Powerhouse Beyoncé Knowles is known for her boldness in music, the strength in her voice and the fluidity of her body in dance. She’s also known for her shade, which is done primarily through the showboating of her talents. Since the dawn and sunset of the iconic Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé has managed to be Destiny’s favorite child among her other two sisters, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. In 2003, Beyoncé released her debut album "Dangerously in Love," as well as her hit single "Crazy in Love," featuring her husband Jay-Z. Chronologically speaking, both Bey and Jay have had albums and songs discussing trial and errors of a relationship. For example, Beyonce’s "If I Were a Boy" demonstrates the behavior of a man as a woman and then there’s Jay-Z “Song Cry” that may have foreshadowed the birth of Beyonce’s wrath through song.
When the “Single Ladies” singer, unexpectedly dropped her self titled visual album, BEYONCE, most people thought it to be her most sex driven album; however, it seemed to be a cry of desperation. Not to her audience, but to her husband. With lyrics like “I just want to be the girl you like, the type of girl you like” lingering throughout the LP as the introduction of another alter ego, Yonce. We saw a different side of Queen Bey, one not too different from her ‘Baby Boy’ days but more raunchy. The lyrics were raw, embodying the aggression of a woman compromising to save her marriage. Soon after, security footage of Jay-Z being battered in an elevator by Beyonce’s sister, Solange surfaced. Beyonce was in the very same elevator. Coincidentally, the predecessor of BEYONCE, was released exclusively on TIDAL, Jay-Z’s music streaming app. Beyonce’s sixth album, Lemonade, described as a “conceptual project based on every woman’s journey of self-knowledge and healing”, came with a plethora of theories and rumors suggesting that Beyonce is fed up with the infidelities of her husband and is prepared for a divorce. The twitter-sphere, of course, took this to be the public execution of Jay-Z, rap’s biggest pimp.
“Uh, this is your final warning, You know I give you life. If you try this shit again..You gon' lose your wife.”
There is anger, tears, and a very solemn Jay-Z whose head is hung low in pity. It’s all so very confusing because more than half way through the album is a woman scorning, but after listening to ‘Daddy Lessons’ where her daddy said “choose”, Beyonce must’ve chosen forgiveness. This album has taken attentive listeners through a ride of conspiracy. After the hype of the cheating allegations has died down, Jay-Z squashed his on-going beef with Fat Joe in order to partake in the remix for the hit single, “All the Way Up” where he raps these very words, “you know you made it when the fact your marriage made it is worth millions.” The reign of memes in honor of his infidelity to Beyonce may have been funny, but in fact Jay-Z has the last laugh. The exclusive Tidal release of wife’s album earned the service more than 1 million subscribers in a week, it sold 200,000 copies its first day on iTunes. In addition to Beyonce's Formation World Tour, the couple is looking at tens of millions. By saturating pop culture media with their level of fame, it is evident that because their marriage is still alive it breeds more press and money by its very nature.
