The Elevator: Was This The Moment That Put The Lemon In Beyoncé's 'Lemonade'?

Unless you've been living under a rock or invented an app specifically to block Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, by now, you've probably heard or seen her latest visual endeavor, Lemonade. The musical effort's intricate storytelling weaves infidelity, the stages of how one deals with deceit and the rocky road to forgiveness throughout the 12 track opus. Sparking rumors of cheating by Beyoncé's beloved, Jay Z, #BlackTwitter erupted in debate over who "Becky with the good hair" could possibly be. Is it Rita Ora or is it one of the Rachels?

Whatever you feel about the project, Lemonade is an expertly-crafted piece of work from Bey and Jay. The film and auditory pairing was genius, plus seeing them visually express the pain of a wife betrayed by her husband for the sake of profit was revealing. We know the power couple has great business acumen, but how much of a story can be made up when it feels all too real while listening? Beyoncé has grown into one helluva woman, a wife and mother, so maybe this was her musical expression of all the things she has not said in prior albums?

In case it escaped anybody's attention, the performances and Becky-skin dresses from this year's Met Gala served to remind us that tomorrow we will be exactly two years removed from the infamous post-Met Gala elevator fight between Bey's baby sister, Solange and her husband, Jay Z. Which practically begs the question: is this right here the moment that sparked the making of Lemonade? Is this THE LEMON?

Let's state up front: relationships are notoriously difficult to judge from the outside--let alone those as public as the Jayoncé joint venture--so we may never know the answer. News that Jay may have an answer record to Lemonade heighten the speculation that this is more script than scoop. Hell, Bey's estranged dad Michael Knowles even suggested that the elevator fight itself was a "Jedi Mind Trick" designed to drum up ticket sales (if so, the younger Ms. Knowles is on a level with Alec Guinness for both Jedi mastery and Oscar-worthy performances!). But it's fair to ask whether, if we had not had this glimpse into the elevator two years ago, Lemonade would feel as real. Bey has had crafted songs with "everything you own in a box to the left" narratives since almost before Jayoncé was even a thing, but did we care as much, before The Elevator?

Let us take a short trip back in time...

The aftermath following the 2014 elevator brawl seen by millions around the world, caused many to speculate what Jay Z could have possibly done to cause Solange to attack him in such a way. With Beyoncé standing off to the side, allowing him to be hit, sources have said that Jay Z's alleged flirting with Rachel Roy on the evening of the ball led to the blow-up. Neither party has denied the events, though Roy went on record via Twitter to state that she "respects love and marriages." And while we all may stand there, thinking of conspiracies and scenarios — the reality is that the elevator brawl of 2014 does seem like a great impetus in which to craft a new body of work.

To be crystal clear, infidelity is not the only theme presented on the album. Love of her deep Southern roots, love of sisterhood, personal frustrations and reflections, symbolic healing and slaying while unapologetically black are what makes this musical gumbo so damn delicious. Tight-lipped and hidden from view, Lemonade was a mystery up until the April 23rd release via HBO special and TIDAL premiere. Nearly 100 collaborators were credited with stirring the pitcher, some of whom had no inkling of what the project was while even on set. It was a bit difficult to find exact dates of when recording and filming occurred, but accounts point to production beginning in the year of our Bey-Lord, 2015...

Every Beyoncé release ignites the debate over her full involvement, specifically in regards to songwriting. Sure, she has an impressive line-up of eclectic songwriters on Lemonade including James Blake, Jack White, The-Dream, Wynter Gordon, The Weeknd, Malik Yusef, among others, but she also has co-writing credits on B'Day, Beyoncé and Lemonade, respectively. In addition to releasing the project through her own company, Parkwood Entertainment, she co-produced every song on the album and served as one of the film's directors. Currently, Lemonade debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it her sixth #1 album, selling 653,000 equivalent album units. Additionally, all 12 tracks from the album debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making history as the first female act to chart 12 or more songs on the Hot 100 at the same time.

She broke the previous record held by Taylor Swift, who had 11.

Beyoncé doesn't get enough credit for her victories in sales, storytelling and efforts to make black women more visible via her body of work. I say this because, personally, I've been tuned into the World of Beyoncé since she was a part of Destiny's Child, singing along to "No, No, No" Part 2 like it was my job. When she embarked on her solo career in 2003 with Dangerously in Love, I was a senior in high school dealing with teenage angst—like the stress of matching my prom date's tie to my dress. I wasn't tuned into Beyoncé's subject matter from her debut album because I had no idea what love was. Over the years, I have supported her music and attended a couple of her concerts, but I never considered myself a worshipper at the alter of the #BeyHive. There always seemed to be a disconnect between the songwriting on her albums, and what was going on in my life at the time. Fashion-wise, I was and still am, very low maintenance, so her visuals at times were a bit too glam for me as well.

Fast forward to Lemonade: I have never been married or even close to being married, yet this LP just feels different to me. Maybe it is because I have experienced life more? Although I still cannot directly relate to some of the content on Lemonade, I can dearly empathize. Sonically, Beyoncé seamlessly blends genres from soul to funk to country to gospel to rock in a way I cannot say I've heard lately. It feels fresh, pure and full of such heartfelt stories not just for herself, but for all of us. Being a black woman in America is not the easiest feat, yet with Lemonade, we witness Beyoncé celebrate blackness in all forms, specifically focusing on that of the black woman. By embracing our history, our present and our future across a visual spectrum of our shades, our body types and hair textures, that is what made me feel and that is what I believe should be the key takeaway from this album.

It may or may have not been created on the grounds of infidelity, but the lemons, whatever they may be, made Lemonade the sweet experience it came to be.

Andrea K. Castillo is a Brooklyn-based multimedia journalist. Her work has appeared at Slant News, Large Up + Perrier USA. Check her out (and us!) on Twitter @AndreaKCastillo.