Music Kelly Rowland praises Jay-Z's Grammy shade over Beyoncé Album of the Year snubs "I couldn't be more proud of him." By Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, where he covers breaking news, all things Real Housewives, and a rich cornucopia of popular culture. Formerly a senior editor at Out magazine, his work has appeared on NewNowNext, Queerty, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker. He was also the first author signed to Phoebe Robinson's Tiny Reparations imprint. He met Oprah once. EW's editorial guidelines Published on February 7, 2024 11:00PM EST Kelly Rowland is proud of Jay-Z (né Shawn Carter) for using his moment on the Grammys stage to shine a light on the Recording Academy's history of snubbing Black artists, and one in particular, her Destiny's sibling Beyoncé. At the premiere of the Bob Marley biopic One Love, Rowland responded to Jay-Z's speech and why she was "just really happy" with what he said. Kelly Rowland. Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty "Shawn Carter is one of the greatest men I know and his words ring so loud to me," the "When Love Takes Over" singer told Entertainment Tonight. "I couldn't be more proud of him." "I'm just really happy for a lot of things that he said," she added. "I think that he made a lot of artists feel very seen and very heard in those minutes that he took on stage." Jay was awarded the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the Grammys ceremony on Sunday and he used his speech to rake the Grammys over the coals for continually snubbing artists for Album of the Year — just nominations, not even wins — citing his own work and the late DMX's two top-selling albums from 1998. "We want you all to get it right," Jay-Z said while accepting . "We love y'all. We want you to get it right. At least get it close to right. And obviously it's subjective because it's music. And it's opinion-based." Jay-Z at the 2024 Grammys. VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images Without mentioning his wife by name, Jay-Z pondered aloud how the most-deocrated artist in Grammy history could never have won Album of the Year, despite (subjectively) deserving it multiple times. "So, even by your own metrics that doesn't work," Jay said as Beyoncé looked on from beneath the brim of her cowboy hat. "Think about that — the most Grammys, never won Album of the Year. That doesn't work." As if to drive the point home, the Grammys awarded Taylor Swift Album of the Year for the fourth time, a new record. Rowland also gushed about Beyoncé, saying that she's an icon because she "starts trends. She is innovative, her thoughts are big and bright and she just jumps for them and does it. And I think that her albums are a reflection of that, and it should be really celebrated in that way. Album of the Year, a couple times." She continued, "I'm not saying that because it's my sister, I'm saying it because it's the truth. I've seen the blood, sweat and tears that she puts into these projects, and her thoughts and her heart and her passion and her soul." Still, Rowland thinks that, while an Album of the Year, or three, would be nice, Beyoncé's "heart is full" from her fans showing up for her — and in silver, no less. "It doesn't have to be a piece of metal," Rowland added, "It can be about the people that support you." Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: The best and worst moments from the 2024 Grammy Awards Grammy Awards 2024: See the complete list of winners The Grammys have a Black woman problem — after four noms, will Beyoncé finally win Album of the Year?