NEW YORK – Mathew Knowles insists he still has an amicable relationship with his daughter Beyonce — even though she dumped him as her manager two months ago — but is alleging that people close to her have tried to destroy his reputation with allegations that he stole from her.
Knowles filed papers in a Texas court this week alleging that members of Beyonce's camp, which he says includes her label, Columbia Records, Live Nation and her superstar husband Jay-Z's Roc Nation, have made "negative comments about me."
"We absolutely have not taken any money from Beyonce, and all dollars will be accounted for," he told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday afternoon. "In no way have we stole money. Again, this about the people who have made these claims — they have to come into the light."
Knowles guided his daughter's career since she was child, first to superstardom as part of the group Destiny's Child, and then as she continued with her blockbuster solo career. Beyonce has sold millions of records, won numerous Grammys, is a lucrative spokeswoman for different products, and has also had considerable success in film with movies like the Oscar-winning "Dreamgirls" and the movie "Obsessed."
When Beyonce announced in May that she would no longer use her father to guide her career, she stressed that at almost 30, she was ready to take control of her own affairs and pledged her adoration for him.
"He is my father for life and I love my dad dearly. I am grateful for everything he has taught me," Beyonce said at the time.
On Thursday, Knowles said he had no problem with his daughter.
"The relationship with Beyonce is extremely amicable. I want to make that clear. Where there's concern is the people that she's doing business with," he said. "I'm challenging all of these folks on integrity, professional integrity."
Knowles said he does not believe the allegations that he stole money from her are the reason why he was fired, and said his daughter completely cleaned house: "She changed almost every aspect of her business."
But he painted a picture of a concerted effort to oust him from the helm of her career.
"The team ironically appeared to be a cross-pollination of Beyonce's team, Roc Nation's team, and Live Nation's team, who ironically have the most to gain," he said.
When asked if there was a deliberate plan to take him out of the equation, he said: "I'll let people come to their own conclusion."
Knowles said he has not spoken to his daughter specifically about the allegations, but at one point told her: "The only way we will be able to understand this is through a court of law. That's the only way either one of us will be clear if someone in our camps did something that was not correct."
Beyonce released her fourth solo album, "4," last month, and it debuted at the top of the charts, and remained at the top for the second week in a row this week. Still, it has yet to produce the kind of massive hits that Beyonce has charted routinely during her career, which has spanned more than a decade.
Knowles blames her camp and her label for that. "They put out the record in a vacuum," he said, adding that her success came despite setbacks.
"It makes you believe that there are some artists that don't need radio. There are some records that don't need a record label, and Beyonce is one of those artists," he said.
While Knowles had only positive things to say about his daughter, he acknowledged when asked that he they have not spoken since she let him go.
"We have not had that conversation," he said.
Representatives for Beyonce and Roc Nation did not respond to requests for comment. Columbia Records and Live Nation had no comment.
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Online:
http://www.beyonceonline.com
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Nekesa Mumbi Moody is the music editor for The Associated Press. Follow her at http://www.twitter.com/nekesamumbi
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