For centuries gone by, it was a usual practice to hold the head of a conquered victim up as a priceless possession to the people. In such feat went with the feeling of unconquerable tribe and people, as a disdainful showboat of doing away with your enemy, as a collection of skull prizes, evidence of the heroes that have gone under your sword. These were not skulls of ordinary soldiers, bandits or tribesmen. These were of renowned warriors and heads of tribes almost equating a king. Such skulls were usually kept as priceless possessions. Other times, they were used as skull cups, symbolically as badge of honour showing one’s royalty and unrivalled status. So Jay Z drank Cognac with his won Grammy trophy!
Doing the last Grammy ceremony, Jay Z was duly honoured with a Grammy. However, during his acceptance speech, he took a frigid dig at Grammy for always passing his wife by with the Album of the Year prize. “My wife Beyoncé has the highest number of Grammys (32) but has never won the Album of the Year award or any of the big awards at the ceremony. The Grammys need to do the right thing. But you know in life, you’ve got to keep showing up until you get the recognition you deserve. Until everyone looks at you and recognizes how great you are”
When Davido didn’t win a Grammy, Nigerians were devastated; hey never spared the organizers of some brutal dressing down. You would think it was losing out of the Holy Grails of Grammy. But no. Davido, like thousands of musicians, “just give me a Grammy, enough to be content with.” But there are Grammys there are Grammys. That was what Jay Z was harping on with unmistaken discontent and dismay.
The four Holy Grails of Grammy are: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist. So even in Grammy trophies, there’s discrimination, a kind of a classy, more prized category. Of these four, Beyonce has only won one – there is Jay Z’s distrust of the whole process as rigged or compromised. But did he stop there?
Jay Z would go home, like a warrior disdainfully standing on the neck of a defeated enemy or drinking with the skull of a conquered enemy, bring out his Cognac and have more than a mouthful swig as a middle finger to the organizers of Grammy from the Big Boss.
Amede Isaac
