Jay-Z had some compeтιтion for Beyoncé’s affections in the early days of their relationship, her mother has revealed in her new memoir. 

Beyoncé, 43, began the relationship with hip-hop mogul Jay as ‘just friends’ Tina Knowles revealed in Matriarch, which arrived on store shelves Tuesday. 

However, Tina has revealed that there was a mystery man that Beyoncé was presiding over at the time, and even had difficultly in choosing between the two.

‘Beyoncé had developed a friendship with [Jay], solely over the phone, [in the early 2000s]’ Knowles writes in her tome. 

‘They provided good counsel to each other as they discussed the industry, each sharing a singular confidence in their artistic vision.’

The two got to meet in person for the first time when the Renegade artist traveled to Houston for a concert and Knowles invited him to her house for a family dinner. 

‘As Beyoncé and Jay then kept up with each other in calls, the friendship deepened,’ she explained, adding, ‘She would tell me, “He’s just so nice.”‘

 Jay-Z, 55, had some compeтιтion for Beyoncé’s affections after they first met. According to  her mother’s new book, the Single Ladies singer, 43, and the rapper started out as ‘friends’;  Pictured in New York City in 2002

But while she was shooting 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember, both Jay-Z and the other man would travel to the set to visit the burgeoning actress.

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The other suitor may have been Bey’s longtime high school boyfriend, Lyndall Locke, whom she dated from 1993 to 2001. 

Unsure of which man to pick, the Single Ladies singer turned to her mother for advice. 

‘Well, who do you like the most?’  the former hairdresser recalled asking the her wondering child. ‘Who do you enjoy talking to more?’

‘I watched her think. It was Jay. Isn’t it humbling how love can begin with such a simple feeling? You like talking to someone over the phone. You’re 21 years old and you can’t know someday you will take that love to the stars, but it begins with such a small instinct.’

As the couple got more serious, Knowles made sure both extended families got to know each other.

Beyoncé had to meet the approval of her boyfriend’s mother, Gloria Carter, his sisters and his grandmother Hattie White, who was featured on Freedom from Beyoncé’s Lemonade album.

‘That was the start of the Carter and Knowles families joining as one family, and we are all very close to this day,’ Knowles shared with her readers.

Tina Knowles, 71, is revealing a few family secrets in her new memoir;  Pictured in Los Angeles in November 2024

While Beyoncé’s was shooting 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember, both Jay-Z and  another guy would travel to the set to visit the burgeoning actress, who was torn about whom to choose

The hitmaker asked her mom’s advice. ‘Well, who do you like the most?’ Tina recalled asking the her wondering child. ‘Who do you enjoy talking to more?’; Pictured in July 2002 with Matthew Knowles and Solange Knowles

The couple began dating in 2002 and went official in 2001;  Pictured in New York City in October 2000

‘They had the wedding at their house on April 4 because it was the only place that we knew it wouldn’t get out, ‘the proud mom revealed.

‘Our gatherings would become parties, rich with laughter and storytelling, drinking and dancing. In the Bible it says to eat, drink, and be merry, and that’s what our evenings are like with the Carters,’ she said.

The multi-talented Tina who designed costumes for Destiny’s Child, revealed she also designed her daughter’s wedding dress for her wedding to the Roc Nation founder in 2008. 

Tina used to design outfits for Destiny’s Child revealed;  Pictured in New York City in September 2002

The multi-talented former hairdresser wrote she designed her daughter’s wedding dress for the 2008 nuptials

‘We had a lady make white curtains to cover the walls and windows, right up to the 25-foot ceilings’ she revealed, adding she and Jay-Z’s mom and grandmother cooked soul food for the reception

Matriarch landed on store shelves Tuesday 

The couple shared video of their special day during their joint On The Run Tour, which aired on HBO.  

Sharing more details she explained, ‘We had a lady make white curtains to cover the walls and windows, right up to the 25-foot ceilings.’

In spite of the lavish decorations, the event had a down-home feel. 

‘I joined Jay’s grandmother and mother in cooking all the food,’ she wrote, taking the lid off a family secret. ‘We did soul food, of course, the best food for a night of dancing and family love.’