Jay-Z confirmed for the first time that he cheated on the former Destiny’s Child singer, saying that his tendency to “shut down emotionally” led to the infidelity.
Describing how he had been forced to “put on this shell of this tough person”, Jay said, “You shut down all emotions. So even with women, you gonna shut down emotionally, so you can’t connect… In my case, like it’s, it’s deep. And then all the things happen from there: infidelity.”
His latest album, 4:44 clearly tells the story about his marriage with Beyoncé, his wife of 8 years, and hints at his infidelity. He recently said, “You know, most people walk away, and like divorce rate is like 50 percent or something ’cause most people can’t see themselves,” Jay said. “The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone’s face that you cause, and then have to deal with yourself. So, you know, most people don’t want to do that. You don’t want to look inside yourself. And so you walk away.”
The couple resorted to music as a getaway to their problems. “We were using our art almost like a therapy session,” the rapper said. “And we started making music together.”
Jay said that he “grew so much” from his therapy sessions, explaining: “I think the most important thing I got is that everything is connected. Every emotion is connected and it comes from somewhere. And just being aware of it. Being aware of it in everyday life puts you at… such an advantage.”
Jay-Z stood by his wife during her album’s project, and she was there for his 4:44, but through it all, they were in a difficult place. “And (we) both very, very uncomfortable, but…the best place in the, you know, hurricane is like in the middle of it. We were sitting in the eye of that hurricane.”
We hope this is a step towards happier times for this iconic couple!
