If Beyoncé doesn't win, the Grammys lose.
That was the prevailing logic heading into the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where the 41-year-old superstar broke the record for most Grammy wins ever. And yet, despite the massive trophy pile she's spent her career collecting, Beyoncé still had something bigger on the line. The Grammy's most coveted prize, album of the year, had eluded her three times before - less a reflection of Beyoncé's artistry than proof of the Recording Academy's perennial failure to celebrate Black music at the height of its cultural relevance. Would this night be any different?