Jay-Z Brings Blue Ivy Onstage to Defend Beyoncé in Grammys Speech

Standing beside daughter Blue Ivy, Jay-Z addressed Grammy voters and executives with a callout that's been a long time coming: It makes absolutely no sense that Beyoncé is the most nominated and most awarded Grammys artist and yet she's never won its highest, most comprehensive honor, Album of the Year. Unless, of course, you're an institution known for its implicit and systemic biases against non-white musicians.

“When I get nervous, I tell the truth," Jay-Z said at the Grammys 2024 to an audience of artists and execs, including a cowboy hat-clad Beyoncé who was there to celebrate her husband's achievement. The Grammys honored Jay-Z on Sunday evening with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, and he used his acceptance speech as an opportunity to call attention to the awards' documented shortcomings in acknowledging some of the most impactful figures of and contributions to pop culture.

Jay-Z accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award onstage with Blue Ivy Carter during the 66th GRAMMY Awards on February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California

“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 a hotel to watch the Grammys," he recounted at the beginning of his speech.

“I don’t even understand, it was not a great boycott,” he joked, "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. We love y’all, we love y’all. We want you to get it right — or at least get it close to right. And obviously, it’s subjective, because it’s music and its opinion-based, but some things…”

He trailed off, and decided to say what needed to be said as he looked directly at Beyoncé. “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year. 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.”