In a new, extensive interview, the 47-year-old hip-hop star also reveals the 'hardest thing' about being unfaithful to his wife of nearly a decade.
- Nov 30, 2017
AceShowbiz - Jay-Z has finally opened up about his past infidelity to his wife Beyonce Knowles. In an extensive interview with The New York Times, the famed rapper admitted to cheating on his singer wife, revealed how his state of mind led to the infamous transgression and shared how the power couple made things work in their rocky marriage.
"You know, most people walk away, and like divorce rate is like 50 percent or something 'cause most people can't see themselves. The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone's face that you caused, and then have to deal with yourself," he told the outlet. "So, you know, most people don't want to do that. You don't want to look inside yourself. And so you walk away."
While he never walked away, Jay-Z admitted during the interview that it's not always been easy for him. He'd been hit by cheating rumors since 2013 which were only fueled by the news of his infamous 2014 elevator row with sister-in-law Solange Knowles after the Met Gala. Beyonce more than hinted at marital conflict on her 2016 album "Lemonade", and Jay-Z then alluded to being unfaithful on the title track of his latest album, "4:44".
Jay-Z told the Times that music helped him and Beyonce make things work in their rocky marriage. "We were using our art almost like a therapy session," he explained. "And we started making music together." He continued, "And then the music she was making at the time was further along. So her album came out as opposed to the joint album that we were working on."
The 47-year-old hip-hop star also revealed that working on their collaborative album led to "4:44", which received eight Grammy nominations on Tuesday, November 28. "There was never a point where I was like 'I'm making this album.' It was right there the entire time," he said, adding that there's still a lot of music left from their joint effort.
In the 35-minute interview, which ranged in topics from race to politics, Jay-Z also addressed other relationships, including becoming closer to his mother Gloria following her coming out on his song "Smile" and his apparent strained relationship with friend and "little brother" Kanye West. The father of three said he and Kanye still speak. In fact, he said he talked to the "Famous" rapper "just the other day."
"So I've always been like a big brother. And we're both entertainers. It's always been like a little underlying competition with your big brother. And we both love and respect each other's art, too," he said. "So it's like, we both -- everyone wants to be the greatest in the world. You know what I'm saying? And then there's like a lot of other factors that play in it. But it's gonna, we gonna always be good."
