Today, People reported that Jay-Z will not be performing at this year’s Grammys. You may now be rifling through your brain to remember if at one point Jay-Z was indeed scheduled to be performing at the Grammys; if so, you will come up empty. He is nominated in nearly every major category including album, song, and record of the year, so you could understand why he might be expected to play at the ceremony, but any notion of it was purely hypothetical. If you’re searching for a reason, it might have something to do with Beyoncé losing the top prize both of the last two times she was nominated.
All that said, Jay will accept the Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Award at Clive Davis’ traditional pre-Grammys party on Saturday night. But no performance. Forward we march.
