As Beyoncé accurately put it in all caps, "AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM." Spike Lee agrees — and Bey being robbed at the 2023 Grammy Awards is a damning indictment, according to the Hollywood legend (and occasional 9/11 conspiracy theorist).
In a new interview with The Guardian, the BlacKkKlansman director celebrated his recent BFI Fellowship win — the British Film Institute's highest honour, awarding "outstanding contribution to film or television culture" — by speaking out on the historical and ongoing snubbing of fellow Black artists, including Beyoncé.
"I'm not the male president of the Bey Hive, but I love and support Beyoncé. Her album is amazing," Lee clarified, speaking nothing but the truth about the RENAISSANCE revolution. "I know she's won multiple Grammys, but four times nominated for album of the year and she's lost every time? No disrespect to those artists like Adele or Harry Styles who won. It's not their fault, but that's some straight-up bullshit."
Beyoncé actually became the most-awarded artist in Grammys history this year, racking up a total of 32 gramophones. But the fact that she hasn't won Album of the Year — arguably the awards' most prestigious title — is puzzling. Or is it?
A leader in the #OscarsSoWhite movement, Lee doesn't think so. "There's a history of great Black artists who come up for these awards and don't win," he continued, incredibly familiar with all the additional struggles that come with being a Black creator in an industry with predominantly white awarding bodies and gatekeepers. "We all know their work is great, because art speaks for itself. But then it always comes down to this tricky territory of validation. Do Black artists say 'Fuck it' — or seek white validation and chase awards?"
"I just want to give a shoutout to my sister Beyoncé," the director added. "We know what the deal is. It's straight-up shenanigans, skulduggery, subterfuge. Or as the British say: it's some poppycock!" Innit?
In a new interview with The Guardian, the BlacKkKlansman director celebrated his recent BFI Fellowship win — the British Film Institute's highest honour, awarding "outstanding contribution to film or television culture" — by speaking out on the historical and ongoing snubbing of fellow Black artists, including Beyoncé.
"I'm not the male president of the Bey Hive, but I love and support Beyoncé. Her album is amazing," Lee clarified, speaking nothing but the truth about the RENAISSANCE revolution. "I know she's won multiple Grammys, but four times nominated for album of the year and she's lost every time? No disrespect to those artists like Adele or Harry Styles who won. It's not their fault, but that's some straight-up bullshit."
Beyoncé actually became the most-awarded artist in Grammys history this year, racking up a total of 32 gramophones. But the fact that she hasn't won Album of the Year — arguably the awards' most prestigious title — is puzzling. Or is it?
A leader in the #OscarsSoWhite movement, Lee doesn't think so. "There's a history of great Black artists who come up for these awards and don't win," he continued, incredibly familiar with all the additional struggles that come with being a Black creator in an industry with predominantly white awarding bodies and gatekeepers. "We all know their work is great, because art speaks for itself. But then it always comes down to this tricky territory of validation. Do Black artists say 'Fuck it' — or seek white validation and chase awards?"
"I just want to give a shoutout to my sister Beyoncé," the director added. "We know what the deal is. It's straight-up shenanigans, skulduggery, subterfuge. Or as the British say: it's some poppycock!" Innit?