The 2024 Grammy Awards, dubbed 66th Grammys, were held Sunday night, February 4, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The night saw Taylor Swift making history by winning Album of the Year (AOTY). Swift took home the top honor for her album Midnights, becoming the only artist ever to win the title four times.
Following the Grammys, conversation around the AOTY category has resurfaced, especially after Jay-Z criticized the scheme. Receiving the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award for his work in the music industry, he took a moment to blast the academy for failing to give an award to his wife, Beyonce.
Queen Bey is the most successful artist in terms of Grammy wins but has never won the AOTY, leading her husband to ask questions.
But Beyonce is not the only Black musician to have suffered the AOTY disappointment. Not many Black artist have won that award in the Grammys’ 66-year-old history. In fact, 11 Blacks have received that honor and here are they.
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Stevie Wonder – Innervisions (1974)
The legendary Stevie Wonder is the first Black artist ever to win Album of the Year, and he remains the only one to win three times.
He bagged his first in 1974 with Innerversions and made it back-to-back with Fulfillingness’ First Finale in 1975 before making it a hat-trick in 1977 with Songs in the Key of Life.
Michael Jackson – Thriller (1984)
After Stevie Wonder’s first AOTY and his subsequent dominance, it took 10 years for another Black artist to get the award.
It was no other than Michael Jackson whose Thriller clinched the AOTY and a record eight wins in one night.
Lionel Richie – Can’t Slow Down (1985)
Lionel Richie made it two consecutive AOTY wins for Black artists by following in MJ’s footsteps.
The singer-songwriter took home the award for his massively popular second solo album, Can’t Slow Down in 1985.
Quincy Jones – Back on the Block (1991)
Six years after Lionel Richie’s win, legendary producer Quincy Jones won for his all-star collaborative album, Back On The Block.
The compilation project featured artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, and rapper Ice T.
Natalie Cole – Unforgettable…With Love (1992)
Natalie Cole received the Grammy AOTY in the 1992 edition for her Unforgettable…With Love, her 12th studio album.
The daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole, she had a career rebirth by recording some of her father’s classics.
Whitney Houston – The Bodyguard (1994)
Whitney Houston bagged the AOTY at the 1994 Grammys with her soundtrack album for the movie, The Bodyguard.
She featured in the movie alongside Kevin Costner and also recorded most of the songs on the album.
Lauryn Hill – The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1999)
Lauryn Hill’s iconic debut album as a solo artist, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, made history as the first Hip-hop Album of the Year winner in 1999.
She also won Best New Artist on the night, making her one of only five artists to have achieved that feat.
Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2004)
The southern Hip-hop duo took their flowers at the 2004 Grammys, with their double album, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
The album featured two distinct projects from each of the group’s members put together as one. Their win remains the last for any Hip-hop album.
Ray Charles – Genius Loves Company (2005)
Ray Charles’s last-ever album, Genius Loves Company, won him the Grammy AOTY in 2005.
But his award came posthumously. The two producers, Phil Ramone and John Burk, received the award on Charles’ behalf.
Herbie Hancock – River: The Joni Letters (2008)
Jazz musician, Herbie Hancock, did River: The Joni Letters, an album consisting of Joni Mitchell covers as a way of paying tribute to her.
That album won Hancock the AOTY at the Grammys in 2008.
Jon Batiste – We Are (2022)
Jon Batiste ended a long drought for Black artists in 2022. 14 years after the last win, Jon Batiste won it with We Are.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy shows elegance at the 2024 Grammys
Meanwhile, Blue Ivy Carter, the 12-year-old daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, made a fashionable appearance alongside her famous parents at the Grammy Awards.
Although the family skipped the red carpet, Blue Ivy still managed to catch attention as she appeared on stage with her father.
She debuted a white off-the-shoulder Vivienne Westwood dress when she joined her father to receive the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. The dress was paired with the fairytale-esque midi dress with $475 Larroude boots and a matching clutch.
