Jay-Z is still “Drunk in Love” with his wife and her illustrious music career regardless of the big wins and the even bigger losses.
Last Sunday, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter made history when she became the most-awarded Grammy artist at the 65th annual ceremony.
But, despite this great accomplishment, the night quickly turned sour when she lost the show’s most coveted award (for the fourth time). The award for Album of the Year went to Harry Styles’s Harry’s House.
Beyoncé has never won album of the year despite being nominated four times. In 2010, I Am…Sasha Fierce lost to Taylor Swift’s Fearless.
In 2015, Beyoncé lost to Beck’s Morning Phase.
In 2017, Lemonade lost to Adele’s 25.
And in 2023, Renaissance lost to Harry’s House. It was an upset that Beyoncé’s husband almost predicted in his response to her previous upsets during a pre-Grammys interview with Tidal on Feb. 1.
“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 told the magazine.
“Obviously, it’s music and it’s all subjective, but you got to be in the ballpark. That’s all we want. We just want them to get it right because we love it so much. We grew up watching Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder won three out of four years in a row.*”
“Come on, man. They got that shit right. … It was no politics. It was just like everybody knew when Stevie came out, sit down. That’s what we want. Just get it right, because we love it so much. That’s why there’s so much emotion around it. If we didn’t care, there wouldn’t be any emotion.”
When Jay-Z experienced his own upset at the Grammys after taking home 0 of 8 nominations for his album 4:44, he definitely had something to say about it on the following joint album with Beyoncé, The Carters. “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.'”
Jay-Z thinks there’s some similarity in regard to Beyoncé’s biggest losses for her previous albums. “Even with Bey, I felt like they missed the moment. Not just Lemonade; [also] when Beck won over her [for Album of the Year at the 2015 show]. I was like, ‘Oh, y’all missed it.'”
The 53-year-old rapper believes these moments are bigger than just him and Beyoncé, saying, “For the culture, I love this shit so much I want them to get it right. I want to experience those moments when it’s the culmination of when Michael popped off. That moment left an indelible mark on us forever. Or when Lauryn Hill came through and it was Miseducation and she won those joints [five Grammy Awards in 1999].”
Jay-Z ultimately believed Beyoncé deserved Album of the Year for Renaissance, based on what it did for the culture alone. “Look what it’s done to the culture. Look how the energy of the world moved. They play her whole album in the club. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that. The whole entire joint — like, everything?! Every remix is amazing. Everyone’s inspired. It has inspired the world.”
“Every remix is better than the other one. From anybody, we’re just finding these joints out in the street… It’s inspiring creativity… When it just inspires creativity, that’s an album. That has to be Album of the Year. It has to be.”
In the end, Beyoncé didn’t win the award (yet again), but still managed to take home four trophies, make music history, and shake the world with the anticipation of her Renaissance World Tour.
Win or lose, it makes no difference, Beyoncé stops the world.
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