Jay-Z Says He ‘Grew Up’ Wanting to Be on The Grammys — ‘It Was Our Goal’
The Grammys might not hold the same level of importance they used to for fans, but many artists still treat the awards as a profound honor. Jay-Z has won dozens of Grammys and said he “grew up” intending to win Grammys and perform at the ceremony.
Jay-Z believes the Grammys haven’t given hip-hop its due
Jay-Z is tied with his wife, Beyoncé, for the most Grammy nominations. He has won 24 but still believes the Grammys have not been fair to hip-hop throughout the years. The Grammys have made progress at acknowledging the genre, but Jay-Z remembers when they didn’t want hip-hop artists coming on stage. In an interview with Tidal, Jay-Z reflected on the time when he boycotted the 1999 Grammys after they snubbed DMX.
“I remember in ’99 when they wouldn’t even let us get onstage, nothing,” Jay-Z shared. “I boycotted. It was my year. I sold five million. No. 1 for five weeks, never done before. Hard Knock Life. I didn’t go when they shut out DMX, who released two albums.”
The rapper says it’s a goal for many rappers to be at the Grammys
The 2023 Grammys had many memorable moments, but the show’s highlight was its tribute to 50 years of hip-hop. The performance included a journey throughout hip-hop’s history with performances from legends like Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, Nelly, Grandmaster Flash, Rakim, and Missy Elliott.
This moment showed how hip-hop has evolved and why the genre should be celebrated. Jay-Z said many rappers and black artists “grew up” wanting to be on the Grammys, and he wants the award show to get it right in acknowledging the best artists.
“The truth is, we grew up wanting to be on the Grammys, and it was our goal. We just want them to get it right. That’s what we want…Obviously it’s music and it’s all subjective, but you got to be in the ballpark. That’s all we want. We just want them to get it right because we love it so much. We grew up watching Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder won three out of four years in a row.”
“Come on, man. They got that s*** right. … It was no politics. It was just like everybody knew when Stevie came out, sit down. That’s what we want. Just get it right, because we love it so much. That’s why there’s so much emotion around it. If we didn’t care, there wouldn’t be any emotion.”
Jay-Z has never been afraid to call out the awards show
Jay-Z has never been afraid of airing out his grievances in his music. This includes calling out the Grammys when he believes they made a wrong decision. In 2018, Jay-Z received eight nominations for his 4:44 album. The “Empire State of Mind” rapper went 0-8 and acknowledged it in the song “Apes***,” saying, “Tell the Grammys f*** that 0-for-8 s***.” Five years later, Jay-Z still believes they “missed the moment.”
“In that moment, I was like, ‘They missed the opportunity,’ because people emulate success,” Jay-Z explained. “In that moment, that album, 4:44, was a moment for us to say, ‘Hip-hop is viewed as a young man’s sport. Now here is this album that could take us into the next sphere.’ I feel like they missed the moment. I didn’t feel bad for myself because I know it’s the Grammys: I probably won some joints I shouldn’t have won and I probably lost some joints I should’ve won.”
