Mathew Knowles On ‘Lemonade’ Lyrics: ‘I’ve Never Hit My Daughter’

Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” visual album continues to remain high on people’s list of conversation starter.And Mathew Knowles knows it as he finds himself addressing the following lyric uttered by Beyoncé that came from a poem:

“Did he convince you that he was God? Are you a slave to the back of his hand?”

“I can say I have never in my life hit my daughter,” Knowles told Mark Thompson during an appearance on the Sirius XM show “Make It Plain,” when asked if Beyoncé’s lyric refers to him. “So, she has never been a slave to the back of my hand because I didn’t believe in that.”

ET Online reports that Beyoncé’s spoken word passages, which include a part where she speaks about her father, “a magician able to exist in two places at once,” were actually lyrics written by Somali-British poet Warsan Shire.

“There’s no way we can get into the mind of Beyoncé,” Knowles added when speaking on whether his relationship with Tina Knowles was among the inspirations for the “Lemonade” album. “Only Beyoncé can answer specifically who she was talking to…I would rather not get into speculation. My answer is I don’t know.”

As the interview continued, Knowles, a professor of Entertainment and the Recording Industry Management at Texas Southern University, got defensive when asked about being meme-d in the wake of the “Lemonade” release, but managed to segue to reveal how proud he is of his daughter.

“I have no reaction, sir. I know the response you want to get, you’re not going to get that response,” he said while mentioning how proud he is of his famous daughter. “I think that’s incredible. I am so proud of Beyoncé, because that means the body of work that she did has made that type of impact in the marketplace. Everybody’s talking about it. Everybody’s tweeting about it. I am so proud.”

For what it’s worth, Knowles does appear in “Lemonade” in old footage playing with a young Beyoncé and in a recent clip with his granddaughter, Blue Ivy Carter.

As for whether he’s spoken with Beyoncé since the release of “Lemonade,” Knowles touched on the popular notion of him and Beyoncé not speaking to each other.

“The media would have you think I’ve never spoke to Beyoncé. But as you can see in the documentary, me and Blue Ivy was playing,” he stated. “I’m a grownup. I’m 64 years old. It doesn’t bother me what people say about me. I know the facts.”

Although he confessed to not speaking with Beyoncé, Knowles saved face with adding, “Do I talk to her? Do I see her? Yes.”

Beyoncé’s relationship with her father is among the controversies that have generated headlines upon the release of “Lemonade.” The item getting the most attention right now involves speculation on who Becky with the good hair” is. Although Rachel Roy tops the list in the eyes of Beyoncé’s online fan base, the Beyhive, the fashion designer denies being the one referenced in the lyric.