Jay-Z and Beyonce watch Game 4 of the Brooklyn Nets second-round NBA playoff basketball game against the Miami Heat at the Barclays Center, Monday, May 12, 2014, in New York.The Associated Press
The New York hotel where an alleged brawl between Jay Z and his sister-in-law Solange Knowles supposedly took place is scrambling to explain how the footage was leaked.
The Standard Hotel has issued a statement , reports the Associated Press, saying it is "shocked and disappointed that there was a clear breach of our security system and the confidentiality that we count on providing our guests."
As reported yesterday by TMZ, the startling video clip shows a man who appears to be Jay Z defending himself against a young woman who looks to be Beyoncé's younger sister, Solange Knowles, inside an elevator.
TMZ was first to report that the incident took place at the Standard Hotel last week at an after-party following the annual Met Costume Institute Gala. TMZ did not say how they obtained the footage.
In the shocking 30-second clip, the woman alleged to be Solange first yells at the man believed to be Jay Z before she turns it into a physical attack. Despite the efforts of a large bodyguard also in the elevator, she appears to strike him with flailing arms at least three times.
The Standard Hotel says it is looking into how the footage was obtained by TMZ.
"We are investigating with the utmost urgency the circumstances surrounding the situation and, as is our customary practice, will discipline and prosecute the individuals involved to our fullest capacity."
Within hours of the video clip's release, the topic was trending on Twitter and the inspiration for countless memes and Instagram parodies (with more than a few updating the Jay Z song 99 Problems to suggest that he now has 100 Problems).
As for Jay Z and Beyoncé , their response to the controversy appears to be along the lines of "Scandal? What scandal?"
The music-industry power couple showed a united front last night by turning up at the NBA playoff game between the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclay's Center in New York.
For the special occasion, Beyoncé wore her hair to the side and was dressed in blue – her favourite colour – while Jay Z wore a white T-shirt accompanied by a large gold chain.
And based on the big smiles on their faces, the super-couple didn't have a care in the world as they sat courtside to watch their beloved Nets (who lost to the Heat by a score of 102 to 96).
Then again, aren't Beyoncé and Jay Z always smiling when there are cameras pointed in their direction?