At the Grammy Awards on Sunday, hip-hop legend Jay-Z was bestowed with the prestigious Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, marking a significant moment in his illustrious career. However, the evening took an unexpected turn as Jay-Z used his platform to supposedly address the Grammy organisation’s perceived snub of his wife, Beyoncé, in the Album of the Year category.
With Beyoncé cheering him on, Jay-Z brought their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, to the stage as he accepted the trophy. He humorously shared that he once used the gramophone as a sippy cup for Blue Ivy.
He then acknowledged the influence of Dr Dre on the coveted awards ceremony, recounting historical Grammy moments, including DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s boycott in 1989. Transitioning to his own experience in 1998, Jay-Z boycotted the Grammys when he was nominated for Best Rap Album, drawing attention to the snub of DMX, who had two number-one albums that year but received no nominations.
“How far we have come with Will Smith, the Fresh Prince winning their first Grammy in ’89 and boycotting because it was not televised,” he said. “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. 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. We love y’all, we love y’all. We want you to get it right — or at least get it close to right. And obviously, it’s subjective, because it’s music and it’s opinion-based, but some things…”
He then turned to his wife, Beyoncé, and highlighted that she has never won Album of the Year despite a remarkable 32 Grammy wins.
“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. That doesn’t work,” he added. “When I get nervous, I tell the truth.”
Concluding his acceptance speech, Jay-Z urged everyone to keep working hard until people acknowledge their talent and their worth. “You got to keep showing up until they give you all those accolades you feel you deserve, until they call you Chairman, until they call you a genius, until they call you the greatest of all time.”
