THEY have one of the most famous marriages in showbusiness.
And now, after rumours of infidelity and explosive rows, Beyonce has hit back at critics of her relationship with rapper Jay-Z — on her explosive new album, Renaissance.
Loved up Beyonce and Jay-Z at the Grammys[/caption]
The US superstar’s seventh LP, out today, tells how she has fixed their romance and addresses the cheating rumours — plus the infamous lift incident which saw her sister physically attack Jay.
And she uses its 16 tracks to give an abridged version of life following a series of metaphorical bombs on her previous album, 2016’s Lemonade.
Appearing to refer to the criticism around their relationship over the past six years on Plastic Off The Sofa, Beyonce sings: “We don’t need the world’s acceptance.
“They’re too hard on me, they’re too hard on you, boy.”
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She also appears to show a softer side towards Jay, who she married in a top-secret intimate wedding on April 4, 2008 — the fourth day of the fourth month, in honour of their favourite number
Beyonce croons: “Boy, I know you can’t help but to be yourself around me, yourself around me.
“And I know nobody’s perfect so I’ll let you be, I’ll let you be
“It’s the way that you wear your emotions on both of your sleeves, til the face you make when I tell you that I had to leave.”
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Beyonce also hints at the women Jay-Z is rumoured to have been with in Alien Superstar and how no one can come close to their chemistry.
She sings: “I’m one of one, I’m number one, I’m the only one.
Beyonce, Jay and Solange moments after the 2014 hotel lift incident[/caption]
“Don’t even waste your time trying to compete with me. No one else in this world can think like me. I’m twisted, contradicted, keep him addicted.”
Beyonce, mum to daughter Blue Ivy, ten, and five-year-old twins Rumi and Sir with Jay-Z, recorded Renaissance over a three year period.
On it she sings about empowerment and hints she was in the driving seat when it came to deciding where their marriage would go.
On the first track, I’m That Girl, she sings: “You see it, you see it when you look to me, I didn’t want this power, I didn’t want this power, you know love is my weakness, don’t need drugs for some freak s**t, I am just high all the time, I’m out of my mind.”
Then on Virgo’s Groove — a reference to Beyonce’s star sign — she sings about working on her relationship and reigniting the spark of when they first met in 2000.
She sings: “There is nothing that I want as much as I want you, a psychic here told me we got s**t to do.
“We ain’t got time like we used to, but we still shine like we used to, we still grind like we used to, we cut ties when we need to.”
Jay is said to be worth £1.1billion from business ventures such as entertainment firm Roc Nation and a £78million music catalogue, while Beyonce’s fortune is estimated at £371million.
They live in a £73million eight-bedroom LA mansion with four pools, bulletproof windows and even a rooftop helipad.
But on her new album Beyonce also refers to the troubled upbringing of Jay-Z, real name Shawn Corey Carter, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised with siblings Michelle, Andrea and Eric by his mum Gloria after his father Adnis Reeves walked out.
Bulletproof windows
Protecting her husband, who she met when she was 18 and in girl band Destiny’s Child, she sings: “I’ll always be your secret weapon in your arsenal.
“And I know you had it rough growing up, but that’s OK, I like it rough. Baby when you let your feelings get in the way. I still like it, baby, oh I like it, baby.”
Beyonce also appears to refer to the 2014 fight between her sister Solange and Jay-Z in a New York hotel lift.
Security camera footage showed Solange throwing punches at her brother-in-law before a bodyguard dragged her off the rapper.
In the 58-second clip Beyonce was seen frozen in the corner of the lift.
Later Beyonce, Jay-Z and Solange said in a statement: “Jay and Solange have apologised to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.
“They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in public.”
In the album’s second song, Cozy, Beyonce appears to hint at the incident, singing: “She’s a god, she’s a hero, she survived, all she been through, confident and she lethal.
“Might I suggest you don’t f*** with my sis, because she comfortable. Comfortable in my skin, cozy with who I am.”
Beyonce has released Renaissance just days after Rolling Stone magazine named her “the world’s greatest living entertainer”.
The singer, from Houston, Texas, has won 28 Grammys and had five UK No1 singles and three UK No1 albums.
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Perhaps surprisingly, Cuff It, about the Black Lives Matter campaign, is an upbeat track in which Beyonce sings: “I’m in the mood to f*** something up, I want to go missing, I need a prescription, I want to go higher, can I sit on top of you?
“I want to go where nobody’s been, have you ever had fun like this? We gonna f*** up the night, black lives, spaceships fly, unapologetic when we f*** up the night.”
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I’M THAT GIRL: The first song champions love of yourself, with Beyonce saying she “shines” every day but “love is her weakness”.
COZY: Appears to reference her sister Solange, saying she is “comfortable” in her skin but warning not to “f***” with her.
ALIEN SUPERSTAR: Seems to be a hint to other women who have caught Jay’s eye, warning: “I’m the only one. Don’t even waste your time trying to compete with me.”
CUFF IT: Similar to her 2011 hit Love On Top, with an upbeat chorus of: “I feel like falling in love, I’m in the mood to f something up.”
ENERGY ft Beam: A collab with the US rapper makes one of the album’s edgiest tracks.
BREAK MY SOUL: The dance pop track is the ultimate summer song and was released as the lead single for the album.
CHURCH GIRL: Beyonce turns on what it means to be religious and sings: “Nobody can judge me, but me, I was born free.”
PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA: She forgives Jay for rumours of cheating, singing: “Boy, I know you can’t help but to be yourself around me.”
VIRGO’S GROOVE: Beyonce references her star sign in the upbeat song about the “love of her life” – husband Jay.
MOVE ft Grace Jones and Tems: The punchy track channels girl power with lyrics including: “Move out the way. I am with my girls and we all need space.”
HEATED: Beyonce references her late Uncle Johnny, who died of HIV complications. She has previously described him as “the most fabulous gay man I have ever met”.
THIQUE: One of the sexiest tracks on the record, where Beyonce makes explicit references which include her “ass getting thicker”.
ALL UP IN YOUR MIND: The song talks about trying to get into the psyche of someone using the power of seduction.
AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM: Beyonce shows who is boss in the track as she sings: “I’m in demand as soon as I land.”
PURE/HONEY: She shows that Queen B is back, in a sensual track dripping with sexual references including: “I’ll get you stuck, stuck in my love.”
SUMMER RENAISSANCE: Beyonce references Donna Summer’s hit I Feel Love with the lyric “It’s so good” in the catchy 70s-inspired track.
