So the Grammys just passed, and though I did not watch the full award show, I definitely caught snippets of the most iconic moments of the night, as they were floating around on my social media. Word has certainly got out that Adele won the Best Album of the Year and Beyonce did not… And I promise this post will not be about Beyonce (even as much as I’d like for it to be), but in her own acceptance speech, Adele, herself, pointed out that Beyonce indeed should have won. Adele is quoted saying to Beyonce:

…the ‘Lemonade’ album was just so monumental […] and so well-thought-out and so beautiful and soul-bearing and we all got to see another side to you that you don’t always let us see and we appreciate that.

Who else shed a bit of a tear after their hundredth time watching that clip??? Just me? Oh okay.??

But really, this is an example of what I’d like to call musical activism in one of its purest forms. Adele used her platform to allude to and discuss an issue of inequality within the industry. She was also quoted saying “What else […] does [Beyonce] have to do to win?” This quote brings up a very touchy subject that author and scholar Peggy McIntosh refers to as “White Privilege” and the “Invisible Knapsack.”

The “invisible knapsack” is an unearned bag full of privileges, benefits, and other assets given to those of a dominant group (McIntosh refers to this group as white people, though later, Women’s Studies philosophers find that anyone can carry this bag since privilege and oppression happen simultaneously). The bag, or “knapsack” is indeed invisible though, hence why most people find it very difficult to recognize their privilege.

In her essay, “White Privilege and Male Privilege (1988),” McIntosh states that

I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance in my group.

The oppression that happens within these institutions can range across all borders. People can be discriminated based on gender, class, and their socioeconomic background; racism is just one type of oppression.

Because people consider ‘Lemonade’ to be such an amazing album, it is quite baffling to know that Beyonce won only two out of her nine nominations, while Adele won five out of five.  Some may argue that these two artists are just completely different both sound- and style- wise.

Beyonce’s sister, Solange Knowles (who also won a grammy) criticized the Grammys in a written tweet after the show:

There have only been two black winners in the last 20 years for the best album of the year.

There have been over 200 black artists who have performed.

Solange certainly gives us something to think about as we continue to analyze the invisible knapsacks that are carried within the music industry.

In no way am I saying that Adele did not deserve her award. Neither am I saying that Beyonce deserved the award because she is Beyonce. What I am highlighting is the fact that Adele recognized that women of color, or people of color in general, are required to work twice as hard to receive the same things that people with privilege have.

Perhaps Adele is suggesting that we “set fire to the” industry that was not built to cater to us and start “turning tables,” creating our own standards and content.