A Brief History Of Jay Z’s Career As Beyoncé’s Private Photographer

When Jay Z isn’t moonlighting as a rapper, he has a permanent residency as the world’s most sought-after Instagram Husband.

Shawn Carter has been dropping hints about his side hustle for years. “When I was talking Instagram / Last thing you wanted was your picture snapped,” he explained in Magna Carta Holy Grail’s “Somewhere In America.”

Indeed: Somewhere in America, Jay Z is dutifully fulfilling his role as Beyoncé’s private photographer. It’s a pretty lucrative gig.

It's also a thankless job. There’s no wall in the MoMA dedicated to the art of documenting Beyoncé's most candid moments. They don’t give out VMAs for impromptu at home music videos. Jay is too humble to ever bring attention to his slept-on works of art, but I’m going dive deep into their history of photographer-muse #relationshipgoals.

So here it is: An unauthorized history of Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Instagram’s unsung hero.

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