{"id":448453,"date":"2026-02-04T12:09:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T12:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/448453\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T12:09:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T12:09:07","slug":"this-moment-belongs-to-all-of-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/448453\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018This Moment Belongs to All of Us\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shaboozey<\/a> is responding to criticism of the speech he gave at the 2026 Grammy Premiere Ceremony<\/a>, after declaring that \u201cimmigrants built this country\u201d during Sunday\u2019s pre-broadcast event.<\/p>\n

When he accepted the best country duo\/group performance Grammy for his song \u201cAmen\u201d with Jelly Roll, Shaboozey shouted out his Nigerian parents, who immigrated to America, where he was born and raised in Virginia. \u201cImmigrants built this country, literally. So this is for them,\u201d he said on the Peacock Theater stage as he accepted his first Grammy. \u201cFor all children of immigrants, this is also for those who came to this country in search of better opportunities, to be part of a nation that promised freedom for all and equal opportunity to everyone willing to work for it. Thank you for bringing your culture, your music, your stories and your traditions. You give America color, I love y\u2019all so much. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

More from Billboard<\/p>\n

Some on social media pointed out that his speech failed to recognize the history of many Black Americans whose ancestors were enslaved and brought to the United States against their will. \u201cI understand what Shaboozey was probably trying to say, but my brother in Christ \u2014 it\u2019s Black History Month!\u201d one X user wrote<\/a> on Sunday. \u201cYou have to word that properly if you\u2019re going to bring it up, because the 400 years of building by African-American slaves is such a key part of the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Tuesday (Feb. 3), Shaboozey took to X to post an open letter in response to the online discussion and to share his apology.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to be clear and unequivocal: Foundational Black Americans built this country. Period,\u201d he wrote in the letter. \u201cMy words were not meant to erase, diminish, or overlook that truth, and I sincerely apologize for how they came across. That history, sacrifice, and resilience are undeniable, and I should have been more intentional in honoring that in my moment on stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also points out in his letter that he is the first Black winner in the best country duo\/group category, which is \u201cnot just my achievement \u2014 it is a continuation of Black history. It stands on the shoulders of those who fought, created, and paved the way long before me. This moment belongs to all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAmen\u201d is a top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit for Shaboozey and Jelly Roll, peaking at No. 27 this week.<\/p>\n

Read his full open letter below:<\/p>\n

First and foremost, I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone who has supported and celebrated my journey as an artist. I also want to acknowledge and take responsibility for the conversation surrounding my acceptance speech.<\/p>\n

I want to be clear and unequivocal: Foundational Black Americans built this country. Period. My words were not meant to erase, diminish, or overlook that truth, and I sincerely apologize for how they came across. That history, sacrifice, and resilience are undeniable, and I should have been more intentional in honoring that in my moment on stage.<\/p>\n

I am a Nigerian American man and the son of Nigerian immigrants. In the overwhelming emotion of winning my first Grammy, my focus was on my parents and the sacrifices they made to come to this country. But I now recognize that their opportunity to come here \u2014 and my ability to thrive \u2014 rests on the foundation laid by generations of Black Americans who endured slavery, segregation, systemic racism, and continued struggles for equality. For that, I am deeply grateful.<\/p>\n

Winning this award on the first day of Black History Month and becoming the first Black man to win Best Country Duo is not just my achievement \u2014 it is a continuation of Black history. It stands on the shoulders of those who fought, created, and paved the way long before me. This moment belongs to all of us.<\/p>\n

My career has always been rooted in uplifting people, honoring where we come from, and expanding what\u2019s possible. I am proud to be part of this legacy, and I commit to doing better in how I speak about and honor the full story of Black people in America.<\/p>\n

With love,
Chibueze<\/p>\n

Best of Billboard<\/p>\n

Sign up for Billboard’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Shaboozey is responding to criticism of the speech he gave at the 2026 Grammy Premiere Ceremony, after declaring…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":448454,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[88,36085,216,157241],"class_list":{"0":"post-448453","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-jelly-roll","10":"tag-music","11":"tag-shaboozey"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}