Jay-Z gets real about infidelity and how therapy helped him

Jay-Z is one of the best rappers of our time, and until now, he’s been silent about much of his personal life, especially when it comes to his marriage to Beyoncé. Until now.

In a riveting interview withT: The New York Times Style Magazine, the rapper opens up about hard-hitting topics ranging from infidelity to being a black man in Trump’s America. He also admits to going to therapy as way of helping him through some of his darkest moments.

“I grew so much from the experience,” he said when asked what it was like to be in therapy. “But 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 a … you’re at such an advantage. You know, you realize that if someone’s racist toward you, it ain’t about you.”

The rap veteran went on to say, “You have to survive. So you go into survival mode, and when you go into survival mode, what happens? You shut down all emotions. So even with women, you gonna shut down emotionally, so you can’t connect.” This lead the 47-year-old into revealing that, for him, shutting down ultimately lead to infidelity.

Speculation surrounding the status of the power couple’s relationship intensified after a video surfaced of Beyoncé’s sister, Solange, and Jay-Z getting into a physical altercation in an elevator during the 2014 Met Gala. Rumors surfaced that Solange had been upset about Jay-Z’s unfaithfulness. It was an unsettling event that left many fans confused. In response to the infamous fight, Jay-Z more recently shared with ABC News in August, “We’ve had one disagreement. Before and after, we’ve been cool,” the 47-year-old said. “That’s my sister. Not my sister-in-law, no, my sister. Period.”

When Beyoncé released her Lemonade album, songs such as “Hold Up” and “Don’t Hurt Yourself” lead people to believe that these songs were about Jay-Z’s infidelity, with edgy lyrics such as “If you try this s*** again, you gone lose your wife.”

Jay-Z’s Grammy-nominated 4:44 felt like somewhat of a response album to Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.” In his song, “Kill Jay-Z” he says, “Let the baddest girl in the world get away/I don’t even know what else to say … I don’t even know what you woulda done.”

Addressing those emotions during his interview with NYT executive editor Dean Baquet, Jay-Z acknowledged that both albums were actually made around the same time and gave each of them a chance to share their personal feelings and truths. “[I was] really proud of the music she made, and she was really proud of the art I released. And, you know, at the end of the day, we really have a healthy respect for one another’s craft. I think she’s amazing.”

Check out other nuggets of wisdom from Jay-Z here.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

• Jay-Z Explains Why He Was Unfaithful to Beyoncé, Talks ‘Complicated’ Relationship With Kanye West

• What Beyoncé, the highest-paid woman in music, spends her money on

• Beyonce and Jay-Z’s Struggles Teach A Lot About Relationships

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