Jay-Z accused of 'creepy' act with Rihanna in resurfaced footage following death of her father

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

Following the death of Rihanna's father Ronald Fenty at 70 on Saturday, Jay-Z is feeling the heat over his conduct during one of the most important moments of her career.
Rihanna won her first Grammy in Los Angeles on February 10, 2008, and she mentioned her father first in her acceptance speech, saying, 'Dad? I know I promised you I'm gonna give you my first Grammy, but we might have to fight for this one!'
But it seemed to rub Jay-Z, now 55, the wrong way that Rihanna, now, 37, didn't acknowledge his massive contributions to her surging stardom, as her first Grammy win was for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for their hit collaboration Umbrella, which launched her career into the stratosphere.
The famed rapper–producer interrupted her speech, saying, 'She said she wanted to thank everybody for her first Grammy,' leading her to immediately thank him 'for being a part of this record with' her.
He interrupted her flow again — and referred to himself by a nickname in the third person — saying, 'She'd like to thank Jigga Man for being the greatest in the world'
DailyMail.com has reached out to reps for Rihanna and Jay-Z for further comment on the backlash to the 2008 incident.
After she thanked her father, Jay-Z interrupted her to say she was thanking him for their hit collaboration Umbrella. Rihanna handled the situation with grace, extending her arm so she could stay on task and complete the acceptance speech without further awkwardness
The Barbados-born songstress handled the situation with grace, extending her arm at one point so she could stay on task and complete the acceptance speech without further awkwardness to spoil a moment marking a significant career milestone.
But more than 17 years later, fans were far more critical of Jay-Z for what many said was a one-stop shop of arrogance, entitlement and toxic masculinity on display in how he spoke to his talented young protégé in front of an international audience.
A post on Facebook titled 'Jay-Z humiliates Rihanna as she thanks her father' had more than 37,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments as of Tuesday evening.
'What control do they have on these singers?' one user asked.
Another said of the Empire State Of Mind artist: 'He makes my skin crawl.'
Commenters also complained about the Big Pimpin' artist's behavior in a YouTube clip uploaded by the Recording Academy during a December 2020 fundraiser.
'Whos here after death of rihannas dad,' one user asked while another said, 'Arrogance is not Confidence.'
Even before Ronald Fenty's death, people said Jay-Z was too full of himself in the exchange and should have ceded the limelight to Rihanna.
'The way he interrupted her while she acknowledged her dad yet bigs himself up when she acknowledged Him says alot,' said one commenter.
Another added: 'He was so rude and undermined her with his attitude. Imagine how he treats her and others behind closed doors.'
One person said of Jay-Z: 'You can see how He really is right here !!!'
Also noteworthy is that one of the presenters was another surging star, Taylor Swift, who was seen in the background as Rihanna and Jay-Z accepted their award.
Swift's body language appeared to suggest she was uncomfortable with Jay-Z's massive ego on display.
She even seemed to cheer Rihanna when she kept the 99 Problems rapper at a literal arm's length.
Ironically, Swift would be involved in a far more awkward award-show moment just a year later.
As she attempted to give her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, she was rudely interrupted by one of Jay-Z's longtime associates, Kanye West, in what became an infamous moment and cemented Taylor and Kanye's years-long feud.
Ironically, Swift would be involved in a far more awkward award-show moment just a year later when Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards; Kanye and Taylor pictured September 13, 2009, in NYC
In the infamous exchange on September 13, 2009 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, West interrupted Swift during her victory speech for the Best Female Video award for You Belong With Me.
Swift's winning video which had been nominated against Single Ladies, the enduring hit from Jay-Z's wife, Beyoncé, which included a phenomenal dance number in the video.
West got on the stage and yanked the microphone away from Swift, telling her, 'Yo, Taylor, I'm really happy for you, I'mma let you finish. But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all-time! One of the best videos of all-time!'
In retrospect, one YouTube user said of Jay-Z's conduct at the 2008 Grammys: 'He is Having a Kanye West Moment.'