In February, iconic rapper Jay-Z attended the Grammy Awards ceremony with his superstar wife, Beyoncé, and their oldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, age 12.
The New York artist received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award for his charitable works. Jay-Z, sporting a black tuxedo, took the Grammy stage for his acceptance with his eldest child, Blue, in a stunning white gown by his side.
The billionaire businessman began his remarks by thanking the Music Academy and also praising Dr. Dre for being a pioneer. However, things quickly went south as he went into an epic rant, which reminded the world of the Will Smith slap at the Oscars in 2022.
Smith went above and beyond to defend his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, against Chris Rock via a career-altering slap.
Jay-Z slams Grammys for treating Beyoncé poorly
Jay-Z bluntly stated that the Grammys had it all wrong when it came to the way they treated his spouse, Beyoncé. He lamented how unfair they have been to her, by giving her the small awards rather than the big accolades, such as album and record of the year.
He started by sharing how upset he was in 1998 when the late and great DMX was not nominated, and he decided to boycott the event when he was a young artist.
He said: “DMX had dropped two albums that year; they both went number one — shout out to DMX — and he was not nominated at all. And then they went to a hotel and watched the Grammys. I ain’t even understand… it wasn’t a great boycott. I’m just saying, we love y’all, we love y’all, we love y’all and we want y’all to get it right. At least get it close to right.”
He went on to slam the organization for disrespecting Beyoncé over and over. Jay-Z claimed: “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than anyone and has never won album of the year. Even by your metric, that does not work. Think about that: most -Grammys, never win Album of the year; that doesn’t work. Forget the Grammys; you got to keep showing up until they give you all those accolades you feel you deserve.”
Beyoncé moved by Jay-Z’s Grammys speech
He continued: “She has more Grammys than anyone and has never won album of the year. Most Grammys ever have never won Album of the Year. How does that work? I used to say it was a sippy cup for Blue, but Blue’s grown up now, she doesn’t take sippy cups. And she has her own Grammys.”
The artist concluded by: “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. When I get nervous, I tell the truth. Outside of that, we got to keep showing up. And forget the Grammys for a second. Just in life.Just keep showing up. 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,. You feel me?”
During Jay-Z’s speech, Beyoncé looked very moved and proud of her husband’s decision to defend her. Blue ivy, on the other hand, appeared to be praying for the cringe-worthy moment to be over. Jay-Z’s wild Grammy moment went viral.
Some serious thinkers have argued there is racial bias in the Grammys due to the fact only 11 Black artists have won the renowned Album of the Year award. As well as fact the last African-American woman to win the esteemed Grammy was Lauryn Hill, in 1999.
Jay-Z’s move reminds some of Kanye West
Others laughed and joked saying Kanye West, a once praised and well-respected rapper, now known for his erratic behavior and anti-Semitic remarks, must be proud of him.
A few applauded Jay-Z for having his wife’s back and defending a Black woman. While others say he will receive a life ban from the Grammys.
One month later, many experts are now buzzing about the new direction Queen Bey is taking with her music. They believe that going country might help win the ultimate prize in American music.
In that case, her husband’s move might have been a way to put pressure on music deciders for the next ceremony.
