Jay-Z’s brutally honest speech at The 66th Annual Grammys on Sunday still has everyone talking. While accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, the hip-hop legend dropped several truth bombs on The Recording Academy. Calling them out for never awarding his wife, Beyoncé, the Album of the Year Grammy, even though she has 32 wins—the most in history—is the moment making all the headlines.
Never one to mince words, entertainment legend Whoopi Goldberg had some very pointed thoughts on the “99 Problems” rapper’s outspoken speech. On Monday’s episode of “The View,” the EGOT winner explained that the fact that the “Renaissance” artist’s Grammys come from multiple genres is more impactful than winning Album of the Year.
“I kind of appreciate all of that. And they’re not for just one thing. So for me, it doesn’t matter if they give her that,” Goldberg said. “It’s subjective. People are voting. You can’t determine who’s doing it, unless you’re the person voting.”
Whoopi has forgotten more about winning and losing awards than I will ever know. However, as her co-host Sunny Hostin explained, there’s a part of this continued disrespect that feels like they’re saying she’s not the pop star the powers that be want. Choosing Harry Styles and Taylor Swift over her makes it clear she’s allowed to be awesome, as long as she sticks to the R&B and Dance/Electronic categories.
Her nominations for Album, Record and Song of the Year say that The Recording Academy is willing to acknowledge her talent and impact, but she and her collaborators won’t be fully rewarded for it.
I understand what Whoopi is saying here, but Jay-Z was making a statement to this organization that its disrespect hasn’t gone unnoticed. When you combine that with the fact that SZA was the most nominated artist of the night, but won three awards in R&B categories, a message about where Black women stand in the music industry is being sent.
Jay-Z is letting them know that just because we seem unbothered, it doesn’t mean we don’t see the game they’re playing.