September 4 is an incredibly important day in the Beyhive – it’s Beyoncé’s birthday, AKA Bey Day.
This year Queen Bey turns 39, and is expected to celebrate her big day in her usual glamorous style – despite the global pandemic.
Beyoncé will no doubt be spending her special day surrounded by her beautiful family, including her rapper husband Jay-Z and their three children Blue Ivy, and twins Rumi and Sir.
The singing megastar has been at the top of the pop throne for years, welcoming continuous success like no other.
She’s one of the most successful musicians of all time, and with an estimated net worth of over $400 million, she’s also one of the richest.
But even Beyoncé herself couldn’t escape rumours of a romantic transgression.
So, as Bey enters the final year of her 30s, how did the queen of music overcome a massive cheating scandal and come back even stronger?
They appeared to be the ultimate couple, but the cracks began to show in Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s marriage in 2014 when a video surfaced of her sister, Solange Knowles, violently attacking the rapper in an elevator – as his wife stood by.
Infidelity rumours had been circulating since the year before, but it wasn’t until Beyoncé dropped her bombshell album Lemonade in 2016 that the reports were all but confirmed.
The humiliating lyric from her song “Sorry” shook the entire world.
Supposedly of her husband, she sang: “He only want me when I’m not there. He better call Becky with the good hair.”
The track made her fans around the world explode with anger, with many left baffled as to how Jay could dare cheat on his wife.
“Becky with the good hair” is said to be no one in particular, despite rumours she could be designer Rachel Roy or even Rita Ora.
Becky is apparently a mere symbolic representation of “side chicks” everywhere, according to the song’s main writer.
After airing her husband’s dirty laundry out for the world to see, the track forced Jay-Z to confront his demons.
And in 2017, he did just that.
Jay Z appeared to admit to his extensive cheating on his explosive album, 4:44.
The rapper’s first record in four years seemingly confirm the rumours that emerged following the release of his wife’s critically acclaimed visual album Lemonade the previous year.
On the title track of the album, Jay Z repeatedly apologises for past indiscretions, while on another, Kill Jay Z, he addresses the 2014 Met Gala #Liftgate drama.
On 4:44, Jay responds to his wife’s emotional album as he apologises to his wife of almost 10 years for past indiscretions.
He sings: “If my children knew, I don’t even know what I would do.
“If they don’t look at me the same I would probably die of all the shame.”
More lyrics include: “I apologise, often womanise, took my child to be born, see through a woman’s eyes.
“Took for these natural twins to believe in miracles. Took me too long for this song. I don’t deserve you.”
He also admits he “toyed with your emotions because I was emotionless”.
Jay adds: “What good is a menage a trois when you have a soul mate?”
Even #Liftgate was referenced in Kill Jay Z when he raps: “You egg Solange on knowing all along all you had to say was you was wrong.
“You almost went Eric Benét. Let the baddest girl in the world get away. I don’t even know what to say, n****r never go Eric Benét.”
R&B singer Eric Benét famously had a very short-lived marriage to actress Halle Berry.
The pair went their separate ways in 2005 amid rumours of him cheating.
It seems after the Jay and Bey aired his extra-marital betrayals, the couple agreed to work hard on their relationship and address Jay’s infidelity.
Jay Z said in an interview with David Letterman: “Much like you, I have a beautiful wife who was understanding and who knew I’m not the worst of what I’ve done.”
“We did the hard work of going to therapy,” Jay-Z added. “We love each other, so we really put in the work for years.”
Shortly before Jay came clean, the couple announced Bey was pregnant with their twins Rumi and Sir, now three.