JUST IN: Jay-Z Criticizes Grammys, Cardi B Send Clear Message While Nicki Minaj Mistakenly Announces As Winner

Jay-Z Takes the Grammys to Task in Awards Speech

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.

He added, “We want you to get it right — at least get it close to right.”

Jay-Z also referred to Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff’s boycott of the 1989 Grammys because the rap category was not televised at the time. He noted that he had boycotted the show when DMX released two No. 1 albums but was not nominated.

“Some of you may get robbed,” he said, adding, “Some of you don’t belong in the category.”

He also conceded that the process of awarding Grammys is subjective. “It’s music and it’s opinion based,” he said.

Jay-Z made the remarks during his acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, which recognizes personal and professional achievements in the music industry.

Through his record label, Roc Nation, Jay-Z has advocated social justice causes, particularly for racial equality in the United States. In 2022, he convened an inaugural summit for social justice leaders to meet in New York to raise awareness about racial justice and policy.

He has also served as an executive producer on two docuseries about the killings of Black Americans: “Time: The Kalief Browder Story” and “Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story.” When George Floyd was killed by the Minneapolis police in 2020, Jay-Z, through Roc Nation, took out full-page ads in major newspapers that quoted a passage from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 speech in Selma, Ala.

Back in 2019, Cardi B has won Best Rap Album at the 61st Grammy Awards for her 2018 debut Album Invasion of Privacy. The 31-year-old ‘WAP’ rapper beat out Mac Miller (Swimming), Nipsey Hussle (Victory Lap), Pusha-T (DAYTONA), and Travis Scott (ASTROWORLD).

Cardi said, “I read an article that Mac Miller’s family said that if he don’t win, they wanted me to win, so I’m sharing this Grammy with you, motherfucker! Rest in peace!.” (After Cardi’s win, Ariana Grande, Tweeted that it was “bullshit” and “trash.” She later apologized and clarified that it had “nothing to do” with Cardi.)

The 31-year-old become first female solo artist to win the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. In total, Cardi B received five nominations that year, including ones for Album of the year, Song of the Year (“I Like It”), Best Rap Performance (“Be Careful”), and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the Maroon 5 collab “Girls Like You.”

For this year edition, Nicki Minaj was mistakenly announces as winner. There was a mild drama on social media on Sunday night after the Recording Academy’s official X handle “mistakenly” tweeted ‘Barbie World’ by Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice as the winner of the Best Rap Song category instead of Killer Mike’s ‘Scientists & Engineers.’

The announcement elicited excitement from fans of Nicki Minaj who hasn’t won a Grammy in her over 20 years career.

However, their excitement was cut short after the organisers deleted the tweet and made a new post, announcing ‘Scientists & Engineers’ as the rightful winner.

The blunder by the Recording Academy earned backlash from Nicki Minaj’s fans, with many of them describing it as “disrespectful.”

Meanwhile, American diva, SZA has finally won her first-ever Grammy with her collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers, ‘Ghost In The Machine.’

The song won the Pop Duo/Group Performance category.

Reacting to the feat, SZA wrote in an X post on Sunday night: “Holy sh*t thank you @phoebe_bridgers !!!I F*cking love you b*tch.

“Thank you to @RecordingAcad !!!!!!! I’m so grateful nd thank you to every producer on this record, especially rob and Carter. love u gang. We got this one.”

In other news, ‘Sittin’ On Top Of The World’ by Nigerian singer, Burna Boy featuring 21 Savage lost the Best Melodic Rap Performance award to ‘All My Life’ by Lil Durk featuring J.Cole.