“Call me, hey J, I know you; please don’t sit them at my head; just call me,” she pleaded. Well, people are interested in you; you’re a big deal. They are interested in a lot of things, many of which don’t matter and shouldn’t.

The first thing I saw, you know, was her beauty and how beautiful she was. Then, I listened to her music and I loved it. She’s incredibly talented. I think she’s what every female artist should strive to be. So, Rihanna is stirring up some major buzz again, ready to steal those headlines. Word on the street is she’s got a bombshell to drop. Remember a few years back when everyone was gossiping about Jay-Z supposedly having a side chick named Kathy White while he was married to Beyoncé? Yeah, well, here’s where it gets juicy: apparently, news came out that Cathy had “kicked the bucket.” Crazy, right? That sent the rumor mill into overdrive with all sorts of theories flying around. And now, it looks like Rihanna’s jumped into the mix too, ready to spill some tea on the whole situation. You just can’t make this stuff up.

Interested in you, you’re a big deal, they are, and they’re interested in a lot of things—a lot of things that don’t matter or shouldn’t. Before getting to the details, first let’s talk about why Riri felt it necessary to talk about such a sensitive topic. Rihanna and Jay-Z have always been at the center of gossip and rumors. People have been whispering for ages about whether there was something romantic going on between them. And now, it appears Rihanna’s dropping hints that there might be more to the story than we thought. She’s saying there were some incidents involving Jay-Z that nobody knew about before, and it was uncomfortable. We had a lot of conversations when you’ve got a billion on an elevator; drama’s bound to follow.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé, the ultimate power couple in Hip Hop, got caught up in a whirlwind of cheating rumors when a security tape leaked. It supposedly showed Beyoncé’s sister Solange giving Jay-Z a piece of her mind in an elevator after the 2014 Met Gala—purse swinging and all. But that elevator showdown wasn’t where the rumors began; it just added fuel to the fire. This is how Wendy Williams describes it: “She is kicking his behind and the security guard’s trying to hold her back. Beyoncé stays next to Jay-Z in the corner.” And um, I know you’ve seen this footage before. Before their low-key wedding in 2008, Jay-Z and Beyoncé reportedly dealt with persistent rumors of cheating, leading them to quietly split at times. Talk of Jay-Z’s alleged wandering eye has been buzzing among The Beyhive for years. Things reached a fever pitch when Beyoncé dropped her album “Lemonade” in 2016, packed with hints about infidelity. Fans went on a wild hunt to uncover the identity of the mysterious “Becky with the good hair,” supposedly Jay-Z’s mistress. Later on, Jay-Z spilled the beans himself in his album “4:44,” confirming the accusations. While Becky’s identity remains a mystery, these revelations shed light on the rocky road The Carters navigated through in the face of cheating rumors.

“Love you, you’ll never be enough; let’s just keep it real,” Jay-Z sang. Jay-Z and Beyoncé had a stretch of smooth sailing in their relationship before it hit stormy waters with cheating rumors back in 2001. Jay mentioned to Vanity Fair that they were still in the early stages of dating, but fast forward four years, and the media was buzzing with rumors of Jay-Z supposedly getting cozy with his protégé, Rihanna. Suddenly, their picture-perfect romance was overshadowed. According to J. Randy Taraborrelli, who penned an unauthorized biography of Beyoncé, the couple quietly split during this turbulent time. Beyoncé was left grappling with doubts fueled by all the talk about Rihanna. Tough times for the power couple, no doubt.

Well, you know, there had been a long-standing rumor that Jay-Z and Rihanna were having an affair, and my job as a biographer is to sort of unpack these rumors and put the lie to them if possible, or confirm them if that’s the case. The rumors surrounding Beyoncé’s breakup anthem “Ring the Alarm” in 2006 fueled speculation within The Beyhive that the song was aimed at Rihanna, with Jay-Z being the supposed dog mentioned in the lyrics. However, Beyoncé’s team reportedly denied any such connections. But were these rumors based on truth? According to Taraborrelli, Jay-Z didn’t actually cheat on Beyoncé. He claimed that the rumors were fabricated by Rihanna’s publicist, Jonathan Hay, as a strategy to boost her career. In a 2015 email to the New York Daily News, Hay allegedly admitted to concocting the scheme, apologized to Jay-Z and Rihanna, and described the whole situation as very awkward. So, Jay-Z and Rihanna never did—the thing Wendy is talking about.

Rihanna’s connection with Jay-Z traces back to 2004, when she was called to the Def Jam Recordings offices, where Jay-Z was the big boss as president at the time. The young singer from Barbados openly admitted feeling jittery about meeting the influential mogul. She shared in a 2007 interview with The Guardian how she was overwhelmed with nerves as she came face-to-face with the man who would change her life. She humorously described the moment, saying, “I was like, ‘Oh God, he’s right there; I can’t look, I can’t look, I can’t look.'” Their bond has stood the test of time and rumors. When Rihanna was announced as the headliner for the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, alongside the NFL, Jay-Z was quick to offer his congratulations to his protégé and friend, despite facing challenges and rumors, including talks of an affair back in 2005. It’s clear that both Rihanna and Jay-Z deeply care for each other and fully support each other’s careers.

“Beautiful girl, when I met her that day, I knew she was a star. Just her look, the way she walked into a room, and her confidence. And she performed in my office.” It’s hard to fathom a world where Rihanna’s immense talent isn’t recognized by everyone. But apparently, that was the case when she auditioned for Jay-Z, who was calling the shots at Def Jam Records back then. Rihanna’s journey to the top kicked off when she caught the attention of record producer Evan Rogers shortly after winning a local beauty pageant in Barbados. After relocating to the U.S. to stay with Rogers and his wife, she recorded her debut single, “Pon de Replay.” When Rihanna belted out the tune for Jay-Z at Def Jam, it was a game-changer. As she recounted to Rolling Stone, her performance solidified her star status in Jay-Z’s eyes.

Interestingly, it wasn’t until Jay-Z caught Rihanna’s live performance of the song that he was truly won over. According to New York DJ Cipha Sounds, there was a bit of back-and-forth between him and Jay-Z about signing Rihanna, with Jay-Z having some reservations. Sounds remembered the discussion, saying, “He was like, ‘I don’t know, it might be just one song.’ I’m like, ‘No, I’m telling you, Jay, this is why you have me around. My ear is your ear; I’m the A&R.'” The relationship between Rihanna and Jay-Z has always been shrouded in mystery, with persistent rumors swirling about a possible affair when they first collaborated back in 2005. These rumors allegedly played a significant role in Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s reported one-year split as Beyoncé grappled with the onslaught of stories. According to author J. Randy Taraborrelli, as reported by The Daily Mail, Beyoncé didn’t know how to handle this, and it actually led to a temporary breakup. They spent about a year apart because Beyoncé was uncertain about the situation with Rihanna. However, it was later revealed that these rumors were completely fabricated. Publicist Jonathan Hay admitted to planting the stories in the media as part of his efforts to promote Rihanna’s debut single, “Pon de Replay.” A publicist who worked for Rihanna, who admitted that he planted the story in the press. It was not true; it was a story that he planted in order to further Rihanna’s career.

Okay, despite the success that followed her audition and securing a record deal with Jay-Z, Rihanna still experienced nerves during that pivotal moment. As a teenager from Barbados meeting one of the most influential figures in the music industry, it’s completely understandable. Rihanna later reminisced about the nerve-wracking experience via her Instagram story, admitting it feels like just yesterday I was shaking in the hallways of Def Jam waiting to audition for Jay. As reported by the Evening Standard. In a similar account shared with The Guardian in 2007, Rihanna described the intense anxiety she felt during her audition for Jay-Z. She remembered being incredibly quiet, shy, and feeling a chill throughout the process. She expressed the surreal feeling of sitting across from the iconic Jay-Z: “I remember being extremely quiet. I was very shy. I was cold the entire time. I had butterflies. I’m sitting across from Jay-Z, like, Jay-Z. I was star-struck.” Their friendship goes beyond the music industry, extending to various aspects of life. Jay-Z, a rap legend and mogul, has openly talked about offering advice to Rihanna on a wide range of topics. He emphasizes that while he provides guidance, ultimately, Rihanna makes her own decisions based on that advice. And when she walked into our office, I was like, “You know, she just had—there was just something about her. It was just something about it.” And then she performed a song, and I was like, “Okay.”

In a 2013 interview with Hot 97’s Angie Martinez, Jay-Z addressed whether he intervenes if he feels Rihanna is making questionable choices. He asserted, “That’s not my place. No. Again, I can’t control the outcome of her life. I can’t intervene. I can give advice when asked, and that’s it. I can provide information, and then, then life has to play out. Life has to happen.” Rihanna, in turn, has shared insights into the advice she has received from Jay-Z over the years. During an interview on “On the Record” with Fuse, she revealed that Jay-Z once told her, “You must be a really great person because great things keep happening for you. Don’t ever change who you are. Always remain humble.” The same but was he really humble throughout his career? Evidence suggests he wasn’t that much, which even may have made him involved in a major controversy.