"Jay-Z bought it" — Internet reacts to Billboard predicting Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" to win Album Of The Year at GRAMMYs

On Monday, January 6, Billboard predicted Beyoncé's 2024 country album, Cowboy Carter, to win Album Of The Year at the Grammys. The prediction was part of Billboard's annual report about the upcoming Grammy winners across multiple categories.

A tweet about the prediction was later uploaded on X, which caught the attention of netizens, with one of them commenting:

"Jay-Z bought it"

Some netizens recalled the last Grammy Award show, during which Jay-Z expressed his disappointment that his wife did not win Album of the Year.

"Maybe she will get it, but it will be only because her husband last year cried on the stage. Let’s be honest, it’s not a good country album," commented an X user.

"Always knew the Grammy’s were a scam," one added.

Others pointed out that other albums, including Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine, were more deserving of the award.

"Beyonce about to “buy” the Grammy for album of the year at the “GRAMMYS”... Ariana and others had better albums," wrote another one.

"No hate to beyonce but realistically this album was the least impactful of the year. So this wouldn’t even be fair," a netizen replied.

Some netizens supported Queen Bey, claiming that her album deserved the award.

"Beyoncé continues to redefine music genres with 'Cowboy Carter’ such a masterpiece project," commented another user.

"as it should," a fan wrote.

Cowboy Carter is Beyoncé's eighth studio album, released on March 29, 2024. The singer performed the tracks from the album live for the first time on the Netflix Superbowl Halftime Show on December 25, 2024.

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Beyoncé is yet to win an Album Of The Year Award at the Grammys

In its annual report, Billboard made predictions about who would likely win in Grammy's Big Four — Album, Song, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist.

Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter is competing with:

• Andre 3000's New Blue Sun - nominated for best alternative jazz album
• Sabrina Carpenter's Short 'n Sweet
• Charlie XCX's BRAT - nominated for best dance/electronic album
• Billie Eilish's Hit Me Hard and Soft
• Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department
• Chappell Roan's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
• Jacob Collier's Djesse Vol.4

Cowboy Carter, which is nominated in the best country album category, would be the first country album to win in the last six years. It would also mark Beyoncé's first Album of the Year, despite her winning over 40 different Grammy awards.

Among the nominated singers who have already won the award in the past include Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift (who has won it four times), and Andre 3000, who has won it as a member of Outkast.

Cowboy Carter features a diverse cast of artists, including pop legends Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder. Country artists like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson have also appeared on the album.

The album also features Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Nile Rodgers, Shaboozey, Rhiannon Giddens, Raphael Saadiq, Gary Clark Jr., The Dream, Jon Batiste, and Pharrell.

According to Billboard, if all these feature artists vote for Beyoncé's album to win, Cowboy Carter will likely rank among the top contenders for the award.

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Billboard has predicted Kendrick Lamar's Not Like Us to win the Record of the Year Award. The track was released as part of the Lamar-Drake feud in 2024. For Song for the Year, Billboard predicts Billie Eilish and Finneas will win the award for their 2024 track, Birds of a Feather.

Lastly, Chappell Roan is predicted to win the Best New Artist award by Billboard.