Matthew Knowles has entered the chat about why Beyoncé has never won Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. The singer’s father attributes the issue to record labels, starting with her own, Columbia Records, and its lack of campaigning on her behalf.
His two cents on the matter come after his son-in-law, Jay-Z, reignited the conversation during his speech at the awards show on Feb. 4. After being honored with the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, Jay-Z mentioned that his wife is the most decorated Grammy winner of all time, yet has never won the Academy’s highest accolade — and held the voting members accountable for the role they play in the decision.
Knowles, on the other hand, remarked that another player is involved in his eldest child’s constant snubbing in the most coveted category. The patriarch joined TMZ Live on Feb. 5 to discuss how record labels have much to do with the ongoing problem in the music industry.
“People don’t know the process. Your record label can only appoint one person in a category. So that means her record label, I’m going to call you out, Columbia Records, has never really put her in that category for consideration.”
The show’s co-hosts, Charles Latibeaudiere and Harvey Levin, inquired further, asking Knowles why they only singled out Beyoncé in this nomination, especially given her success in almost all aspects.
“Well again when you have, going back to Adele and Beyoncé being on the same record label, the record label can only support one of those artists,” Knowles explained. “There’s a lot of reasons. There’s a financial reason. Maybe Adele sold more records worldwide. I don’t know these answers, but these are some of the thought processes that they go through. Maybe you say Beyoncé has her success. Here’s an opportunity to push Adele, so let’s push her…It’s a combination of all, but it starts with the label.”
Knowles added more context into the possible reasons why the “Cuff It” singer has never been honored with the award, but the racial element behind who gets Album of the Year cannot be ignored. No Black woman’s work has won it since The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
, in 1999. While campaigning pushes from record labels hold some merit, the way academy voters view Black women’s artistry as a whole must also be addressed to get to the bottom of why Beyoncé has yet to be granted the top spot.