Beyonce confirmed her status as Queen Bey Tuesday morning by shaking up the music world with her history-making Grammy nominations. The incomparable virtuoso nabbed a total of nine nods for her culture-shifting Lemonade album, making her the most nominated female artist in Grammy history with a record of 62 nominations and 20 wins. On top of scoring nods for Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year, Beyonce’s “Don’t Hurt Yourself” featuring Jack White is also up for Best Rock Performance. Reactions are predictable.
The star’s foray into rock music has die-hard fans of the genre up in arms on Twitter and declaring rock music as being dead. “How the f*ck did Beyonce get nominated for best rock performance??!!! That’s some bullsh*t!!! She’s not rock!! #GrammyNominations #grammy,” an angry fan protested on Twitter following the Grammy announcements. “As Marilyn Manson said ‘Rock is Dead’ when I see Beyonce nominated for Best Rock Performance at Grammys,” tweeted another.
What happened to rock music? Beyoncé & Twenty One Pilots do not classify as rock, & should not be in the rock categories for the Grammys 🙄
— Kristin Michele (@heyyykristin) December 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/GreatGatsbyUno/status/806145783514939393
https://twitter.com/TheNeverended/status/806157332451381248
Who let Beyoncé into the Best Rock Performance category for the Grammys?
— Luke “Big Hoss" Poploskie🇨🇦 (@PoPloskie_Luke) December 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/cinddy_m/status/806151476317818880
https://twitter.com/DadsRise/status/806137562037415936
this Grammy people are not serious. Beyonce nominated for best ROCK performance !
— Hernandez (@OluwafemiH_) December 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/amybroohkeimer/status/806144039317897216
I'm very confused with the #GrammyNominations how Beyoncé got into the Rock category 😳
— Mel Graham 🤘 (@mellovesmusicau) December 6, 2016
https://twitter.com/Mitchkrebsbach/status/806145743299952643
Beyonce is nominated in Best Rock Performance category, next to Bowie. wtf
— FRANK (@nameless_lizzy) December 6, 2016
This isn’t even the first time a black female pop/R&B star has been nominated for a Grammy in the rock category. Janet Jackson was the last to do it when “Black Cat” from her Rhythm Nation 1814 album scored a Best Female Rock Vocal Performance nomination in 1991. The award ultimately went to Alannah Myles for “Black Velvet.” Of course, there wasn’t a social media for pressed rock fans to angrily get their feelings out, so all the hate just stayed at the water cooler.
If Beyonce does end up beating out Alabama Shakes, David Bowie, and the other rock performance nominees, expect the backlash to be 100x greater than when the limitless artist performed “Daddy’s Lessons” with the Dixie Chicks at the Country Music Awards.
