Tina Knowles Recalls Beyoncé Choosing Jay-Z Over Another Guy Back in the Day

Beyoncé’s love story could’ve had a totally different soundtrack -- she was actually torn between Jay-Z and another guy back in the day, and had to bring in her mama for some decision-making.

It was the singer's mom, Tina Knowles, who spilled the tea in her new memoir "Matriarch," revealing that while Beyoncé was bonding with Jay-Z over the phone back in the day, she was also juggling another guy in the industry at the same time.

Tina elaborated ... saying Bey and Jay were giving each other solid advice about the industry in 2001, and as their phone chats kept going, their friendship started to run deeper.

Beyoncé would tell her mom she thought Jay was super nice, but it wasn’t all smooth sailing -- she was also chatting with another guy who definitely wanted more.

Things got real when both Jay-Z and the other guy showed up in town at the same time, and a panicked Beyoncé called her mom, saying she didn’t know what to do.

Tina straight-up asked her which one she liked more ... and she could tell Beyoncé was thinking it over before finally settling on Jay.