Rapper Jay Z was the target of plenty of abuse from his fans and those loyal to Beyonce, when his wife dropped her latest album Lemonade. In it, she alluded to the feelings she felt when she found out her husband had cheated on her and how she and they, as a couple, moved on.
The woman whom he was alleged to have got with has never been named, except for Mrs Cater-Knowles calling her 'Becky with the good hair'.
When Jay Z released his latest album 4:44, he pretty much admitted to being unfaithful; however, it was still not 100 percent confirmed.
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He never told anyone, 'Yes I cheated'.
Credit: PA
But in an interview with the New York Times, he opens up about that part of his marriage to one of the most successful artists of all time. He was asked about his time in therapy, what was said, how he reacted and how he changed from the experience.
Jay says he felt he could finally feel 'connected' again following the meetings.
The 47-year-old said: "You have to survive. So, you go into survival mode, and when you go into survival mode what happen? You shut down all emotions. So even with women, you gonna shut down emotionally, so you can't connect.
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"In my case, like it's, it's deep. And then all the things happen from there: infidelity."
The legendary hip-hop artist adds: "It's hard to hear songs back. It's hard to perform...songs, but, um, I feel it's the most important work that I've done and I'm very proud of it and the effect that it's having on people."
Credit: PA
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Rumours had circulated about the alleged cheating for years, but they particularly came to a head during what should have been a very private moment. In an elevator in 2014, Solange Knowles attacked Jay Z, while sister Beyonce stood silent.
Carter addressed the moment three years later with the hosts of the Rap Radar Podcast, telling them: "We had one disagreement ever. Before and after, we've been cool. She's like my sister. I will protect her. That's my sister, not my sister-in-law. My sister. Period."
That wasn't really addressing what happened and merely acknowledging its existence.
But he alluded to the moment again in his song 'Kill Jay Z' off 4:44 when he rapped: "You egged Solange on/ Knowin' all along, all you had to say you was wrong/You almost went Eric Benét/Let the baddest girl in the world get away/I don't even know what else to say/ N---a, never go Eric Benét."
Credit: PA
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Despite the very public attention their relationship has received, it appears following both Jay Z and Beyonce's albums, they've worked through their issues.
Mr Carter said: "The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone's face that you caused, and then have to deal with yourself.
"But the best place in the hurricane is in the middle of it.
"The best place is right in the middle of the pain. And that's where we were sitting. And it was uncomfortable. And we had a lot of conversations."
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Sources: New York Times
Topics: Entertainment, News, Music, Jay Z, Beyonce