Jay-Z and Beyonce are a notoriously private couple. But when it comes to their music, the two open up in a way that’s refreshing to fans and tabloid culture alike.
Their latest projects, “4:44” and “Lemonade,” shed light on a once-troubled marriage. Jay-Z recently revealed in a New York Times interview that the two albums were birthed from joint recording sessions.
“We were using our art almost like a therapy session. And we started making music together,” he said. “Lemonade” was released first because it was closer to completion and he said it felt like “she should go first and share her truth.”
On “Lemonade,” released in April 2016 to much fanfare, Beyonce shares the story of a woman catching a cheating lover who was being “cavalier” with his infidelity. The woman, who leaves her husband, later finds the strength to forgive.
Jay-Z’s album, a 13-track record released 14 months later, is equally revealing. The album’s title track tells the painful story of a woman being cheated on with Jay rapping, “I apologize, often womanize … I don’t deserve you.”
It’s not the first time the couple have opened up in song lyrics. Before the two walked down the aisle in 2008, Jay-Z’s 2001 hit “Song Cry” and Beyonce’s 2004 hit “Resentment” also touched on the issues in their relationship.
Here’s a breakdown of the A-list couple’s once-troubled marriage — from infidelity to forgiveness in their own words, using songs from their latest albums.
“Pray You Can Catch Me”
On “Lemonade’s” opening song, Beyonce introduces us to a hurting woman who’s almost unrecognizable. Standing in a field, wearing a black hoodie to cover up her signature golden curls, Bey is lurking. In this heart-wrenching ballad, she sings: “You can taste the dishonesty/It’s all over your breath as you pass it off so cavalier.” Beyonce is watching her man cheat on her and she wants him to know that she knows. She’s tired of hiding his secret. “I’m prayin’ you catch me listening,” she sings.
“Kill JAY-Z”
“4:44’s” opening track explains why Jay-Z decided to talk about his marriage’s infidelity finally. “Cry Jay-Z, we know the pain is real/But you can’t heal what you never reveal,” he raps. Later in the song, he makes it plain: “Let the baddest girl in the world get away/I don’t even know what else to say … I don’t even know what you woulda done.”
“Hold Up”
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