When the Solange Knowles/Jay Z elevator fight video first leaked, people immediately started talking about what Jay Z did to bring on that reaction. At the time it was mostly a joke on Twitter (albeit not a very funny one), because it was easy to believe that Jay Z was not involved in the fight Solange was desperate to have. He remained calmly defensive throughout the attack, and didn't retaliate to Solange's clear intent to hurt him. Her rage, combined with the Carters' nonchalance, made it seem like this was something Solange does all the time and that it had nothing to do with Beyonce's husband at all.
But now that the Carter-Knowles camp has given their official statement on the matter, it seems Jay Z wasn't a hapless victim after all. The statement reads as follows (emphasis mine):
As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident. But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it. Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family.
By acknowledging that Jay Z assumes a share of responsibility, we now know that there was more to the fight than just an "angry black woman" stereotype. Since the statement says he played a role in the matter, he's not as innocent as many may have believed.
Because Jay Z doesn't strike out in the leaked video, it's safe to assume his part of the blame probably has to do with something he said or did prior to entering the elevator since Solange joined them in a state of immediate distress.
Unfortunately for curious minds, while Solange's part of the blame is recorded for posterity, we'll probably never learn what Jay Z is assuming responsibility for. But at least we now know that with this fight it took two to tango.
