12 Black Music Icons Who Won Album of the Year at the Grammys
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Steve Granitz / Contributor via Getty Images
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Big Boi and andre 3000 of OutKast,winners of Album of the Year at the Staples Center in Los Angeles,California
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Key Takeaways
- despite decades of influence,only a few Black artists have received the Grammys’ top honor.
- These wins marked turning points for Hip Hop, R&B, jazz, and soul in the mainstream.
- Each album captured a cultural moment that still resonates with fans and critics alike.
Plenty of incredible artists have gone their entire careers without winning Album of the Year at the Grammys. It’s one of the award show’s most coveted honors, largely becuase creating a full body of work takes real time and effort. For the many Black artists in rap and R&B, the challenge can be even tougher, as both genres have a long history of being misunderstood or undervalued.
Beyoncé, for example, was nominated 99 times before winning her first Album of the year with COWBOY CARTER.Prior to that, she competed in the category four separate times. At the end of the day, it takes a special combination of talent, acclaim, and timing to win the award. The legendary Stevie Wonder managed to earn three in the ’70s, while Lauryn Hill became the first rap a
Taylor Swift Wins album of the Year for *Folklore*
Taylor Swift won Album of the Year at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on March 14, 2021, for her surprise-released album, Folklore. This victory marked her third time winning the award, having previously won for Fearless in 2010 and 1989 in 2016.
Swift expressed feeling “very full and very honored” during her acceptance speech, noting it had been “many, many years” since her last win in the category. Her win was notable as it came after Beyoncé had not won Album of the Year despite having the most Grammy Awards of any artist.
The Recording Academy appeared to respond to criticism, including comments made by JAY-Z at the 2024 Grammy Awards. In 2024, JAY-Z publicly defended Beyoncé, stating, “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year.”
Quincy jones Wins Album of the Year
Quincy Jones won Album of the Year at the 1991 grammy Awards for his work on *Back on the Block*. He beat out strong competition including Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut album and MC Hammer’s Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em. Jones had already received numerous Grammy Awards for his collaborations with artists like Michael Jackson.