Bye for Queen Bey

Bye for Queen Bey

Hip-hop mogul and millionaire, loving father... cheating husband?

Jay Z's success and riches - US$520 million (S$650 million) net worth, to be exact - now takes a back seat as the world zooms in on the US rapper's alleged philandering ways.

It is said to be poisoning the six-year marriage between Jay Z and his US singer-wife Beyonce. The megastar couple have a two-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.

Drunk in Love? We are not so sure.

Call it the Celebrity Couple Curse because most famous pairings can't seem to last.

Just look at the "consciously uncoupled" Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, as well as Heidi Klum and Seal.

As Jay Z and Beyonce's high-powered marriage continues to be plagued by divorce rumours, one opportunistic aspiring model-rapper Liv has stepped in to rock the boat further.

In the latest in the ensuing drama, the supposed mistress paints herself as a well-meaning victim who dishes the dirt on Jay Z's scandalous ways and slams Beyonce in a rap song and "open letter" called Sorry Mrs Carter. Jay Z's surname is Carter.

To the beat of Ms Jackson by US hip hop duo Outkast, she revealed that Jay Z "likes all naturally, flawless model chicks like me" and that "Me and Jay never screwed" but "We were attracted like magnets, us crossing paths was no accident/When I stepped out of his life, I took a piece of his heart".

Last year, Liv caused a stir when she claimed that Jay Z tried to get her number twice behind Beyonce's back.

She is not the only rumoured marriage wrecker. US singer Mya was named as the mistress before she cleared the air on Instagram last month, saying "never did, never was, never will... I play second to no one, pay my own bills, have my own label, own management company, rely on God only and respect myself & marriage way too much for nonsense".

ON TOUR

Beyonce and Jay Z are still playing a happy couple in their On The Run US and Paris tour, which kicked off in Miami on June 25 When they shared stage time, the pair hugged and exchanged loving smiles.

As they sang Jay Z's hit Young Forever together, family moments captured on video were shown on a screen.

The trouble in paradise might not have come to light if not for the infamous lift ruckus by Beyonce's sister, singer Solange Knowles. Security footage leaked in May after a post-Met Gala party showed Solange, 28, attacking Jay Z with blows and kicks as a bodyguard tried to restrain her.

Beyonce kept her cool. Indeed, she has held it together well for most of their tour.

Are they together or not?

She has changed the lyrics to her song Resentment several times during the tour - seemingly on her own relationship - went house-hunting on her own in June and is said to be seeing an adviser to discuss her assets.

A source told the Daily Mirror last month that the couple have been seeing a therapist via Skype "to keep communication open and make sure there are no misunderstandings".

Another source told New York Post's Page Six that "they're not just staying in different hotel rooms, but they have booked separate hotels, and they arrive separately to each show".

This, on top of the presence of lawyers during the tour to help them "hash things out". Could it be just a publicity stunt for the tour? Remember when she dropped her album Beyonce in a surprise move last year? Or, more recently, when she released a remix to her song Flawless with US rapper Nicki Minaj late on Saturday in the same fashion?

If it's orchestrated, it's working.

Billboard reported that the tour's 19 North American shows will gross over US$100 million and were sold at over 90 per cent capacity.

Celebrity publicist Jonathan Hay, who claims credit for milking fake Jay Z-Rihanna relationship rumours in 2005 to promote RiRi's debut single Pon de Replay, told Billboard in another report: "Always consider the timing in these situations... They created a compelling spectacle, which ultimately creates a demand." MAY 12: TMZ posts a video of Solange Knowles, Beyonce's sister, kicking and hitting Jay Z in a lift.

TIMELINE

JUNE 25: Jay Z and Beyonce's On The Run tour kicks off in Miami. It is under intense scrutiny as fans feared an abrupt cancellation due to the couple's alleged marital problems.

JUNE 28: During the tour's Ohio leg, Beyonce changes the lyrics of Resentment from "Been riding with you for six years" to "Been riding with you for 12 years".

JULY 3: US singer Mya, named as Jay Z's mistress, addresses the rumours on Instagram, saying "Never did, never was, never will". She received death threats after an article called her out.

JULY 14: A source tells British tabloid Daily Mirror that the pair are seeing a therapist weekly via Skype while on tour to sort out their marital woes.

JULY 28: Reports say Beyonce goes house-hunting in June without Jay Z.

JULY 30: Beyonce uploads a photo on Instagram of Jay Z and their daughter Blue Ivy with the caption "My favourite hue is JayZ Blue".

AUG 2: Beyonce and Nicki Minaj release a remix of the former's song Flawless, addressing the fight in the lift with the line "Of course sometimes s*** go down when there's a billion dollars on the elevator".

AUG 4: Jay Z's alleged mistress, the model and rapper Liz, drops a rap song and accompanying video called Sorry Mrs Carter, an "open letter" dissing Beyonce and dishing the dirt on Jay Z's unfaithful ways. Jay Z's surname is Carter.


This article was first published on August 7, 2014.
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