Surveillance video appeared to show Solange and JAY-Z getting into an argument as Beyoncé witnessed the incident in an elevator following a 2014 Met Gala afterparty. The footage showed Solange yelling at the rapper before wildly hitting and kicking him as a man who seems to be a security guard tried to restrain her. At one point, Beyoncé stepped in to stand between her husband and sister. The surveillance video was obtained by TMZ and widely circulated.
A source told PEOPLE Solange had a run-in with designer Rachel Roy earlier in the night and said that “Solange was provoked by Rachel.”
Towards the end of the night, “Jay said something inappropriate to Beyoncé and Solange, and she snapped. When they got in the elevator, it escalated quickly the way family tensions can. It got exceptionally heated the way family moments can,” the insider revealed. “Solange is super protective of Beyoncé.”
Ten days after the incident, the trio released a joint statement addressing the drama.
“As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident. But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it,” they say in a statement to the Associated Press. “Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.”
“The reports of Solange being intoxicated or displaying erratic behavior throughout that evening are simply false,” the statement continued. “At the end of the day families have problems and we’re no different. We love each other and above all we are family. We’ve put this behind us and hope everyone else will do the same.”
Two months later, Solange cleared the air about the altercation with Lucky magazine.
“What’s important is that my family and I are all good,” the singer said. “What we had to say collectively was in the statement that we put out, and we all feel at peace with that.”
Beyoncé kept talk of the incident alive in August 2014 when she debuted a remix of her song “Flawless” that seemed to reference the famous elevator brawl. “Of course sometimes s— goes down when there’s a billion dollars on an elevator,” the lyrics state.
Following in his wife’s footsteps, JAY-Z appeared to call out the famous footage in his song “Kill JAY-Z” off his 2017 album 4:44. He raps, “You egged Solange on / Knowin’ all along /All you had to say you was wrong/ But you gotta do better, boy, you owe it to Blue / You had no father, you had the armor / But you got a daughter, gotta get softer.”
JAY-Z shared in a recent interview with Rap Radar hosts Elliott Wilson and Brian “B.Dot” Miller that the incident is far in the past for the family.
“We’ve always had a great relationship… We had one disagreement ever. Before and after we’ve been cool,” he said of Solange. “She’s like my sister. I will protect her. That’s my sister, not my sister-in-law. My sister. Period.”
WHAT HAPPENED
Surveillance video appeared to show Solange and JAY-Z getting into an argument as Beyoncé witnessed the incident in an elevator following a 2014 Met Gala afterparty. The footage showed Solange yelling at the rapper before wildly hitting and kicking him as a man who seems to be a security guard tried to restrain her. At one point, Beyoncé stepped in to stand between her husband and sister. The surveillance video was obtained by TMZ and widely circulated.
"SOLANGE WAS PROVOKED"
A source told PEOPLE Solange had a run-in with designer Rachel Roy earlier in the night and said that “Solange was provoked by Rachel.”
Towards the end of the night, “Jay said something inappropriate to Beyoncé and Solange, and she snapped. When they got in the elevator, it escalated quickly the way family tensions can. It got exceptionally heated the way family moments can,” the insider revealed. “Solange is super protective of Beyoncé.”
BREAKING THEIR SILENCE
Ten days after the incident, the trio released a joint statement addressing the drama.
“As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident. But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it,” they say in a statement to the Associated Press. “Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.”
“The reports of Solange being intoxicated or displaying erratic behavior throughout that evening are simply false,” the statement continued. “At the end of the day families have problems and we’re no different. We love each other and above all we are family. We’ve put this behind us and hope everyone else will do the same.”
WE ARE "ALL GOOD"
Two months later, Solange cleared the air about the altercation with Lucky magazine.
“What’s important is that my family and I are all good,” the singer said. “What we had to say collectively was in the statement that we put out, and we all feel at peace with that.”
FUELING THE FIRE
Beyoncé kept talk of the incident alive in August 2014 when she debuted a remix of her song “Flawless” that seemed to reference the famous elevator brawl. “Of course sometimes s— goes down when there’s a billion dollars on an elevator,” the lyrics state.
JAY-Z TAKES RESPONSIBILITY
Following in his wife’s footsteps, JAY-Z appeared to call out the famous footage in his song “Kill JAY-Z” off his 2017 album 4:44. He raps, “You egged Solange on / Knowin’ all along /All you had to say you was wrong/ But you gotta do better, boy, you owe it to Blue / You had no father, you had the armor / But you got a daughter, gotta get softer.”
"THAT'S MY SISTER"
JAY-Z shared in a recent interview with Rap Radar hosts Elliott Wilson and Brian “B.Dot” Miller that the incident is far in the past for the family.
“We’ve always had a great relationship… We had one disagreement ever. Before and after we’ve been cool,” he said of Solange. “She’s like my sister. I will protect her. That’s my sister, not my sister-in-law. My sister. Period.”