Summer is over, but Americans still have a few hot days to spare. Cause when Beyonce is onstage, everything is on fire. This fall, the heat reaches a breaking point: she is On the Run with her husband, Jay-Z.
A couple, also known as a hip-hop duo called The Carters, kicked off their second joint stadium tour, On the Run II, on June 6, 2018. During the first leg of the OTR II, they visited major European cities: London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Warsaw, Copenhagen, and some others. Soon thereafter The Carters came back to North America and continued touring across the USA. However, a couple took a 10-days break after the last summer show to get well prepared for their heavy autumn schedule.
Beyonce and Jay-Z officially released their first joint album ”Everything in Love” on 16 June, 2018. Probably this date was not chosen at random: musicians have been dating since 2002, so they celebrate their 16 years together this year.
The Story Behind “Everything is Love”: The Mainspring of OTR II
In short, the debut album from The Carters is what happens when we get a fusion of three: two talented people and love between them. And each element of this fusion deserves more particular attention.
Jay-Z. We know him as a powerful hip-hop mogul who holds the second place for the most #1 albums on Billboard 200 after The Beatles. The “master of flow” is a successful entrepreneur who runs a business empire with numerous ventures in fashion, real estate, food, sports, and music industries. A little-known fact about Jay-Z is that he is a co-owner of Brooklyn Nets NBA team. His career, business, and art trophies are uncountable, but what do we know about his personal life?
Before becoming a caring husband and father, Jay-Z established himself as a scandalous figure in the hip-hop community. Thus, he was charged with stabbing Lance “Un” Rivera, a record executive suspected in bootlegging Jay-Z’s last album at that time. As the result of the charge, the rapper was sentenced to a three-year probation. He was remorseful in his autobiographical book, Decoded, and said he would never allow that happen again.
However, Jay-Z continues to maintain the image of a “risky bad guy”. For example, he isn’t shy about his gambling habit and says he enjoys visiting casinos while being in England. His preferred games are blackjack and poker. Apparently, celebrity visits to casinos are often associated with big losses.
Even the artist only reported his one-time $500,000 loss in poker, it’s obvious he was losing in blackjack, too. It’s not possible to win in blackjack in long run again and again even for such a “big fish” as Jay-Z is claimed to be. The mathematical advantage always remains on the side of the casino. The reason he mentioned only his loss in poker is that it’s really huge. Just imagine: that’s half a million dollars! But that’s only pennies for a guy who earned over $40 million during last year.
The most personal album of Jay-Z is his last release “4:44”. According to his words, he talks about things he’s never talked about there.
Beyonce. Before meeting Jay-Z, Baby Bey rose to fame as part of R&B girl band Destiny’s Child. It’s worth noting, that the large contribution to the band’s success was made by her father, Mathew Knowles. Destiny’s Child was announced as a ninth top artist of 2000s, but Beyonce hadn’t stopped and taken even higher peaks being a legendary solo artist.
Now Beyonce is one of the best-selling singers of all time with total sales of $84.4 million. An R&B diva, iconic sex symbol, and powerful influencer has quite a multifaceted personality. Just like her star husband, she is involved in various business activities. Knowles endorses famous brands like Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, American Express, Nintendo, etc. and runs a few fashion lines.
When it comes to personal life, Bey is not to fond to talk about herself. But when it comes to social justice, she is in the vanguard of change. Knowles is a feminist (her songs like Run the World (Girls) and Single Ladies apparently hint on this), keen supporter of black pride of America, and eco-activist.
However, “Lemonade”, her sixth studio album, shows us another side of Beyonce. Aside from disclosing a black womanhood theme, she refers to her relationship with Jay-Z breeding a question of his infidelity. The rapper confirmed he’s been unfaithful and included veiled apologies to his wife in “4.44”.
“Everything in Love” is the grand finale of a trilogy, where we observe a couple’s reunion. Jay-Z and Beyonce finally open up the curtains to their innermost and tell us a story about how their love was born, challenged, and eventually survived.
What Critics Say
The album received mainly positive reviews from critics and ended up with 80 out of 100 rating at Metacritic. According to experts, the release is well-balanced yet is still far from the rich emotional stuffing we tasted on “4:44” and “Lemonade”. Both solo albums expose more vulnerability being a better field for exploration, while “Everything is Love” is just an ode to the couple’s glossy love accompanied by fame, wealth, and prosperity.
Where to See The Carters Live: Next Tour Destinations
The Carters are back on the big stage on September 11 throwing a show in Arlington, Texas. After that, they will grace the residents of New Orleans, Houston, Glendale, Pasadena, San Diego, Santa Clara, and Vancouver with their visits and cease their Run in Seattle on October 4, 2018. So, you still have a chance to feel a farewell spark of the summer’s heat. The full list of OTR II dates and tickets are available on the Beyonce’s official website.