--- description: Eric Benét is speaking out after Jay-Z namechecked him and his infidelity towards ex-wife Halle Berry on the track "Kill Jay Z." title: Eric Benét Calls Out Jay Z for Referencing Him on '4:44' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2e86c0c29d6d0ed/6988d41b8fd2ee2af3357ce7/eric-benet-jay-z-responds-song-reference.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Eric Benét Defends Himself After Jay Z for References on '4:44'  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 30, 2017 3:20 PM CUT  HOLLYWOOD, CA - JANUARY 20: Eric Benet attends 'Lisa Edelstein and D.B. Woodside visit Hollywood Today Live' at W Hollywood on January 20, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images) HOLLYWOOD, CA - JANUARY 20: Eric Benet attends 'Lisa Edelstein and D.B. Woodside visit Hollywood Today Live' at W Hollywood on January 20, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)Emma McIntyre—Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jun 30, 2017 3:20 PM CUT Eric Benét is defending himself after being namechecked by [Jay-Z](http://time.com/4821547/jay-z-racism-bail-bonds/ "undefined") on [the rapper’s 13th studio album, _4:44_](http://time.com/4840844/jay-z-444-album/ "undefined") — but it’s not for what you might think. On the opening song, “Kill Jay-Z,” Jay Z finally responded to what was widely perceived as his infidelity in his marriage to Beyoncé (something that the Bey Hive has long speculated happened after [_Lemonade_](http://time.com/4631309/beyonce-lemonade-impact/ "undefined")and [Elevatorgate](http://time.com/4802554/jay-z-beyonce-relationship-timeline/ "undefined").) In his rap, he references Eric Benét who [admitted to cheating](http://people.com/archive/eric-benets-confessions-vol-64-no-2/ "undefined") on ex-wife [Halle Berry](http://time.com/2966270/review-halle-berry-stars-in-cbss-extant/ "undefined"). The lyrics don’t mince words, with Jay confessing, “You almost went Eric Benét/Let the baddest girl in the world get away/I don’t even know what else to say\[sic\], never go Eric Benét.” After his relationship drama appeared to be immortalized in song as the metaphor for betraying a spouse, Benét, who hasn’t exactly been back in the spotlight, quickly took to Twitter to call out the rapper by talking about his current wife, Manuela Testolini, who he says is “the baddest girl in the world.” > [](https://twitter.com/ebenet/status/880682530139189248) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4841255/eric-benet-on-jay-z-444/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4841255/eric-benet-on-jay-z-444/"},"headline":"Eric Benét Defends Himself After Jay Z for References on '4:44'","datePublished":"2017-06-30T15:20:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:45:04.027Z","description":"Benét took to Twitter to set the record straight","url":"https://time.com/4841255/eric-benet-on-jay-z-444/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities","Music","viral","Jay-z","entertainment"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2e86c0c29d6d0ed/6988d41b8fd2ee2af3357ce7/eric-benet-jay-z-responds-song-reference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb2e86c0c29d6d0ed/6988d41b8fd2ee2af3357ce7/eric-benet-jay-z-responds-song-reference.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Lisa Edelstein Visits Hollywood Today Live","caption":"Lisa Edelstein Visits Hollywood Today Live","creditText":"Emma McIntyre—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4841255/eric-benet-on-jay-z-444/","name":"Eric Benét Defends Himself After Jay Z for References on '4:44'"}}]}] ```