Last night I attended Jay Z and Beyoncé OTRII. They opened with Holy Grail. Let me remind you of the opening lyrics.
You'd take the clothes off my back, and I'd let you
You'd steal the food right out my mouth
And I'd watch you eat it, I still don't know why
Why I love you so much, oh
You curse my name
In spite, to put me to shame
Hang my laundry in the streets
Dirty or clean
Give it up for fame
But I still don't know why (don't know why)
Why I love it so much, yeah
And baby
It's amazing I'm in this maze with you
I just can't crack your code
One day you're screaming you love me loud
The next day you're so cold
One day you're here, one day you're there
One day you care, you're so unfair
Sipping from your cup 'til it runneth over, Holy Grail
Now, take what you want from that but immediately I started to think about relationships. Maybe because Beyoncé was singing the hook and not Justin Timberlake so I totally took this somewhere else but as I sat back listening I was shook because quite honestly, it addressed some of the same feelings that we often feel in relationships whether romantic, platonic or familial. The lyrics are moody and highly exaggerated but I felt it.
Beyond that, The Dynamic Duo picked perfect songs from there. Through out the entire show, you rarely heard them shouting their own names but instead they were hyping up one another. All the while, no matter how stellar her performance The Queen B allowed her Husband to lead.
They told a story of love, forgiveness, respect, growth, empowerment and so many other powerful lessons in between. When she walked down stage and performed “ Resentment “, I could feel the emotion in her voice and every lyric stung like a bee (pun intended).
Jay - Z took us down memory lane with some of his throwback cuts, then did an amazing performance of “ Still Nigga “ towards the end of his set. I can’t leave out that together they performed “Black Effect “ both tracks acting as not so gentle reminders to the crowd that Black Lives Still Matter.
These two picked up somewhat of a bad rap when word got out that he had an affair and she stayed. But maybe rather than talking bad about them and scanning and dissecting their lives that we will only ever know minimal about we should learn a thing or two from what they do openly share. Jay - Z is human and I believe his marriage to Beyoncé was truly an “ Upgrade “ for him. On the flip, Beyonce chose to exemplify grace and forgiveness over revenge or giving up which is admirable. Some say she’s staying for the money but her bag is pretty secure at this point so, I doubt it.
Despite what anyone may say, they are a great example of relationship goals.
