to win AOTY was Lauryn Hill, and that was over 25 YEARS AGO.
In a interview, Eminem explains why he'll never attend a Grammys award show again. 'I'm tired of seeing it,' he told Sway Calloway. ''For whatever reason, they're always pitching this hint that you might win album of the year, which used to be a big deal. I don't think it's a big deal now.
What is the Grammy curse? ›
The Best New Artist award has a reputation for being given to artists whose music industry success ends up being short-lived; it is sometimes asserted, with varying degrees of sincerity, that the award itself brings a curse.
How old was Jay-Z when he met Beyoncé? ›
Superstar Beyonce revealed that she first met future husband Jay-Z when she was 18-years-old, according to a cover story from magazine Seventeen. She says "There was no rush — no one expected me to run off and get married." on meeting rapper Jay-Z who was 30 at the time.
What did the dream say at the GRAMMYs? ›
The-Dream Says 'N****s Be On CP Time' With Beyoncé Stuck In Traffic During First 2023 Grammy Speech. The-Dream was almost too candid while accepting Beyoncé's first Grammy Award of the telecast because she was stuck in traffic.
What happened at the GRAMMYs in 2024? ›
Artists made history and made memorable moments at the 2024 GRAMMYs: women won several of the major GRAMMY categories and general dominated the night; several artists won their first-ever GRAMMY, including Miley Cyrus; and Taylor Swift became the artist with the most GRAMMY wins for Album Of The Year.
What happened in the 2009 GRAMMYs? ›
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss won two of the three biggest prizes — Album of the Year and Record of the Year — at the 51st annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. Coldplay took Song of the Year and Best Rock Album.
What did Suga say about the GRAMMYs? ›
Fans have since then been criticising the award show for using BTS for promotion. This time around, when Suga was asked about Grammys, he said, “Isn't that a local thing?” The quote was earlier used by Parasite director Bong Joon-ho.
