Making history at this year’s Grammys, Taylor Swift secured her fourth Album of the Year win. Interestingly, Swift’s victories seem to attract interruptions. In 2009, during her acceptance speech for Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs, Kanye West interjected, asserting that Beyonce deserved the award. While Swift wasn’t subjected to such an ambush during her recent Grammy speech, Jay-Z expressed his disappointment by highlighting that Beyonce had “never won Album of the Year.” The moment echoed a sense of discontent from Jay-Z, reminiscent of Kanye West’s infamous interruption in the past.
Jay-Z pulls a Kanye West at the Grammys
While accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Grammy Award onstage with his daughter Blue Ivy, Jay-Z shared his sentiments about his wife never securing the prestigious award category. The Young Forever rapper expressed, “Obviously, it’s subjective because, you know, it’s music and it’s opinion-based.” This acknowledgment reflected Jay-Z’s perspective on the subjective nature of music and the opinions that shape award outcomes, alluding to the fact that Beyonce has yet to receive the coveted Album of the Year recognition.
Directing his attention towards Beyonce, Jay-Z remarked, “But you know, 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.” Continuing, he emphasized, “So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys; never won Album of the Year. It doesn’t work.” The Empire State of Mind rapper went on to express, “Some of you are going to go home tonight and feel like you’ve been robbed. Some of you may get robbed. Some of you don’t belong in the category. All right. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, that was it, no. When I get nervous, I tell the truth,” showcasing Jay-Z’s candid and unfiltered response during the acceptance speech.
Netizens react to Jay-Z’s Grammys acceptance speech
Following Jay-Z’s critique of the Grammy Awards for overlooking Beyonce, some echoed Kanye West’s sentiments from 2009, suggesting he was right. However, opinions diverged on the delivery, with the Flashing Lights rapper facing backlash for his approach. One user on X, formerly Twitter, remarked, “Feels like the Grammys still view hip-hop as a side dish, not the main course.” Another fan stated, “Well, Jay-Z had more class.” Another X user pointed out, “Right message, wrong show. The VMAs have no problem awarding Black artists Video Of The Year. If I’m not mistaken, didn’t Beyonce win the biggest award of the night (and give her time to TSwift in a quintessentially classy B move)? Dame AND YE never choose the RIGHT moment,” highlighting varying perspectives on the appropriateness of the critique.