Usher is defending JAY-Z who recently called out the Grammys for constantly snubbing Beyoncé for AOTY (Album of the Year).
As we previously shared last Sunday (February 4), JAY-Z called out the Recording Academy for neglecting to elect his legendary wife as a winner in the AOTY category, despite her 32 Grammy wins. He even mentioned how she has won the most Grammy Awards for any musical artist, just never for Album of the Year.
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During his acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, Hov said, “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has the most Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that: The most Grammys. Never won album of the year. That doesn’t work. Some of you gonna go home and feel like you’ve been robbed. Some of you may get robbed. Some of you don’t belong in the category.”
The crowd began to roar in laughter and awe, which prompted JAY-Z to quickly add, “When I get nervous I tell the truth. But outside of that, we got to keep showing up. 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.”
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JAY-Z’s comments were even defended by Beyoncé’s best friend and Destiny’s Child group-mate Kelly Rowland, 43.
While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Rowland shared her admiration for her brother-in-law. She said, “Shawn Carter is one of the greatest men I know, and his words ring so loud to me.” She went on to say that she “couldn’t be more proud” of the 54-year-old business mogul, adding, “I’m just really happy for a lot of things that he said. I think that he made a lot of artists feel very seen and very heard in those minutes that he took on stage.”
Speaking on her 42-year-old former bandmate, Rowland said, “I feel like she is an icon. She is innovative, her thoughts are big and bright and she just jumps for them and does it. I think that her albums are a reflection of that, and it should be really celebrated in that way.”
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Since Kelly Rowland defending JAY-Z calling out the Grammys for snubbing Beyoncé for AOTY, this year’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show performer, Usher, is joining in. Speaking with the New York Post ahead of his big performance in Las Vegas, Nevada, the 45-year-old singer spoke about the Recording Academy not giving Bey her flowers for AOTY.
The singer said, “To each his own, you know, about what they feel. But here’s what I feel: Historically, I think that the Academy, for many years, got it wrong…whether that’s the system that was there or the lack of inclusion or the lack of consideration of the industry.”
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He continued to point out how the Recording Academy’s continuous failure to give Black artists their wins in major categories also affects viewership for the annual ceremony. He said, “We watch your show for you to celebrate our artists, and you put us in [top] categories, but then you give it to someone else. That’s going to obviously affect their viewership.”
Usher also noted how despite having a stacked 30-year career, he too is a “winning loser.” He said “You’re talking to a winning loser, right? I’ve won eight Grammys, but never walked on the stage once to receive one. Out of 30 years of a career, I’ve never walked on the Grammy stage — as many times as I have performed there and supported the Grammys — I’ve never been able just to say, ‘Thank you.’”
Instead of lamenting his issues with the Grammys, Usher chooses to focus on his biggest accomplishment, gracing the Super Bowl stage at this year’s Halftime Show. He said, “That means something to my fans; it means something to me. But, you know, in time, I kind of grew a little bit more numb. Like, you know what, maybe I don’t need that, maybe that’s not going to define me.”
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