4 Facts That Prove the Grammys Need to "Woke" the Eff Up

When Adele won the Grammy for album of the year, even she didn't want it. It belonged to Beyoncé.

Beyoncé's Lemonade album was a remarkable piece of work and a beautiful reflection of black culture. "It's important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families — as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House, and the Grammys — and see themselves," she said when accepting her award for best urban contemporary album, "and have no doubt that they're beautiful, intelligent, and capable."

For many, Beyoncé's loss of album of the year was another shun to black people, one that Frank Ocean used as a reason for boycotting the award show this year. Indeed, when we look at her loss in the context of Grammys history and the lack of recognition for black artists, it's even more concerning. Here are four facts to put it into perspective.

Fact #1.

Fact #2.

Fact #3.

Fact #4.

Black artists, and black female artists in particular, are crucial to the music industry. They deserve recognition beyond genre awards like best urban contemporary album. If Beyoncé can't be the first black woman to win album of the year since the '90s for Lemonade, who can?

Beyoncé has been nominated for a Grammy album of the year three times but has never won. At the Grammys press room this year while discussing her win, Adele said about Beyoncé's loss, "What the f*ck does she have to do to win album of the year?" The answer might simply be, "be white."