Mathew Knowles, the astute music manager and father of pop icon Beyoncé, has broken his silence on his daughter’s Album of the Year (AOTY) snub at the Grammy Awards. Knowles expressed his belief that his daughter’s loss was not just a reflection of individual preferences but a manifestation of systemic racial bias within the music industry.
Speaking with TMZ, Mathew claims Beyonce’s record label, Columbia Records, isn’t doing its part behind the scenes … suggesting it’s not going to bat for her when it comes to the voting process or the lobbying involved for award shows.
As Mathew explains, record labels can only support one artist per category, which becomes an issue when artists from the same label are nominated for the same award … as has been the case with Beyoncé at least twice.
Mathew says this exact scenario played out back in 2017 … when Beyoncé and Adele, who is also signed to Columbia, were both nominated for AOTY. Bey’s dad claims Columbia Records threw its support behind Adele, and she ended up trumping Bey for the Grammy.
Mathew says there are all sorts of reasons a record label would support one artist over another — he broke down a few for us, while also pointing out it’s not always about the music itself.
Jay-Z admitted in his speech this whole process is subjective, and Mathew’s not denying that … but he says money is a big motivator here too.
Beyoncé may very well win AOTY somewhere down the line … but at the moment, her father seems to be implying the powers that be just aren’t in her corner for the top prize.
