Jay-Z used his appearance at the 2024 Grammys to praise his wife Beyoncé’s historic musical achievements — and call out the awards show for failing to recognize her work.
The couple stepped out at the Sunday, February 4, awards show alongside their eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, 12, who joined her father, 54, on stage to accept the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. Jay-Z used his speech to shade the Recording Academy for snubbing Beyoncé for Album of the Year at last year’s ceremony.
“Think about that. The most Grammys. Never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work,” the rapper stated. “Some of you are going to go home tonight and feel like you have been robbed. Some of you may get robbed. Some of you don’t belong in the category. … But outside of that, we have to keep showing up.”
He went on to encourage his fellow artists to continue to pursue their passions. “Forget the Grammys,” he continued. “You have 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 hit the Grammys stage in an all-black ensemble, while Blue Ivy looked grown up in a shimmering white off-the-shoulder dress and white boots. Beyoncé complemented the pair’s outfits in a black and white patterned jacket and shorts. She seemingly paid homage to her Renaissance album by completing the look with a white cowboy hat.
Neither Jay-Z nor Beyoncé were among this year’s nominated artists. However, their attendance comes one year after Beyoncé made Grammys history. Beyoncé won four of the nine categories she was nominated in for her 2022 album Renaissance, including Best R&B Song, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best Dance/Electronic Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Music Album.
Her win in the latter category broke Georg Solti’s record for the most Grammys wins, cementing her as the most decorated music artist in Grammys history.
“Thank you so much. I’m trying not to be too emotional,” she began her February 2023 acceptance speech. “And I’m trying to just receive this night. I want to thank God for protecting me. Thank you, God. I’d like to thank my Uncle Johnny, who’s not here, but he’s here in spirit.”
She continued: “I’d like to thank my parents, my father, my mother, for loving me and pushing me. I’d like to thank my beautiful husband, my beautiful three children who are at home watching. I’d like to thank the queer community for your love and for inventing this genre. God bless you. Thank you so much to the Grammys.”
Her night at the 2023 Grammys got off to a bumpy start as she and Jay-Z got stuck in traffic. The delay caused her to miss her first win for Best R&B Song.
“For real, Beyoncé is on her way. But you know the upside of hosting the Grammys in Los Angeles is that everyone can be here. The downside of hosting in Los Angeles is the traffic,” host Trevor Noah explained during the ceremony, adding, “Beyoncé is on her way.”
Beyoncé rocked three looks throughout the night, posing for preshow pics in a custom blush-and-gold Balmain look. She later changed into a black velvet Schiaparelli gown and a custom nude-and-silver Gucci dress at the awards show. The singer paired both ensembles with black gloves and diamond earrings. Jay-Z, meanwhile, kept things classy in a black suit, white dress shirt and a black bow tie.
Despite her many Grammys wins, many members of the Beyhive were upset that Beyoncé lost the coveted Album of the Year award to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House. “The truth is, we grew up wanting to be on the Grammys, and it was our goal. We just want them to get it right. That’s what we want,” Jay-Z said in an interview with Tidal ahead of the ceremony.
He went on to point out previous times Beyoncé lost out on the night’s biggest award, adding, “Even with Bey, I felt like they missed the moment. Not just [her 2016 record] Lemonade; [also] when Beck won over her [for Album of the Year in 2015]. I was like, ‘Oh, y’all missed it.’”
