Taking to the stage with his 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, Jay-Z seized the moment to honour the artists that have played a part in popularising Rap and Hip Hop and while he was at it, he also expressed his discontent with the awards show.”When I get nervous, I tell the truth,” he said while roasting the Grammys for its failure to recognise artists over the years, including his wife, Beyonce, who he highlighted, never won the Album of the Year, despite her impressive 32 wins in various other categories.
Reflecting on the history of the Grammy Awards, Jay-Z recalled the boycott initiated by Will Smith in 1989, emphasizing dissatisfaction with the ceremony not being televised. He revealed, “How far we have come with Will Smith, The Fresh Prince winning their first Grammy in ’89 and boycotting because it was not televised, and then they went to like a hotel and watch the Grammys. I don’t even understand, it was not a great boycott. But then in ’98 I took a page out of their book and was nominated for best rap album. And DMX put out two, they were both number one, and he was not nominated at all, so I boycotted and I watched.”
“I’m just saying, we want you all to get it right,” he added.
While praising the music industry, he also pointed out the discrepancy in the Grammys’ voting system that led to his wife, Beyonce, never winning the Album of the Year title, despite her unmatched Grammy count.
Addressing his wife directly, Jay-Z stated, “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than anyone, number one album of the year. So even by that own metric, it does not work.”
Moving on to share a few motivational words for all artists who may have “felt robbed” of their award, he said, “But outside of that, you know, we got to keep showing up. Forget the Grammys for a second, just in life. As my daughter sits and stares at me, nervous as I am. Just in life, you have 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.”
Jay-Z’s Grammy history includes 88 competitive nominations, with 24 wins, including six nominations for Album of the Year.
Similarly, Beyonce, with 88 competitive nominations and 33 wins, has faced the same Album of the Year nomination six times without a victory.
