Luxury hotel hunts for leaker who was paid $250,000 for video of Solange Knowles attacking Jay Z
- The Standard hotel has launched an investigation into which of their employees leaked the security footage
- Bidding war led to a reported $250,000 price tag for the silent video
- There has been speculation about what caused Beyonce Knowles' sister Solange to violently lash out at her brother-in-law, Jay Z
- His record label recently dropped her as an artist and Solange reportedly got into a fight with designer Rachel Roy before getting in the elevator
- Jay Z is believed to have gone from The Standard event to an afterparty hosted by Rihanna but did not bring Beyonce along
The Standard Hotel has hired a top Hollywood lawyer and is desperately trying to track down the employee who leaked the security footage that showed Solange Knowles attacking Jay Z.
The tape is believed to have been sold to TMZ for $250,000 after a bidding war.
'This was being shopped for five days to the highest bidder,' an unnamed source told
The New York Post's Page Six.
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Moments later: Solange is seen exiting the elevator with Beyonce and Jay Z immediately after she attacked him for a yet-unconfirmed reason following a Met Ball afterparty
The investigation process is ongoing but has been limited to the handful of people who would have had access to the hotel's surveillance footage.
The hotel, which is known for hosting premiere parties and celebrity soirees, is anxious to track down whoever sold the tape because the footage is legally theirs and they do not want to be seen as breaking the trust of their wealthy patrons who crave privacy.
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On the hunt: The Standard is a regular venue used for celebrity after parties but that is based on their dedication to their client's privacy
The Standard quickly put out a statement after the release of the tape, which said: 'We are shocked and disappointed that there was a clear breach of our security system and the confidentiality that we count on providing our guests. 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.'
The statement- and the footage itself- confirmed the veracity of the video which made it hard for the rapper's team to dial back.
'Once it was out, Jay Zs people felt they couldnt control it. They were reluctant to try and publicly fight this,' the source told the paper.
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 The Post 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.
'She used to be on (Jay Zs) label, but now she isnt. 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 didnt like, and she just snapped,' another person said.
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.
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Tensions: Sources claim that Solange Knowles is angry that her brother-in-law's label dropped her as an artist and she has grown more distant from her family after moving to New Orleans with her son
Some reports have argued that Solange may have been overreacting in defense of her sister- who is seen standing in the corner as Solange 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.
or lived to tell about it!
