Solange Knowles attacked Jay Z in elevator 'after he got too close to designer Rachel Roy at Met Gala'



Why Beyoncé stood back and tried to avoid getting involved in her sister Solange Knowles' infamous elevator bust-up with Jay Z has prompted speculation by many.

But one reason for the superstar's passive response has now emerged, with claims that Solange flew into a rage after the rapper had 'got too close' to designer Rachel Roy at the Met Gala, according to Hollywood Life.



Solange, 27, was annoyed that Californian fashion designer Rachel, 40, was hovering around Jay Z at the star-studded New York event.

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Friends no more? Solange Knowles (L) apparently lashed out at Jay Z as he was 'too close' to designer Rachel Roy (R)

An insider told the site: 'Solange was defending Beyoncé in the elevator because Solange finds Jay’s friendship with Rachel to be WAY too close for comfort and it makes Solange very uncomfortable.'

The insider added: 'Beyoncé also confronted Rachel and said, "Don’t talk to my sister like that," after [Rachel] confronted Solange.'

And Solange was apparently so incandescent about the whole affair she ended up getting into the violent confrontation with her brother-in-law.

The 27-year-old apparently told the designer 'anyone who gets close to Jay has to be warned and deal with her as a sister,' according to a Us Weekly source.

However the insider added: 'Rachel is combative and a tough girl, She didn’t back down,' and the hip-hop mogul, 44, and Beyonce, 32, had to intervene to separate the two as they got into a heated argument.



Face like thunder: Jay Z did not look pleased as he headed into an aftershow party following the event

Revealed: Luxury hotel The Standard has now fired an employee who was paid $250,000 for video of Solange Knowles attacking Jay Z in an elevator

Things then came to a dramatic end in the lift, when Solange flew into a rage when he said he wanted to continue partying alone at Rihanna's after party, where she believed Roy would also be in attendance.

Roy has a long association with Jay, Beyonce and their family. She was previously married to the rapper's former manager and business partner Damon Dash before divorcing in 2008.

Jay and Damon famously fell out after the hip-hop star became the president of Def Jam Recordings, soon after the music giant bought their Roc-A-Fella Records.

Pictured: The Standard Hotel in Chelsea, New York, where Solange attacked Jay Z at the Met Gala afterparty on May 5

In 2005, their friendship was further soured when Jay bought Damon out of his stake in their Rocawear clothing label.

Damon appeared to comment on the furore over the video of Solange hitting Jay in the elevator as he posted an old photo of his teenage daughter Ava with Solange on his Instagram.

He wrote: 'Forgot about this one @ava_dash @atrak and solange ...I am actually impressed with her independent spirit... She seems like a fighter #festivallife.'

Rachel also seemed to allude to the furore as she referanced a Jay Z song on Twitter on Wednesday.

Promoting her clothing line, she tweeted a link to her new summer line, with the words: 'The Beach is better!'

That is in clear reference to 2007 Jay Z track Beach is Better.



It comes after it emerged a New York City hotel says it has identified and fired the person who recorded security video appearing to show Beyonce's sister attacking Jay Z inside an elevator last week.



The Standard Hotel says the person has been terminated for 'breaching the security polices of the hotel and recording the confidential CCTV video.'

Website TMZ posted the video Monday and said it was shot last week inside a Standard Hotel elevator.

The video appears to show Solange attacking Jay Z in Beyonce's presence while a security guard intervenes.



Annoyed: Solange seemed upset by something as she posed for pictures with her sister at the Standard Hotel's Boom Boom room following the Met Gala on May 5

Crazy night: Kim Kardashian's pal Rachel Roy (left) 'publicly argued with Solange' (right) before singer attacked Jay Z in an elevator at Met afterparty, according to UsWeekly The footage - which was reportedly sold for $250,000 following a bidding war - showed the performers in the outfits they wore to the Met Gala last week. The hotel says it will turn over 'all available information to criminal authorities'. Representatives for the performers have not immediately responded to requests for comment. Because the tape does not include audio, the world has been left to wonder what caused Beyonce's younger sister to violently lash out at her brother-in-law. The latest theory from alleged insiders pieces together various different aspects. Sources told PageSix that while Solange was reportedly 'provoked' during an outburst with designer Rachel Roy before getting in the elevator, the singer was dealing with a number of emotional and financial problems that came to a head at that moment.

Struggling for composure: Jay Z rights himself as he tails his wife, who is also hot on the heels of her younger sister

'She used to be on (Jay Z’s) label, but now she isn’t. And she moved to New Orleans from Brooklyn with her son. Solange still spends a lot of time in New York, but she is further away from her family, which has created some issues,' a source told the paper.

'Clearly she was on something at the party, she was drunk and out of it. The girl is crazy and prone to outbursts. She got in the elevator with Jay and Bey. He had made a comment that she didn’t like, and she just snapped,' another person said.

A source said Solange's pals 'wouldn't leave and kept name dropping Jay Z. They were pretending they were guests of his and not hers. Management went to Julius (Beyonce's bodyguard) and said there's a problem.'

The incident occurred as the Carter-Knowles clan was leaving The Standard Hotel after party for the Met Ball and Jay Z was reportedly headed to Rihanna's separate party without his wife.



Calm before the storm? Solange was seen in this Instagram shot from Beyonce posing with Lupita Nyong'o and Sarah Paulson at the afterparty

Problems resolved? On Monday evening Jay Z and Beyonce appeared calm as they attended Game Four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Barclays Center

Some reports have argued that Solange may have been overreacting in defense of her sister - who is seen standing in the corner as the younger Knowles attacks her husband.

For their part, the notoriously-tight-lipped couple have let their actions speak on their behalf.

Beyonce and Jay Z have sat courtside at two Brooklyn Nets games since the fight occurred, putting on a united front.

She has also effectively made a statement through social media, and even though Solange took the public move of deleting all-but-one traces of Beyonce from her Instagram feed, Beyonce posted four old, tender photo of she and her sister on various trips.

Name-check: Rachel made a reference Jay's 2007 track The Beach Is Better on Twitter on Wednesday

Timing: On Monday, Jay's ex business partner Damon Dash posted a photo of Solange with his and Rachel's daughter Ava at the Coachella Festival last month, praising the singer as a 'fighter'