Rapper Jay-Z is at the center of a storm of controversy after being hit with a civil suit alleging he raped a 13-year-old girl in 2000. The claims have reignited public scrutiny over his personal life, including his relationship with superstar Beyoncé.
The lawsuit, filed on Sunday, accuses Jay-Z of sexually assaulting the alleged victim alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs following the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7, 2000. At the time, Jay-Z was 30 years old and reportedly in the early stages of his relationship with Beyoncé, who had recently turned 19.
The lawsuit has sparked renewed discussion of Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s early relationship timeline. According to Beyoncé, the couple met when she was 18, though Jay-Z’s past comments suggest they first crossed paths when she was just 16, during the filming of Destiny’s Child’s “No, No, No” music video. A widely circulated photo from that time shows the two in conversation on set.
The pair later began dating and tied the knot in a private ceremony in April 2008. Their marriage has faced public challenges, including Jay-Z’s 2017 admission of infidelity. Despite these revelations, the couple has remained together, raising their three children: 12-year-old Blue Ivy and 7-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday, Jay-Z denied the allegations and accused attorney Tony Buzbee of attempting to extort him.
“What [Buzbee] had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle,” the rapper said. “No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”
Jay-Z also expressed concern about the impact of the allegations on his family, particularly his children. “My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims,” he wrote. “I mourn yet another loss of innocence.”
The statement concluded with a broader message of solidarity with true victims of abuse. “My heart and support go out to true victims in the world, who have to watch how their life story is dressed in costume for profitability by this ambulance chaser in a cheap suit.”
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