Grammys 2023: Jay-Z Called Album of the Year Award a ‘Marketing Thing’ Before Beyonce’s Loss
There were plenty of memorable moments from the 2023 Grammys. However, the most controversial moment arrived at the very end when Harry Styles beat Beyoncé for Album of the Year. Many were surprised by the decision as many considered Beyoncé the frontrunner for the Grammy. However, her husband, Jay-Z, may have been expecting it as he criticized the award before the upset occurred.
Harry Styles won Album of the Year over Beyoncé at the 2023 Grammys
While Harry Styles has millions of fans, not many expected his 2022 album Harry’s House to win Album of the Year over Beyoncé’s Renaissance. Renaissance was a massive hit with critics and audiences and appeared to be the frontrunner for most of the night. However, the BeyHive is used to seeing their queen snubbed as Lemonade and I Am… Sasha Fierce also failed to win Album of the Year.
However, the night was still a success for the “Break My Soul” singer as she won four Grammys, surpassing Georg Solti for the most Grammy wins ever. The awards she won this year included Best R&B Song, Best Dance Recording, Best Dance/Electronica Album, and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance. She also has received 88 nominations, tying Jay-Z for the most nominated artist.
Jay-Z called Album of the Year a ‘marketing thing’
Jay-Z is another artist who is used to being snubbed by the Grammys, despite his high number of nominations. Before the Grammys started, Jay-Z gave an interview for Tidal, sharing his perspective on Album of the Year. The “99 Problems” was hopeful Beyoncé would win her first Album of the Year Grammy, but he also understood the prize to be a “marketing thing,” where they often give it to the most popular album rather than the best one.
“I remove myself from the process and hope they just get it right. It got to the point where I was like, it’s just a marketing thing. You go, you got an album out and it could help the sales go up. It got to that point, but deep down … Again, we grew up idolizing this. It was like one of the pillars for us. It was like, ‘We want to go Gold.’ Yeah, I’ve been in it that long.”
Jay-Z believes Beyoncé deserved the award
While he could be biased, Jay-Z is a staunch believer that Beyoncé should have won Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammys. The rapper argued that Renaissance has become an inspiration for the world, and it keeps getting better with every new remix.
“Look what it’s done to the culture. Look how the energy of the world moved,” Jay-Z explained. “They play her whole album in the club. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that. The whole entire joint — like, everything?! Every remix is amazing. Everyone’s inspired. It has inspired the world. Every remix is better than the other one. From anybody, we’re just finding these joints out in the street…When it just inspires creativity, that’s an album. That has to be Album of the Year. It has to be.”
