JAY-Z Criticizes Grammys for Beyoncé’s Album of the Year Snubs During Dr. Dre Global Impact Award Acceptance

JAY-Z took center stage at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, where he received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. During his acceptance speech on Sunday (February 4), the rap mogul addressed the Recording Academy, calling out their continuous oversight of his wife, Beyoncé, in the Album of the Year category.

Standing alongside his 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, JAY-Z expressed the desire for the Recording Academy to rectify their decision-making, stating, “We love y’all, we just want y’all to get it right. At least get it close to right.” He emphasized the subjective nature of music but pointed out the inconsistency in their metrics, highlighting Beyoncé’s numerous Grammy wins, yet no Album of the Year accolade.

JAY-Z urged the audience to ponder the situation, stating, “Some of you are gonna 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. Nah, nah, nah. When I get nervous, I tell the truth!”

Beyoncé, with a record-breaking 32 Grammy wins, has been nominated four times for Album of the Year but has yet to secure the coveted award (I Am… Sasha Fierce in 2010, Beyoncé in 2015, Lemonade in 2017, and Renaissance in 2023).

This isn’t the first time JAY-Z has criticized the Grammys. Last year, he called out the oversight of his album 4:44 in 2018, emphasizing the missed opportunity to showcase hip-hop’s influence beyond youth. Despite his eight nominations that year, he went home empty-handed and later expressed his frustrations on the song “Apeshit” with the lyrics, “Tell the Grammys fuck that 0 for 8 shit.”

After receiving the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, JAY-Z shared a moment with the legendary producer and recreated his viral 2013 Grammy moment by pouring D’USSÉ cognac into his award and taking a drink. Notably, Killer Mike emerged as a triple winner in the rap categories, securing Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance, while Lil Durk and J. Cole won Best Melodic Rap Performance for “All My Life.”