Jay-Z, who received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, used his acceptance speech to highlight the injustice and inconsistency of the Grammy voting system,
which has often overlooked the contributions and achievements of Black artists and genres. He cited the examples of Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff,
who boycotted the 1989 Grammys for not televising their rap category, and DMX, who was ignored in 1998 despite releasing two number one albums in the same year.
He then pointed to Beyoncé, who has been nominated for Album of the Year four times, but lost to Taylor Swift, Beck, Adele, and Harry Styles, respectively.
He said, “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.” He also implied that some of the nominees in the category did not deserve to be there, and urged the Recording Academy to “get it right or at least get it close to right.”
He concluded his speech by encouraging the artists to keep showing up and demanding recognition, until they are called “chairman”, “genius”, or “the greatest of all time.”
His speech was met with applause and cheers from the audience, as well as praise and support from fans and critics online, who hailed him as a brave and honest voice for the Black music community.
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