Last night, Beyonce's publicist Yvette Noel-Schure released a statement to The Associated Press announcing that Beyonce will no longer share the profits of her Protestant wurrkk ethic with her father Matthew Knowles. Beyonce says she is grateful for everything she's learned from both of her managing parents, and that she "will continue to follow in their footsteps" as a diligent, chipper money maker.
Matthew Knowles has been working with his daughter since he gave up a six-figure job selling expensive medical equipment for Xerox to manage Beyonce's first group, Girls Tyme. Later, he shepherded her success in Destiny's Child and oversaw her solo albums, product endorsements and participation in movies like "Dreamgirls" and "Obsessed." He married Tina Knowles in 1980, but she filed for divorce after he had an affair with actress Alexsandra Wright. Wright later had a son named Nixon and identified Knowles as his father.
Matthew says the decision to part ways "was mutual." He says he's shifting priorities now, "very focused on the tremendous investment that (Music World Entertainment) our record label has made in the gospel/inspirational genre of music." Doubt Pastor Rudy or Trin-i-tee will pull the same capital off their next albums as Bey will from hers, but, "business is business and family is family." Knowles says, "I love my daughter and am very proud of who she is and all that she has achieved. I look forward to her continued great success." Us too! Can we hear those Frank Ocean tracks soon?
