The father of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles claims that his younger daughter’s notorious elevator scuffle with Jay Z was a PR stunt. Referring to it as a “Jedi mind trick”, Mathew Knowles proposed that the May fight was faked in order to stoke interest for Solange’s records and Jay Z and Beyoncé’s joint tour.
“[They needed something to] ignite that tour,” Mathew Knowles told 104.1 KRBE radio (via Billboard). “It’s called a ‘Jedi mind trick.’ The Jedi mind trick fools you a lot of the time. So things you see, sometimes, are ...” He gestured to evoke a puff of smoke. “All I know is: everyone is talking about it. Ticket sales went up, Solange’s album sales went up 200% ...”
Certainly Solange and Jay Z’s elevator argument seemed real at the time. Reportedly captured on a CCTV camera at Manhattan’s Standard Hotel, the footage seemed to show Solange kicking and punching her brother-in-law, while Beyoncé stood by. A bodyguard eventually separated the two musicians. “Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred,” the trio later wrote in a statement. “They both have apologised to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.”
Beyoncé and Jay Z’s subsequent On the Run tour has been dogged by speculation about the state of the couple’s marriage. But the media spotlight has also helped make it a hit: their 21 gigs are bringing in an estimated $100 million (£60 million). Solange, meanwhile, has become much more of a household name and, as her father suggested, her US record sales grew by 233% in the week after the security footage leaked.
Nevertheless, Mathew Knowles’s comments must be taken with a pinch of salt. He was dropped as Beyoncé’s long-time manager in 2011 and neither of Mathew’s daughters attended his 2013 wedding.
Speaking to KRBE, Mathew asserted that, despite Beyoncé’s new professional arrangements, he is still the manager of Destiny’s Child. He also suggested that the blockbuster band has plans for a full reunion. “When you see Destiny’s Child on TV and you see them doing songs together, slowly, slowly ... there might be a new Destiny’s Child album coming. There might be this tour that makes history: Destiny’s Child featuring Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle.”
Destiny’s Child last toured together in 2005.
