Beyonce, Jay Z Flashed Justin Bieber’s Mugshot At Show, Media Idiocy Continues

Did Beyonce diss Justin Bieber at her and Jay Z’s “On The Run” opening show last Wednesday? A video says they did not. So why are Bieber’s fans and media outlets stating otherwise?

Beyonce has been accused of mocking Justin Bieber, saying,”Even the greatest can fall” when the Canadian’s mugshot was shown in a montage of famous arrestees, during Jay Z’s performance of “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” at their “On The Run” tour opener last week.

Except Beyonce did nothing of the sort, according to a video of Jay Z’s rendition.

And if she did mention it later in the show — although, why would she? — the negative take is superimposed from a media-driven focus on Bieber, given that he was just one of many faces in the onscreen line-up in Miami.

A clip of the mugshot montage shows Jay Z performed alone and Beyonce didn’t appear on stage at any time. No voice-over of the alleged “greatest” line is heard either.

So where did this story come from?

The Daily Mirror reported an audience member at the show claims Beyonce allegedly told the crowd “Even the greatest can fall,” when Bieber’s DUI arrest photo flashed up on the giant screen during a music break in “Izzo.”

Despite clear video disputing this version of events, Biebs’ plentiful critics are running with a “diss” interpretation of Beyonce’s alleged comment.

Bieber himself didn’t seem upset by the shout-out as he retweeted a fan’s message of the screengrab of the mugshot montage.

That roll call included: Jay Z, Robert Downey Jr., Jane Fonda, Bill Gates, David Bowie, the late Tupac Shakur and Jim Morrison, Rick Ross, Diddy and more.

Translation: A fantasy dinner party Anna Wintour would wear synthetic for.

Justin’s mug shot makes an appearance at Beyoncé & Jay Z’s ‘On the Run Tour.’ Wonder if he’s excited lol pic.twitter.com/PWFmu9NfrW

— Justin Bieber Babes (@belieberbabes) June 27, 2014

Bieber’s fans – the notoriously reasonable Beliebers – were split in their reaction to Bey’s alleged remark. Some thought it a compliment for their idol to allegedly be singled out from a stellar montage and called the “greatest.” Others thought it was “disrespectful,”Page Six reports.

As the debate rages, a perspective:

First. The obvious.

Bieber’s inclusion in a montage that includes Jay Z himself, Downey Jr., Gates, Shakur, Bowie and Morrison, can hardly be seen as a slight. Each are considered icons in their fields. In addition, Idolator notes that Jay Z’s “Izzo” is a celebratory song about “how he escaped conviction as a drug dealer.”

“Haters want me clapped in chrome, it ain’t easy / Cops want to knock me, D.A. wants to box me in / But somehow, I beat the charges like Rocky,” a lyric extract reads.

The gist is that the accused overcomes the odds. Downey and co. would have welcomed that idea when they were arrested, and evidently Bieber does.

In fact, in the video when the music cuts out on Bieber’s mugshot, Jay Z’s acapella lyric is sympathetic:

“Not guilty, he who does not feel me is not real to me / So poof! Vamoose son of a b—-.”

(Photo: Beyonce and Jay Z rock the stage on their “On The Run” concert.)

Moreover, considering Jay Z talked about his past as a crack dealer in a Vanity Fair profile last year and pleaded guilty to stabbing a man in 2001 — receiving three years probation — it’s unlikely he would be throwing shade at a pop star guilty of alleged egg-throwing and other teenage antics.

Even if Beyonce did say “Even the greatest can fall” — which, again, is not heard or seen on the video — it’s a philosophical view on the ups and downs of life, rather like “C’est la vie.”

Not a diss or slight to Bieber. Not even close.

So why are so many outlets reporting that it is? There may be many reasons. Here’s two:

Most apparently haven’t heard, or understood, Jay Z’s “Izzo.”

The other: Negative headlines are tried and tested traffic pulls for websites and press, as are sex and violence.

To take your mind off that truism, have a gander at Beyonce and Jay Z’s recently released “On The Run” rehearsal footage below.

[Images via Daily Mirror.]