The 66th Annual Grammy Awards took place last Sunday, Feb. 4. I, of course, watched them like many people did, and of all of the monumental moments that took place, one in particular stood out to me: when Brooklyn rapper Jay-Z received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award.
Originating in 2022, this award has only been awarded previously to Dr. Dre himself, and while most artists use their acceptance speech to thank producers, family, and friends, Jay-Z used his speech to point out a flaw in the recording academy: its voting process.
“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but (Beyoncé) has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year, so even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.” Jay-Z said, referencing his wife Beyoncé. “Think about that. The most Grammys, never won album of the year.”
The thing is, he’s right. Beyoncé has been awarded the most Grammys of any artist in the world with 32 under her belt.
Yet, of the four album of the year nominations she has received, she has won none. It is worth noting that she has primarily won Grammys within the R&B and rap categories.
This begs the question for the academy: why is a Black woman good enough for R&B and rap awards, but not album of the year? How is it that Beyoncé manages to sweep every category, but never album of the year?
This doesn’t just apply to Beyoncé either, this is an issue affecting other Black women in the industry.
Since the Grammy Awards began in 1959, only three Black women have won album of the year.
The last win was 25 years ago when Lauryn Hill won for her album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”
Only 16 Black women have ever been nominated for album of the year and only 11 album of the year winners are even Black; that’s out of 65 winners.
Needless to say, Jay-Z brought up a long overdue discussion.
The aftermath of Jay-Z’s speech was sprinkled with undertones of racism. Many comment sections were filled with rage, calling both Jay-Z and Beyoncé ungrateful.
“He has an entitlement problem,” read one Facebook comment. “Not everyone gets a participation trophy,” read another. Other comments perpetuated the rapper as angry and bitter, both stereotypes that plague the Black community.
Despite him calmly pointing out a flaw in the system, Jay-Z and his wife were almost immediately demonized and their concerns diminished.
While the conversation has only begun, I ask you to consider one thing before you choose to dismiss the issue Jay-Z has brought to the table.
If you don’t think Beyoncé or any other Black woman has been deserving of the album of the year award, I want you to genuinely ask yourself why. Explain it in detail. If you cannot do that, then maybe some reflection needs to be done.
