Jay-Z Criticizes Grammys During Dr. Dre Award Acceptance

During the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, JAY-Z made a jab at the Recording Academy while winning the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award.

During his performance at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Jay-Z criticized the organization for consistently passing over his wife, Beyoncé, for the Album of the Year award on February 4, 2024.

Standing beside his 12-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, he said: “We want y’all to get it right. We love y’all, we love y’all, we just want y’all to get it right. At least get it close to right. Obviously, it’s subjective because, you know, it’s music, and it’s opinion-based, but some things. I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year!”

He continued saying: “So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys, never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work. 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!”

With 32 Grammy wins, Beyoncé currently holds the record for most achievements. Despite being nominated four times for ‘I Am… Sasha Fierce’ in 2010, ‘Beyoncé’ in 2015, ‘Lemonade’ in 2017, and ‘Renaissance’ in 2023, she has never taken home the prestigious Album of the Year prize.

Jay-Z previously criticized the Grammy for ignoring his own ‘4:44’ album in 2018 during the Grammy Awards last year.

In an interview with TIDAL, he said: “In that moment, I was like, ‘They missed the opportunity,’ because people emulate success. In that moment, that album, 4:44, was a moment for us to say, ‘Hip Hop is viewed as a young man’s sport. Now here is this album that could take us into the next sphere.’ I feel like they missed the moment. I didn’t feel bad for myself, because I know it’s the Grammys: I probably won some joints I shouldn’t have won and I probably lost some joints I should’ve won. That’s the way it goes, so I actually had a party. I had a great time, staying out until 6 in the morning.”

Despite having eight Grammy nominations in 2018, JAY-Z did not win any of them. Later, during his 2018 ‘Apesh*t’ collaboration with Beyoncé, he rapped: “Tell the Grammys f*ck that 0 for 8 sh*t.”

Jay-Z recreated his viral moment from the 2013 Grammy Awards by pouring D’USSÉ cognac into his award and taking a sip. This year, JAY-Z wasn’t the only rapper to receive awards. Lil Durk and J. Cole won Best Melodic Rap Performance for ‘All My Life,’ and Killer Mike won triple crowns in the Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance category.

The GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony began at 3:00 p.m. EST and was webcast live on the Recording Academy’s website. Killer Mike won the Best Rap Album prize for the ‘MICHAEL’ album. He also won the Grammys for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for ‘Scientists & Engineers,’ which included Andre 3000 and Future.

Although Run The Jewels and Outkast shared the 2003 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for ‘The Whole World,’ these are the artist’s first awards for his solo body of work.