Beyoncé‘s family history was dealt a major blow during what is otherwise supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.
On Monday (December 25), TMZ reported that the pop star’s childhood home in Houston from the first half of the ’80s went up in flames during the early hours of Christmas Day. Around 2 a.m., authorities were alerted to the emergency and were able to put the fire out in approximately 10 minutes.
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The “Break My Soul” hitmaker’s parents purchased the Riverside Terrace property in 1981. Just five years later and prior to Solange being born, they moved out — the house has switched owners multiple times since then.
The cause of fire hasn’t been detected yet, though its current residents were able to get out in time. Check out footage from the incident below:
Whereas Beyoncé will not be directly affected by the above ordeal, it’s likely to have a long-lasting impact on the family that were occupying the building. In parallel, Black Thought had a troubled childhood tainted with a similar incident.
Last month, The Roots MC opened up about a traumatizing house fire during childhood that resulted in him losing his “innocence” at an early age.
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In mid-November, the 52-year-old’s memoir was released. The Upcycled Self has been published under his real name, Tariq Trotter, and gives readers a close look into the struggles that he turned into creative expression.
In the first chapter of the book, the rapper reflects on accidentally burning down his family home when he was six years old after playing with a lighter. During an interview with CBS Mornings that aired prior to the book’s release, he looked back on the incident that sped up his growth.
“My mother was super forgiving about the fire,” he said. “There was something lost in the fire that, y’know, you would never be able to get back … I think a certain innocence, a certain level of security.”
A little later in the interview, Black Thought discussed losing his mother to the crack epidemic.
“To lose my mother in the way that I did at the time that I did was — it was my worst nightmare,” he remembered. “Young Tariq, y’know, came to understand that you can’t change everyone, you can’t save everyone.”
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Fortunately for him, he was able to find a way to overcome the cards he was dealt through art, which he credits with being his “saving grace” and “salvation.”
