Jay-Z mercilessly tore a strip out of the Grammys while standing on stage accepting his award Sunday night in Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
The music mogul was honored with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the 66th annual Grammys on Sunday, but instead of keeping it classy, he insulted the very people who put the trophy in his hands. He slammed the academy for denying his wife, Beyonce, a win in the Album Of The Year category, and made fun of other nominees by saying “Some of you don’t belong in the category.”
JayZ calling out the Grammys for not giving Beyoncé Album Of the Year 😮💨 #Grammys pic.twitter.com/OCnCDmHKHI
— JAYT🇱🇷 (@JaytMusiq) February 5, 2024
The famous artist began his time on stage by reminding fans that he has boycotted the Grammy Awards in the past. The awkward moment was unfortunately not short-lived. The rest of his speech was verbal diarrhea.
Jay-Z’s entire speech was a continuous train wreck that wouldn’t end. The room was jam-packed with some of the biggest artists of all time, and as he went on to slam the very people that stood before him, not a sound could be heard in the room.
He unearthed the fact that Beyonce hadn’t the ultimate Grammy, and defended his wife fiercely while throwing daggers at the powers-that-be that run the awards show. Jay-Z expressed his anger over the fact that she held the most Grammy wins of all-time but had not yet won for Album of The Year, and noted the “metrics doesn’t work.”
Jay Z clocking the Grammy’s for Beyonce 😭 #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/Oz5L0c2p4k
— 2025 Best New Artist (@emmanuelramond) February 5, 2024
“Think about that – the most Grammys – never won Album of The Year,” he said. He shook his head and said, “It doesn’t work.”
“Some of you gonna go home tonight and feel like you’ve been robbed, some of you may get robbed,” he said.
The crowd immediately gasped and the camera showed Beyonce looking highly uncomfortable as she stood with a fake smile frozen on her face and her eyes darting nervously to either side.
Just when it seemed it couldn’t get worse, it did. Rather than walking back his comments or stopping altogether, Jay-Z said,
“No, when I get nervous, I tell the truth.”
The academy looking at Jay-Z after his acceptance speech #Grammys pic.twitter.com/xG7rMl95B2
— Kevin Marin (@TheKevinMarin) February 5, 2024
He then rambled about how “we gotta keep showing up,” and not just for the Grammys, “but in life.” (RELATED: Taylor Swift Announces Release Of New Album While On The Grammy Stage)
It was far too late to deflect any of his insults, after absolutely slaughtering the Grammys.
Thankfully, his time on stage eventually expired.