Shaboozey Offers Clarification on Grammys Acceptance Speech

Rana AlsoufiWed, February 4, 2026 at 12:22 AM UTC

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(Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Shaboozey has spoken out in regards to the growing controversy surrounding his Grammys acceptance speech this past Sunday.

The country artist won his first Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for his song "Amen" featuring Jelly Roll. When he took the stage to accept his award, Shaboozey — like many other artists in attendance — took the opportunity to speak out in support of immigrants in the United States.

"Immigrants built this country, literally," Shaboozey said on Sunday night. "So this is for them — for all children of immigrants. This is also for those who came to this country in search of better opportunity, 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 here. You give America color."

But his tearful acceptance speech was soon followed by a wave of backlash online from social media users accusing Shaboozey of ignoring the impact that Black people and enslaved Africans had on the United States' foundation. Many expressed their disappointment online through the form of X posts, comments and TikToks.

One YouTube commenter wrote, "African Americans are the bottom of everything. We literally died and suffered through the most violent form of slavery ever recorded to build America for free then fought for all POC to have the same rights only for our history to be forgotton (sic) and disrespected."

After a few days of online debate, Shaboozey finally took to social media on Tuesday to address the backlash he had been receiving and offer some clarification behind the intention of his speech.

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"To be clear, I know and believe that we — Black people, have also built this country," Shaboozey wrote. "My words were never intended to dismiss that truth. I am both a Black man and the son of Nigerian immigrants and in the overwhelming moment of winning my first Grammy my focus was on honoring the sacrifices my parents made by coming to this country to give me and my siblings opportunities they never had."

Shaboozey also went on to emphasize the significance of being the first Black man to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance on the first day of Black History Month, stating that the historical win "stands on the foundation laid by generations of Black people who fought, sacrificed and succeeded long before me."

Social media users both expressed their gratitude to Shaboozey for listening to their concerns and for clearly addressing his intention behind his speech, as well as continued to stand firm on why it's important to fully acknowledge the role that Africans and Black people have had on America.

"I love this. Shaboozey is just keeping it real he’s proud of his roots and also celebrating his parents’ sacrifices. Big respect!" wrote one user.

"Big moment, big emotions. Respect to him for clarifying and standing in both his Black and immigrant identity," wrote another user.

Related: Jelly Roll and Shaboozey Win First Grammy With Emotional Acceptance Speech

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”