Last week, Beyonce’s over-the-top, gloriously-ratchet headlining set earned the heralding of headlines all over the Web, but it was Jay Z’s reaction to her set that would go viral the next morning. As Mrs. Carter did what she always does and wowed the crowd with an incredible set filled with mash-ups and medleys of her greatest hits, Hov went straight fanboy in the crowd for his wife. From turning up to “7/11,” to belting out the lovey-dovey lyrics to “1+1,” Mr. Carter was found in a position he has played for years: Beyonce’s biggest fan.
While folks were praising Jay Z as though it were the first time, it turns out he was a member of the BeyHive before its inception. Dating back to as early as 2007, Hov has been singing Bey’s praises and admiring her talents for nearly a decade. As proof, here are six more times Jay Z was a Beyonce stan.
Relationship goals, or nah?
That one time Jay Z gushed about Beyonce’s singing on Charlie Rose (2007)
During a sit-down with journalist and talk show Charlie Rose in 2007, Jay Z discussed the first time he’d heard Beyonce sing. “She was singing like a rapper. It was the first song with Wyclef, and she was singing really fast, and i was like, ‘Why is he singing so fast? How is she –’ and she was on key. I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a talented person right there?”
https://youtube.com/watch?v=xJFvmr_JW3w%3Frel%3D0
That one time Hov recorded Bey’s “1+1” American Idol rehearsal (2011)
While Beyonce was readying herself for a 2011 performance of “1+1” on American Idol, Jay Z was filming her rehearsal session. He later posted the footage on his Life and Times website with a word on Bey’s “greatness.”
“Sometimes you need perspective. You’ve been right in front of greatness so often that you need to step back and see it again for the first time. This is the dressing room rehearsal for American Idol. NO MICROPHONE. No effects,” he wrote.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=hyBJ8cIUR9M%3Frel%3D0
That one time Jay Z tweeted the BeyHive’s whole heart (2012)
Following 2012 her performance at Atlantic City’s The Revel, Jay Z basically said what the entire BeyHive felt in one tweet.
“I’m gonna say this and then I’m gonna end mine.” BEYONCE is the best performer in the world. Period.
— Mr. Carter (@S_C_) May 26, 2012
That one time Jay Z and Blue Ivy stanned together (2014)
After bringing Blue Ivy along to present Beyonce with the 2014 Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, Jay called his wife the “greatest living entertainer.”
That one time Jay Z celebrated “B Day” (2014)
In honor of her 34th birthday, Jay Z pieced together footage of Beyonce’s rehearsals for a special YouTube message. Signature fan move.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8wioINkv3bs%3Frel%3D0
That one time at Made In America… (2015)
Jay Z staked out in the audience to turn up to “7/11” and sing along to “1+1.” All mathematical equations point to love.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=HbAcxPEVY_o%3Frel%3D0
https://youtube.com/watch?v=v1bjwHF-8hA%3Frel%3D0