"Shawn Carter is one of the greatest men I know and his words ring so loud to me," she told Entertainment Tonight Feb. 6. "I couldn't be more proud of him."
Kelly, who made up one-third of Destiny's Child with Beyoncé and Michelle Williams, emphasized the influence of the "Empire State of Mind" rapper's speech.
"I'm just really happy for a lot of things that he said," the 42-year-old continued. "I think that he made a lot of artists feel very seen and very heard in those minutes that he took on stage."
During his Feb. 4 speech, reflected on the Recording Academy's treatment of Black artists and specifically highlighted Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff—who boycotted the 1989 Grammys after their category, which awarded the duo the first rap Grammy ever, wasn't televised—and the late DMX, who was also snubbed in 1998.
He further exemplified his point by noting Beyoncé's record-holding 32 Grammy wins—and how even that doesn't fully recognize her artistry.
"We want y'all to get it right," Jay-Z said in his speech. "We love y'all, we want y'all to get it right—at least get it close to right. Obviously it's subjective because it's music and it's opinion-based but some things—I don't want to embarrass this young lady but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year. So even by your own metrics that doesn't work."
But the "Run this Town" rapper ended on a hopeful note.
"We've gotta keep showing up," he continued. "Just keep showing up—forget the Grammys—you gotta 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."
And Jay-Z wasn't the only one to walk away a winner at the 66th Grammys. Read on for the full list.
Jason Fitz and Frank Schwab join forces to recap the draft in the best way they know how: letter grades! Fitz and Frank discuss all 32 teams division by division as they give a snapshot of how fans should be feeling heading into the 2024 season. The duo have key debates on the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and more.
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