By Rosie Alger
Elm Staff Writer
With so many amazing artists being honored at the Grammys, it is almost certain that some fans will be disappointed that their favorite star didn’t win. This year, however, many fans are downright angry about Beyoncé’s lack of awards, specifically for Album of the Year.
Adele, this year’s Album of the Year winner and longtime Beyoncé fan, used her acceptance speech to call out the Academy. Many see this as yet another way that black artists are being pushed aside in favor of white musicians. Just like much of the mainstream media, racism filters through the award show circuits, and that became very evident at this year’s Grammys.
The music industry is no stranger to racism, and unfortunately, some music doesn’t get honored because it is deemed too political or controversial for speaking out about racial struggles. Beyoncé’s 2016 album, “Lemonade,” is a portrait of the power of black womanhood. Maybe the Academy was just too afraid of backing that bold stance.
CNN wrote about this issue, and said, “Since its release in April 2016, the album has been hailed by women of color for reflecting their experience… with its racial themes and imagery, some are questioning if the project was ‘just too black’ for Grammy voters,” they wrote.
Although Beyoncé did win the Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album, many say that this only furthers the pigeon-holing of artists of color into limited genre categories. CNN said, “Adele and Beyoncé were both nominated for song of the year, record of the year, and album of the year. Adele swept all three.”
It is hard to deny that Beyoncé has become a pop culture icon, and yet her work is limited in its recognition.
“Lemonade” was certainly a ground breaking album, and with its film accompaniment, it makes a strong statement that was not missed by the mass population and music lovers everywhere.
In her acceptance speech for the award, Beyoncé said, “My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that would give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness, and our history. To confront issues that make us uncomfortable… It’s important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families- as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House and the Grammys‑and see themselves, and have no doubt that they’re beautiful, intelligent, and capable. This is something I want for every child of every race. And I feel it’s vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes.”
Perhaps this vision of the future is just too uncomfortable for the awards circuit, but honoring artists who want to push forward for a more just and representative future is as crucial today as ever.
You can tell that there is a definite injustice happening when the winner of the award herself says that she should not have won.
In her acceptance speech for Album of the Year, Adele said, “I can’t possibly accept this award. And I’m very humbled and I’m very grateful gracious. But my artist of my life is Beyoncé. And this album to me, the “Lemonade” album, is just so monumental… And the way that you make me and my friends feel, the way you make my black friends feel, is empowering.”
And Adele is right. What makes “Lemonade” truly incredible is that it is a work of art that is both beautiful and heartbreaking, challenging and empowering, and most importantly, it is a work of art made for and by black women. Unfortunately, in my opinion, that is exactly why it didn’t win the award it deserved.
Don’t get me wrong. I loved Adele’s album and I think that it’s a great piece of art. The difference is that it was safe and reliable, whereas Beyoncé’s work pushes boundaries. The Huffington Post also reported on this problem at the Grammy’s, writing, “Backstage, Adele was a bit more explicit in her critique of a voting body that could not bring itself to honor even the most above-and-beyond exceptional work of a black woman. The last black female artist to win Album of the Year was Lauryn Hill, in 1999. And Beyoncé, the most nominated female artist of all time, has now lost out on Album of the Year on three separate occasions, to three white artists.”
How much longer will women of color have to stand on the side lines and watch other people get recognized, over their own accomplishments? For now, rest assured that Beyoncé’s fans, known as the Beyhive, are not going to stop fighting and rooting for their queen. I, for one, can’t wait to see what she does next.