Jay-Z Calls Out Grammy Awards for Snubbing Beyoncé
Jay-Z wants Beyoncé to get more recognition for running the world. He called out the Grammy Awards on Feb. 4. for never giving his wife Album of the Year despite her impressive 32 wins.
Jay-Z‘s got 99 problems with the Grammys and Beyoncé‘s track record is one.
While accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 2024 Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, Jay called out the Recording Academy for failing to properly recognize his wife’s career. (See all the winners here.)
“We want y’all to get it right—at least get it close to right,” the rapper, 54, said of the show’s history of snubs. “Obviously it’s subjective, because it’s music and it’s opinion-based. But some things, you know, I don’t want to embarrass this young lady—but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year.”
Although Beyoncé broke the record for most Grammy wins of all time last year—with 32 trophies in total—the Renaissance artist has yet to win Album of the Year. She was nominated for the coveted prize in 2010 for I Am… Sasha Fierce, 2011 for Lady Gaga‘s The Fame Monster as a featured artist, 2015 for Beyoncé, 2017 for Lemonade and 2023 for Renaissance. Bey and Jay are also tied for the record of most Grammy nominations, with 88 each.“So, even by your own metrics that doesn’t work,” Jay continued while speaking at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. “Think about that: The most Grammys, never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work.”
Jay didn’t stop there. The “Empire State of Mind” singer also declared that some of the nominations at the 2024 show were not well deserved.
“Some of you gonna go home tonight and feel like you’ve been robbed,” he said. “Some of you don’t belong in the category.” And when the audience gasped, he laughed, “No, when I get nervous, I tell the truth.”
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Joined by daughter Blue Ivy Carter on the stage, Jay went on to offer hope to other artists who may not be getting honored.
“We gotta keep showing up. And forget the Grammys for a second, just in life, as my daughter sits and stares at me—nervous as I am,” he said. “You gotta 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.”
While Beyoncé wasn’t up for any awards this year, it was SZA (real name Solána Imani Rowe) who earned love galore from the Recording Academy, as she was nominated for nine awards, the most of any artist. Phoebe Bridgers, Serban Ghenea and Victoria Monét trailed behind her with each earning seven nods at the Grammys.
However, it was also a bejeweled night for Taylor Swift, who announced her upcoming album The Tortured Poets Department and earned six nominations, including for her songs “Karma” and “Anti-Hero” off her 2022 album Midnights. The record is competing for Album of the Year alongside Jon Batiste‘s World Music Radio, boygenius‘ The Record, Miley Cyrus‘ Endless Summer Vacation, Janelle Monáe‘s The Age of Pleasure, Olivia Rodrigo‘s Guts, SZA‘s SOS and Lana Del Rey‘s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
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Take a look at all the celeb couples turning the 2024 Grammy Awards into date night.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
