Taylor Swift may have won her fourth Album of the Year Grammy on Sunday night, but another renowned guest was accused of “taking away” from the pop diva in their speech (despite the fact that he never uttered Swift’s name), according to The View anchor Alyssa Farah Griffin.
During his acceptance speech for the second annual Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, rapper and mogul Jay-Z took the opportunity to express his disappointment with the Grammys for their failure to recognize his wife, Beyoncé, with the Album of the Year accolade.
“I’m just saying, we want you all to get it right,” Jay-Z began. “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 it’s opinion-based, but some things…”
Finally, he came out and made the point he was dancing around: Beyoncé, he said, “has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work.”
JAY-Z CALLS OUT GRAMMYS & DEFENDS BEYONCÉ: #TheView co-hosts share their takeaways from the 66th annual Grammy Awards. https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/VFhksy4qIV
— The View (@TheView) February 5, 2024
During Monday’s episode of “The View,” Griffin, a known fan of Taylor Swift, expressed her disapproval of Jay’s comments, describing them as inappropriate.
“I have a personal dislike for it… it seems like it diminishes the achievements of the artists who are actually winning on that night,” she expressed. “Beyoncé has been an incredible source of support for Taylor Swift. She made an appearance at the premiere of Taylor’s ‘Eras Tour’ film, and Taylor reciprocated the gesture. It felt like it was overshadowing her historic moment of winning the most Albums of the Year.”
Jay-Z delivered his speech prior to Swift’s win for “Midnights” later in the evening, somewhat undermining Griffin’s argument. It is important to note that Jay-Z couldn’t diminish something that hadn’t even occurred yet. Furthermore, he refrained from mentioning Swift’s name.
Beyoncé had previously lost to Swift in 2010, with Swift’s album “Fearless” triumphing over Beyoncé’s “I Am… Sasha Fierce.” However, it’s worth noting that Beyoncé has also been beaten for the award by other artists such as Beck, Harry Styles, and Adele throughout the years. This suggests that Jay-Z’s comment, if it was indeed directed at Swift, is unlikely to carry much significance. Besides, Swift herself won two Grammys last night, so there’s no cause for concern.
Griffin believes that the country has never quite moved on from Beyoncé’s loss in the Album of the Year category for “I Am… Sasha Fierce.” This sentiment can be traced back to the infamous Taylor Swift incident, where she won for “Fearless” that year. Griffin acknowledges that, objectively speaking, Beyoncé should have been the rightful winner for “I Am… Sasha Fierce.”
It’s worth reiterating that not everything revolves around Taylor Swift, despite her current status as the world’s most popular artist and the name on everyone’s lips.