Solange Knowles Reportedly Attacks Jay Z: The Internet Takes Sides

Solange Knowles’ alleged elevator attack on her brother-in-law, Jay Z, spawned a flurry of Internet memes and Twitter comments on Monday that poked fun at the incident.

There were those that used Jay Z’s song titles, like “99 Problems,” to make light of the incident, which only captured video, but no sound, as a woman who TMZ (the site that posted the video) claims is Solange, lashed out at a person identified by the site as the rapper.

The video was reportedly recorded in an elevator at The Standard Hotel in New York City, following the 2014 Met Gala on May 5, and the lack of sound spawned its own hashtag — #WhatJayZSaidToSolange.

While Access Hollywood has not authenticated the video, the hotel did issue a statement, noting they were “shocked and disappointed” over the “clear breach” in their “security system” and the “confidentiality” they “count on providing” guests.

This Jay Z and Solange stuff #CRAY Can I open for u guys? I’d have Foxy Brown open before you #WhatJayZSaidToSolange pic.twitter.com/agDycnifmm

— Razz and Jazz Sports (@razzjazzsports) May 12, 2014

Some publications used humor to speculate on why the attack took place. One of Vice.com’s theories was, “There was a swarm of bees attacking Jay Z. Solange was trying to beat the sh** out of the bees, not Hova.”

But the Internet memes and jokes also prompted some to question why the situation was being considered funny.

“When I first read a headline about the video I thought, Oh, this will be great, assuming the whole thing was a joke. But as soon as I actually watched it I realized, this isn’t great, it’s not a joke, and it’s certainly not funny, “ Elle.com’s Sally Holmes wrote.

“In short, it shows a violent family dispute,” she added.

In a piece titled, “Why we watch awful things like Solange Knowles’ attack on Jay Z,” Washington Post culture blogger Alyssa Rosenberg addressed the public’s fascination with seeing celebrity private moments.

“We think we want to know everything about their lives, particularly those of people we admire. But I am not sure how true that actually is. If we paused to consider the experience itself, we might acknowledge the misery of it,” she wrote. “Watching a woman so thoroughly lose it is degrading.”

— Jolie Lash