Jay-Z vs. The Grammys—”When I Get Nervous, I Tell the Truth”

Photo Credit: The Recording Academy / YouTube

While accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award last night at the Grammys, Jay-Z had some beef with The Recording Academy he needed to get off of his chest.During his speech, Jay-Z made mention of DMX’s lack of nomination, and the lack of an Album of the Year win for Beyoncé, who has won 32 Grammys. “DMX dropped two albums [in 1998], they both went number one and he was not nominated at all. So I boycotted, and I watched the Grammys. I’m just saying, we want y’all to get it right,” the rapper said.

He then turned his attention to his wife Beyoncé. “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has won more Grammys than anyone and never won Album of the Year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work,” Jay-Z continued. Renaissance lost the Album of the Year award this year to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House.

“Some of you are gonna go home tonight and feel like you’ve been robbed. Some of you may get robbed. Some of you don’t belong in the category. When I get nervous, I tell the truth. You’ve got to keep showing up. Until they give you all those accolades you think you deserve. Until they call you chairman. Until they call you a genius. Until they call you the greatest of all time,” he concluded his speech. “You feel me?”Jay-Z is tied with Kanye West for the rapper with the most Grammy wins in history—both have a total of 24 to their name. They’re both outshined by Beyoncé, who has 32 wins to her name despite the lack of an album of the year win. While Jay-Z’s comments are a known criticism of The Recording Academy that has prompted several artists’ to boycott—its also remniscent of Kanye’s interruption of Taylor Swift during the 2009 MTV VMAs.

“Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish. But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!” the rapper told Swift, who was 19 at the time. At the time, the camera cut to Beyoncé who mouthed the words, ‘Oh Kanye.’